"The Seven Joys of Mary" (

Roud The Roud Folk Song Index is a database of around 250,000 references to nearly 25,000 songs collected from oral tradition in the English language from all over the world. It is compiled by Steve Roud (born 1949), a former librarian in the London ...

# 278) is a traditional carol about

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

's happiness at moments in the life of Jesus, probably inspired by the trope of the

Seven Joys of the Virgin The Seven Joys of the Virgin (or of Mary, the Mother of Jesus) is a popular devotion to events of the life of the Virgin Mary, arising from a trope of medieval devotional literature and art. The Seven Joys were frequently depicted in medieval d ...

in the

devotional literature Christian devotional literature (also called devotionals or Christian living literature) is religious writing that Christianity, Christian individuals read for their personal growth and spiritual formation. Such literature often takes the form of C ...

and art of Medieval Europe. Though not traditionally associated with

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...

, it has become so in the modern era.

Versions

The song has English and American versions referring to different acts by Jesus that gave joy to Mary:

Tune

The common music is sung thus:ChristmasSongbook.net
Link
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Recordings

The Weavers The Weavers were an American folk music quartet based in the Greenwich Village area of New York City originally consisting of Lee Hays, Pete Seeger, Ronnie Gilbert, and Fred Hellerman. Founded in 1948, the group sang traditional folk songs fro ...

– ''We Wish You A Merry Christmas'' (1951) *

Burl Ives Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives (June 14, 1909 – April 14, 1995) was an American musician, actor, and author with a career that spanned more than six decades. Ives began his career as an itinerant singer and guitarist, eventually launching his own rad ...

– ''

Christmas Day in the Morning ''Christmas Day in the Morning'' (Decca DL 5428, 1952) is the first of several Christmas albums by the folk singer Burl Ives. Subtitled ''Yuletide Folk Songs'', this album includes seven traditional Christmas carols, from the well-known "What Chi ...

'' (1952) *

Maddy Prior Madelaine Edith Prior MBE (born 14 August 1947) is an English folk singer, best known as the lead vocalist of Steeleye Span. She was born in Blackpool and moved to St Albans in her teens. Her father, Allan Prior, was co-creator of the police dr ...

and

June Tabor June Tabor (born 31 December 1947 in Warwick, England) is an English folk singer known for her solo work and her earlier collaborations with Maddy Prior and with Oysterband. Early life June Tabor was born and grew up in Warwick, England. As ...

– ''

Silly Sisters The Silly Sisters is an English folk music duo, formed in 1976 by Maddy Prior and June Tabor. History Initially they performed together under their own names, and as such released their first album, ''Silly Sisters'', later taking this name ...

'' (1976) *

Stephen Cleobury Sir Stephen John Cleobury ( ; 31 December 1948 – 22 November 2019)King's College Choir (1984, 1999) *

Kate & Anna McGarrigle Kate McGarrigle (February 6, 1946 – January 18, 2010) and Anna McGarrigle (born December 4, 1944) were a duo of Canadian singer-songwriters (and sisters) from Quebec, who performed until Kate McGarrigle's death on January 18, 2010. Music ca ...

– ''

The McGarrigle Christmas Hour ''The McGarrigle Christmas Hour'' is the tenth album by Kate & Anna McGarrigle, released in 2005. A sequel to their 1998 album ''The McGarrigle Hour'', the album features a program of Christmas music recorded by the McGarrigles, their family and ...

'' (2005) *

John Jacob Niles John Jacob Niles (April 28, 1892 – March 1, 1980) was an American composer, singer and collector of traditional ballads. Called the "Dean of American Balladeers," Niles was an important influence on the American folk music revival of the 195 ...

– ''An Evening with'' (remastered 2006) *

Great Big Sea Great Big Sea was a Canadian folk rock band from Newfoundland and Labrador, best known for performing energetic rock interpretations of traditional Newfoundland folk songs including sea shanties, which draw from the island's 500-year Irish, Scot ...

– ''RedEye Holiday Sampler 2008' *

Kate Rusby Kate Anna Rusby (born 4 December 1973) is an English English folk music, folk singer-songwriter from Penistone, West Riding of Yorkshire, England. Sometimes called the "Barnsley Nightingale", she has headlined various British folk festivals, an ...

(under the title 'Seven Good Joys') – '' While Mortals Sleep'' (2011) *

Loreena McKennitt Loreena Isobel Irene McKennitt, (born February 17, 1957) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and composer who writes, records, and performs world music with Celtic and Middle Eastern influences. McKennitt is known for her ...

– ''A Midwinter Night's Dream

References

External links

* An Online Christmas Songbook: The Seven Joys of Mary
link
Burl Ives songs Marian hymns Christmas carols Year of song unknown {{Folk-song-stub

Versions

Tune

Recordings

See also

References

Further reading

External links