Traditional Christmas Carols - Religious as well as Nonreligious

Traditional Christmas Carols
Religious as well as Nonreligious

In the 16th century, Christmas became the holiday of carols. The tradition of Christmas carols goes back as far as the thirteenth century, although originally they were primarily folk songs used for celebrations. A Christmas carol is a song or hymn whose lyrics are based on the theme of Christmas or winter in general. Carols can include both religious as well as the nonreligious songs and are traditionally sung in the period before and during Christmas. Carols can be sung by individuals, but are most often sung by larger groups. Most churches have special services at which carols are sung and combined with scripture readings about the birth of Christ.

Traditional carols have a strong tune and are often based on medieval chord patterns. This is what gives them their unique musical sound. Some carols like 'Angels from the Realms of Glory' can be traced directly back to the Middle Ages, and are amongst the oldest musical compositions still regularly sung. Carols suffered a decline in popularity after the Reformation, but there was a renewed interest in carols in the 19th century. Composers like Arthur Sullivan helped to repopularise the carol, and it was during this period that such favorites as "Good King Wenceslas" and "It Came upon a Midnight Clear" were written.

Several of the well known Christmas Carols were first written as poems and later music was added. "Silent Night" was first written as a poem in Germany in 1816 Joseph Mohr and in 1818 with the aid of Franz Gruber the poem was set to music and has become the most popular of all Christmas Carols. "Oh Little Town of Bethlehem" was written as a poem by Phillip Brooks and was set to music three years later in 1868. "Away In A Manger" was based on a traditional American poem, was composed as a carol by W. J. Kirkpatrick so that it could be performed by a Sunday school class. Today, it is one of the best loved carols, especially among children.

The words of "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" were written by Charles Wesley in 1739 and W.H. Cummings adapted the tune from Mendlessohn. "O Come All Ye Faithful" is a wonderful carol that was translated from the Latin "Adeste Fideles" in 1760. Another traditional carol that has been popular since the early 17th century is "The First Noel" which was first published in 1833. "We Three Kings Of Orient Are" was composed in 1857 by John Henry Hopkins. This relatively modern carol is enjoyed as much as many older ones, because it sounds older than it really is. Another popular carol "It Came Upon A Midnight Clear" was written by Reverend Edmund Sears, a Unitarian Minister in Massachesetts, and is based on a traditional melody that originated in Herefordshire, England.

"The Twelve Days Of Christmas" dates back to the Middle Ages and was written as a teaching tool to instruct children the meaning of the Christian faith. "God Rest You Merry Gentlemen" originated in London and has been sung for over 400 years. Another carol "Deck The Halls" is a traditional Welsh song that is a least 200 years old. "Here We Come A Wassailing" is based on the salutation 'wes hál' which is the old English version of cheers, and originated in Yorkshire, England.

There are other secular songs such as "Jingle Bells" composed in 1857 by James Pierpoint and the song "White Christmas" that was composed by Irving Berlin, and made popular by Bing Crosby who sang the song to troops during World War II. Although theses are clearly not Christmas carols, the sentimental association of snow with the Christmas season has long been a tradition, so they should be considered to be Christmas songs.

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