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God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

by Al Petteway & Amy White

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about

Traditional English
Arranged by Al Petteway and Amy White

This instrumental duet was released on the classical Dorian Recordings label in 2002, under the title, "A Midnight Clear" -- an album that we created with our fine friend and colleague, Robin Bullock. Dorian ended up behaving rather badly, though, so all rights for the recordings reverted back to the artists -- hence this post on Bandcamp.

Sung for over four hundred years, the tune for this version of the carol originated in London. The lyrics should read, "God rest you merry, gentlemen" -- imploring gentlemen to rest easy and not to worry or be consumed by fear. The comma is often mistakenly placed after the word "you," implying that merry gentlemen are being asked to rest.

This was a favorite melody of Al and Amy's. In this particular version, they couldn't resist turning the melody into a round, and playing it in 5/4 time.

credits

released December 1, 2002
Traditional English
Arranged by Amy White and Al Petteway
Al: guitar, bouzouki, doumbek
Amy: piano, mandolin

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Al Petteway Asheville, North Carolina

Al Petteway was a beloved Grammy-Winning Fingerstyle guitarist. His lyrical, and emotional sound crossed genres and is featured in many Ken Burns' films, including, “The National Parks.” Al and his wife and musical partner, Amy White, moved from DC to western North Carolina in 2002. They loved living above the clouds with the mountains as inspiration.

Rest in Play, Al Petteway (1952-2023) ... more

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