Medieval carol to premiere at uni Christmas concert

The manuscript containing the carol was found in the college library

A medieval carol that had been "silent for hundreds of years" is to be heard for the first time at a University of Cambridge Christmas concert.

The work - called Nolo mortem peccatoris - meaning "I do not wish that a sinner should die", was found in a 15th Century manuscript in the library of St John's College.

The manuscript of carols contained text only, and no musical notation; therefore, "we lack any clues as to how they might once have sounded", said Dr Catherine Bradley, from the college.

The carol has been brought back to life and set to music by Master of the King's Music, Errollyn Wallen CBE, and the world premiere will be performed by the Choir of St John's College on 29 and 30 November.

Medieval musicologist and fellow at St John's, Dr Bradley, was asked by the college choir's director, Christopher Gray, to recommend an "old" text for the 2025 Advent commission.

With the help of the emeritus professor of medieval English literature and palaeography, Richard Beadle, they began examining 16 texts in the manuscript.

"These carol texts are preserved together in... a small, paper booklet of 16 leaves, dating from the second half of the 15th Century," Dr Bradley said.

"The booklet is very modest in appearance, and is therefore a remarkable and rare survival from the period."

It was written down by two different scribes and stitched into a protective piece of parchment.

"Unlike some medieval carols that include musical notation, the texts in this manuscript survive without any music — we lack any clues as to how they might once have sounded."

Choristers were shown the original manuscript by college librarian Tanya Kirk

Composer Wallen, who has set the work to music, said it had been "a special thrill at the fact that these words had not been sung for centuries, and their original melody remains unknown".

"This Advent carol moves from the dark to the light — from the terrifying prospect of death to the 'joy and mirth' of a new beginning."

Dr Bradley added: "The idea to use one of the carol texts and thus to bring back to life a song that had been silent for hundreds of years arose in collaborative and congenial circumstances that typify the best of St John's College life."

The concert will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 at 15:00 GMT on 30 November.