Watch the Mormon Tabernacle Choir’s new video released Thanksgiving weekend on the Choir website at https://www.mormontabernaclechoir.org/wexfordcarol.html featuring “The Wexford Carol!” The new Mack Wilberg arrangement of this unforgettable carol was performed by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square at the 2015 Christmas Concert and on their recently released Hallelujah! CD and DVD.
This inspiring video depicts a family dealing with disappointment and loss leading to a joyful reconciliation. It is a modern-day story with a theme similar to the story of the prodigal son. Imagery and details from three beloved parables Jesus taught—all recorded in Luke 15: the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the “lost” or prodigal son—will be found throughout the video in unique ways.
The lyrics to “The Wexford Carol,” the most famous of Irish Christmas carols, begin:
“Good people all, this Christmas time,
Consider well and bear in mind
What our good God for us has done
In sending His Beloved Son . . .”
The video ends with a gentle reminder from Matthew 18:11: “The Son of Man is come to save that which was lost.” This is a wonderful truth for all of us to “consider well and bear in mind” as the Christmas season begins—a time to ponder the birth, life, and atonement of Jesus Christ.
“The Wexford Carol,” known in the original language as “Carúl Loch Garman,” was thought to date back as early as the 12th century. Though the rhyme and melodic structure of “The Wexford Carol” suggest it is from the Renaissance-period, music historians believe its haunting musical melody evokes an earlier time. This carol was not widely known outside of Ireland until William Grattan Ford, organist at the cathedral in Enniscorthy, County Wexford, transcribed it from a local singer and had it published in the 1928 Oxford Book of Carols. Since its publication, the carol has become known around the world and has grown in popularity each time it is performed.
We invite you to enjoy the Mormon Tabernacle Choir’s previous holiday videos: “Infant Holy, Infant Lowly” and “What Shall We Give” on our website. The videos and additional videos of Choir Christmas music performances can also be found on the Mormon Tabernacle Choir’s YouTube channel.