Christmas carols

CHRISTMAS CAROLS! – The First Noel

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I think my favorite Christmas carol has always been The First Noel. It’s such a beautiful, very old song that tells the story of the night of Baby Jesus’s birth and how the event astounded the rich and poor alike, from shepherds to wise men bringing riches. I always get a lump in my throat to imagine such a scene and how the news affected so many people, especially in an age where getting news out took so long. This however, sped across the countryside carried by angels.

I put the carol in my latest book Hope’s Angel and my scarred hero played it on the violin. I just adore violin music. It really speaks to me. I found a violin version on YouTube that made the hair on my neck rise. Take a listen.

This song was written around 1400-1500 AD but the author’s name has long been lost. However, it was first set to music in 1823 by William B. Sandys and has been sung in churches and by many recording artists through the years. The First Noel was first recorded by The Columbia Quartet in December 1917. 

The inspiration for the story comes from dramatizations of favorite Bible stories for holidays which were called Miracle Plays and were very popular back in medieval times. The word Noel is French and means Christmas.

The First Noel by Gabby Barrett was so popular in 2020 that it was #78 in the top 100 chart for the first time.

Whether you say Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, or something else I wish you nothing but the best.

 

Peace on Earth, Good Will to Men

CHRISTMAS CAROLS! WHAT CHILD IS THIS? by Cheryl Pierson

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I love the music of Christmas. I could play it all year long if I weren’t married to someone who isn’t as crazy about it as I am. Those songs are so uplifting and beautiful that they make me feel good just to hear them, and you can’t help but sing along with them.

My dad always loved Christmas, and was a great practical jokester. He delighted in making phone calls to his grandchildren, pretending to be Santa. He’d call back later on for a rundown about what happened on our end—the looks, the comments, and the joy of getting a real live phone call from Santa! One of the traditions in our house was the box of chocolate covered cherries that was always under the tree for him from my mom, a reminder of hard Christmases in years past when that might have been the only gift she could afford. Another was that our house was always filled with Christmas music.

I was a classically trained pianist from the time I turned seven years old. My father’s favorite Christmas carol was What Child Is This? Once I mastered it, I delighted in playing it for him because he took such pleasure in it, and since it was also the tune to another song, Greensleeves, I played it all year round for him.

 

The tune known as Greensleeves was a British drinking song for many years, a popular folk song that was not religious. In ancient Britain, there have been more than twenty different known lyrics associated with the tune throughout history. It was first published in 1652.

 

Shakespeare mentions it by name in “The Merry Wives of Windsor” in which it is played while traitors are hanged. It has been attributed to King Henry VIII, and said that he wrote it for Anne Boleyn. How did this song become one of the best-loved Christmas carols of all time?

In 1865, Englishman William Chatterton Dix wrote “The Manger Throne,” three verses of which became “What Child Is This?” During that particular era, Christmas was not as openly celebrated as it is today. Many conservative Puritan churches forbade gift-giving, decorating or even acknowledging the day as a special day for fear that Christmas would become a day of pagan rituals more than a serious time of worship. Although Dix wrote other hymns, in the context of the times, it was unusual for him to write about Christ’s birth, since many hymn writers and religious factions ignored Christmas completely.

 

The words represent a unique view of Christ’s birth. While the baby was the focal point of the song, the point of view of the writer seemed to be that of a confused observer. Dix imagined the visitors to the manger bed wondering about the child who had just been born. In each verse, he described the child’s birth, life, death and resurrection, answering the question with a triumphant declaration of the infant’s divinity.

“The Manger Throne” was published in England just as the U.S. Civil War was ending. The song quickly made its way from Britain to the United States. Dix died in 1898, living long enough to see “The Manger Throne” become the Christmas carol “What Child Is This?”

And here is Brad Paisley singing WHAT CHILD IS THIS? What is your favorite Christmas carol? Mine is Silent Night.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDD3N7G6Qqw

Credit to Wikipedia Article for much of this information.

 

The History of Christmas Carols and Caroling

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Hello everyone, Winnie Griggs here. I’m really pleased to be kicking off our series of posts about Christmas Carols with some of the backstory behind caroling itself.

And what a backstory it is. The history of Christmas carols and caroling is as rich and diverse as the songs themselves. And whether you belt these out solo or when you’re with friends, learning where these songs and practices come from, and how they’ve survived and evolved over the centuries, can help you appreciate them even more.

First did you know the word carol means celebration? That means when we say Christmas carol we are actually saying Christmas celebration. And what better way to celebrate than to sing songs of adoration and hope.

Now for a quick overview of the history.

Although most people associate Christmas carols with the Christian faith, the act of caroling was originally a dance and the accompanying songs in a pagan celebration during the winter solstice.

Then, in the early days of England, the tradition of wassailing began. You may have heard the word wassail before but not known what it meant or thought it referred to a drink. The word wassail comes from the Old Norse words ves heill which translates to the phrase “be well and in good health”. At first wassailing was carried out by folks going house to house during the cold, dark winter months to deliver well wishes to the occupants totally apart from Christmas.

But in the late 13th century St. Francis of Assisi appropriated the practice for Christian purposes. He added carols to his nativity plays and Christmas mass, in fact he actively encouraged members of his church to embrace music as part of their worship and celebration not only in services but also in the home. And in doing so, he began to shift the focus to Christmas specific carols. However, the songs were passed down orally from person to person across generations for several hundred years until the late 16th century when some of them were finally collected and written down.

As time passed, composers produced more and more Christmas carols. Celebrating the Savior’s birth, these songs were reflections of the deep spiritual emotions around the Christ child and His mother Mary. These carols continued to grow in quantity and popularity until the 17th century when the Protestant Reformation swept over continental Europe. The reformation shifted worship practices towards a more austere focus and many of the carols were banned and lost to time.

Of course caroling did eventually make a return to favor and came back stronger than ever. While countries around the world have their own unique take on Christmas celebrations and traditions, today caroling is an almost universal part of the festivities.

There you have it – a quick overview of the history of carols and caroling. Over the next several days my Filly sisters will do a deeper dive into the stories behind some of our favorite individual carols. And I think some of the stories will surprise and touch you.

Wishing everyone a very joyous and blessed Christmas Day.