Christmas Carols By John Potter : Author Talk

We are proud to invite John Potter to deliver a talk on his new book Christmas Carols
Leeds City Library 1st Floor – Music Library Thursday 3rd December 2026 2pm-3pm

Join us for the afternoon as John Potter guides us through the development of this unique tradition. Carols, originating as secular delights of the medieval and Tudor court and chapel, were brought by the Victorians to a new urban audience. Priests, poets, and composers have rearranged ancient songs and created new ones ever since, incorporating European carols into the evolving English tradition.

A former member of the Hilliard Ensemble, John Potter’s singing career has included first performances of works by Luciano Berio, Arvo Pärt, Gavin Bryars, and Sting, and once, as a young boy, the solo in “Once in Royal David’s City” at King’s College, Cambridge. He now records for ECM.
His new book, Christmas Carols: An English Enchantment, is a rich history of one of our most popular kinds of song and celebration of Christmas music.

The English Christmas carol has been sung in court and cloister, tavern and field since medieval times. But with the first Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols in 1880—and with a view to encouraging revellers into church—the humble carol became integral to the Christmas tradition. Today, carol concerts are attended all over the world, and the service at King’s College, Cambridge, has been broadcast since 1928 to millions of listeners.

Taking us from their earliest origin to their flourishing during the early music revival, this is an enlightening account of a beloved phenomenon.

Why not join us for the whole afternoon with our community music recital 1-2pm and Talk 2-3pm closing with a relaxed discussion and book signing from 3-3:30pm