Four Christmas Lyrics is a set of Christmas Carols for unaccompanied chorus, based on medieval and Early Modern texts. In the medieval lyric ‘At a sprynge-wel under a thorne’, a woman stands next to a well and offers the promise of true love. In this sacred reinterpretation of a secular trope, the woman in question is the Virgin Mary. ‘Byhalde merveyles’, another medieval text, is a witty exploration of the paradoxes of the Christian faith: God as man, and virgin as mother. The text of ‘Balulalow’ was published by Scottish poets James, John and Robert Wedderburn in 1567. It is a lullaby for the infant Jesus, and has previously provided inspiration to many composers, including Peter Warlock and Benjamin Britten. ‘Abowt the fyld thei pyped full right’ returns to the medieval period, and describes the shepherds’ journey to Bethlehem, punctuated by the exclamation, ‘Tyrlé, tyrlo’.

I like them very much. The second song, ‘Byhalde merveyles’ is lively and energetic; the music has a medieval feel to it. Nesbit’s take on ‘Balulalow’ verges on the austere – I don’t mean that in a pejorative sense – with bare harmonic language and an overall air of innocence. The concluding piece, ‘Abowt the fyld thei pyped full right’ is bright, joyful and full of energy. (John Quinn, MusicWeb International, 18.11.24)

There’s a real timeless quality to this music. (BBC Music Magazine, November 2024)

Nesbit’s musical style bridges the chronological gap between his texts and the present day most effectively (Europadisc, December 2024)

Recording with The Chapel Choir of King’s College London conducted by Joseph Fort available on Delphian Records.

Balulalow was runner-up in Choir and Organ Composition Competition 2014.

Balulalow is published by Cadenza Music in the anthology En Bethlehem.