Catalonia has a great tradition of Christmas carols, rather like Austria. They are secular songs in general, intended to be sung by anybody at any time during the Christmas period and not specifically for use in church. In 1971 Pau Casals was awarded the UN peace medal and here is part of what he said in his acceptance speech: ‘I have not played the cello in public for many years, but I feel that the time has come to play again. I am going to play a melody from Catalan folklore: El Cant Dels Ocells - The Song of the Birds. Birds sing when they are in the sky, they sing: "Peace, Peace, Peace", and it is a melody that Bach, Beethoven and all the greats would have admired and loved. What is more, it is born in the soul of my people, Catalonia.’ El Cant Dels Ocells (The Song Of The Birds) is a traditional Catalan Christmas song and lullaby. It tells of nature's joy at learning of the birth of Jesus Christ in a stable in Bethlehem. The song was made famous outside Catalonia by Pau Casals' instrumental version on the cello.

The English lyric used here is original, although inspired by the Catalan song. I first heard it sung by Joan Baez on her Christmas album ‘Noel’ released in 1966. I believe these words were written sometime during the 19th century. The guitar part is complex but manageable if you pay careful attention to the left hand fingering. The vocal part is quite high. My original recordings, which you can download, were done with a boy Treble right at the top of their range, for Soprano it is more accessible. The tune is so beautiful that you could use any instrument that holds a melody well instead of the vocal part, just as Pau Casals did with his cello.