Enthusiastic Christmas Carols for the Season
Tis the season to be jolly and joy to the world – these phrases are all reminiscent of Christmas Carols. Christmas Carols can add joy to the holiday season. The heightened joy of hearing carols when you’re at the mall shopping or perhaps at some other public venue.
Quick History of Christmas Carols
Christmas Carols really didn’t start appearing until the 13th Century. St. Francis strongly influenced the development of Christmas Carols – they sang popular Christmas songs in differing native tongues. Christmas Carols didn’t begin to appear in England until the 15th Century. Groups known as wassailers went from house to house singing songs.
Carols that gained in popularity were printed in Piae Cantiones, a collection of late medieval Latin songs that were first published in 1582. This book included favorites like “Christ was born on Christmas Day”, “Good Christian Men, Rejoice” and “Good King Wenceslas”.
Carols gained in popularity after the Reformation in countries where Protestant churches gained prominence (as well-known Reformers like Martin Luther authored carols and encouraged their use in worship). This was a consequence of the fact that the Lutheran reformation warmly welcomed music.
The publication of Christmas music books in the 19th century helped to widen the popular appeal of memorable carols like “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen”, “The First Noel”, “I Saw Three Ships” and “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” in 19th Century Christmas Carol books.
Victorian Britain saw a great revival of carols with a newly published book of Christmas Carls, New and Old by Henry Ramsden Bramley and Sir John Stainer. The 20th Century Christmas Carols were further popularized with multiple book collection of popular songs being published. Also popular singers increased their popularity along with massive advancements in communication technologies.
Today many carols are sung at Christian Religious Services, though some of the songs have no relation to Christianity. Little research has been conducted on carol singing, but one of the few sociological studies of caroling in the early 21st century in Finland determined that the sources of songs are often misunderstood, and that it is simplistic to suggest caroling is mostly related to Christian beliefs, for it also reinforces preservation of diverse national customs and local family traditions.
A Summation of Popular Carols.
- Angels we have Heard on High – A mysterious French Carol that has origins that could date back to ancient Rome. This song was first published in the early 19th Century and probably by a monk or priest.
- Away in a Manger – Another mysterious novel that no one is really sure where it originated. Some say that Martin Luther was the original author, but this cannot be proven or disproven. But Away in a Manger is a popular Christmas song sung all over the world.
- The Christmas Song – A Song of the late 1940s, the famous songwriter Mel Torme teamed up with Robert Wells a famed lyricist. Chesnuts roasting on an open fire just fell off Wells pen, and the song came from there. They introduced the song to Nat King Cole on a hot summer day and the rest is history.
- Do You Hear What I Hear? – A fantastic song of the 1960s that became an immensely popular Christmas song. This song was written by a WW2 survivor that wanted to live in peace on earth after he had witnessed so many horrors of war.
- The First Noel – This song first appeared in print during the early 19th century, but it could be one of the earliest carols going back to the mid medieval period. The origins have been traced back to France or England. This is one of the few Christmas songs that have survived from the medieval period that has made it down today as almost well-known folk song of Christmas.
Join in Christmas Carols and Songs
Tis the season to be jolly, and joy to the world. Join in these songs of hope and peace at Christmas time! If you have any musical abilities bring a couple of carolers with you and visit retirement homes! Form a carol group and perform in public places such as malls. The theme of Christmas is joy to the world – and caroling can help illuminate peoples holiday spirits!
Learn more about the Greatest Carols of All Time!
The 30 greatest Christmas carols of all time – Classic FM
