I can however find no justification for Ian Russell's claim, that the oral nature of Beeston carols puts them on a similar footing to those further north. True, Beeston carols were until recently passed on by word of mouth, although that is no longer the case. True, also, that is how village carols are usually transmitted, although they too nowadays are frequently sung from a book. But most of the world's music, from Ravi Shankar to the Beatles, is orally transmitted. The idea that melodies and texts are fixed entities, to be performed according to the dictates of the printed page, is something which emerged with the Western European classical tradition.
Classical singers rely on print, so do light opera companies, so do church choirs.
For most other people, printed music represents little more than a handy means of storage and retrieval. It is as handsome as anything else in the Village Carols series and the subject matter has been researched with Ian Russell's usual thoroughness. I can certainly recommend the accompanying booklet. As well as a first class introductory essay there is a full set of texts and tunes for the non-standard carols, and there are news clippings and photographs of the choristers. Beeston Methodist Church Choir will, I am sure be proud of this production, as will the congregation.