Flower of the Month – December
December
Flower of the Month
December
“Winter Minstrelsy”
Eliza Flower (1803–1846)
for solo voice and piano
performed by
Alex Pratley – Baritone
Frances M Lynch– Piano
from “Songs of the Months”
published by A J Novello
December 1834
Find out more about the song and the singer here
In nature the flower of this month isn’t really a flower!
Holly was a symbol of fertility and protection from witches! These days it is said to bring good fortune, peace and of course adds joy to the Christmas celebrations.
Recordings of the Songs of the Months are being released online each month,
beginning on February 14th 2023, and ending on Jan 1st 2024.
You can listen to all of those published so far HERE
The composer of each of the 12 songs is Eliza Flower (1803 – 1846), who set poetry provided by her close knit circle of literary friends, mainly women, including her sister Sarah Flower Adams. The result is an eclectic mix of songs which vere from romantic to dramatic harmony and from simple beauty to lively humour.
The short editorial introduction explains that each song appeared throughout 1834 in the Monthly Repository – a publication associated with South Place Chapel where Flower’s life and work was based.
