9. Import and Export

Jeremy Summerly picks up the story in the first half of the 20th century with carols from all over the world becoming more popular in this country.

This is much to the irritation of Ralph Vaughan Williams who continued to champion the folk tradition, albeit in a refined choral form.

This was a time when the grandeur of Victorian carolling gave way to a leaner aesthetic with the Oxford Book of Carols being published in 1928, the same year in which the BBC broadcast the King's College, Cambridge Nine Lessons and Carols for the very first time.

As it became an established favourite the carols used, gathered in many cases over centuries, become known both nationally and indeed internationally.

The choral conductor and scholar continues his series tracing the history of the Christmas Carol in Britain.

It's a journey full of song describing the history of a people who needed expression for seasonal joy in the coldest, hardest time of the year.

Producer: Tom Alban

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2013.