Agincourt Carol

Facsimile of the Agincourt Carol in the Trinity Carol Roll (Trinity MS O.3.58)

Facsimile of the Oxford version of the Agincourt Carol (15th century). Oxford, Bodleian Library, Manuscript Archives.

The Agincourt Carol (sometimes known as the Agincourt Song, the Agincourt Hymn, or by its chorus and central words, Deo gratias Anglia) is an English folk song written some time in the early 15th century. It recounts the 1415 Battle of Agincourt, in which the English army led by Henry V of England defeated that of the French Charles VI in what is now the Pas-de-Calais region of France. The carol is one of thirteen on the Trinity Carol Roll, probably originating in East Anglia, that has been held in the Wren Library of Trinity College, Cambridge since the 19th century.^[1]

The carol is featured in Laurence Olivier's 1944 film Henry V.^[2]

Lyrics

Deo gratias Anglia redde pro victoria!

[Give thanks, England, to God for victory!]

Owre Kynge went forth to Normandy

With grace and myght of chyvalry

Ther God for hym wrought mervelusly;

Wherefore Englonde may call and cry

Chorus

Deo gratias!

Deo gratias Anglia redde pro victoria!

He sette sege, forsothe to say,

To Harflu towne with ryal aray;

That toune he wan and made afray

That Fraunce shal rewe tyl domesday.

Chorus

Then went hym forth, owre king comely,

In Agincourt feld he faught manly;

Throw grace of God most marvelsuly,

He had both feld and victory.

Chorus

Ther lordys, erles and barone

Were slayne and taken and that full soon,

Ans summe were broght into Lundone

With joye and blisse and gret renone.

Chorus

Almighty God he keep owre kynge,

His peple, and alle his well-wyllynge,

And give them grace wythoute endyng;

Then may we call and savely syng:

Chorus^[3]

The pattern of a strophe (verse) sung in English followed by a burden (chorus) in Latin followed a structure typical of the religious carols of the period.^[4]

The Agincourt Carol was recorded by The Young Tradition on Galleries, (with both the Early Music Consort and Dave Swarbrick contributing), and by the Silly Sisters (band) (Maddy Prior and June Tabor) on their second album No More to the Dance.

External links

• Agincourt carol sheet music
• IMSLP
• Medieval primary sources
• YouTube Interpretation by The Young Tradition (Peter Bellamy. Royston Wood, Heather Wood), with David Munrow on shawm, Roddy and Adam Skeaping on viols, and Christopher Hogwood on percussion.

References