Carol of the Day: Ding Dong Merrily on High
Getting to know George Woodward
Sometimes a simple carol can be a window into a fascinating life. The tune is ancient; it comes from a secular French dance tune from the 16th century. I found the story of the text and its author, George Ratcliffe Woodward (sounds like a character on Downton Abbey) quite interesting.
Woodward was an Anglican priest who lived from 1848-1934. He seems to have been a studious person, with a fondness for religious verse, music, and bell ringing. From that, you would be right to believe he was destined to write this particular carol
He played the cello and the euphonium which, apparently, he sometimes played in procession. Here's a picture:
He published many carols, most of them written to existing tunes like the Renaissance dance tune that would become Ding Dong Merrily on High.
He lost his wife in 1893, when he was 44. He would live another thirty-one years without her, publishing music and verse for twenty of those years.
When I look at that picture of him, in his cassock, playing the euphonium, I think he would be fun to know.
