Origins of Some of the Best Christmas Carols
Medieval and Victorian Writers of Popular Carols of Christmas
Nov 4, 2009
Christmas carols are a significant part of Christmas celebrations around the world and are sung in thousands of churches each Christmas. However, original carols were pagan songs and were subsequently banned from many churches. Today's Christmas carols often celebrate the birth of Christ, yet pagan carols were simply a celebration of such events as the winter solstice and the harvest tide.
The History of Carols
The history of carols can be traced back to the thirteenth century, although carols were not permitted in church until later and were not specifically associated with Christmas until the church 'adopted' them. The word carol means song or hymn and is thought to a medieval word. Many of today's popular Christian Christmas carols were written in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Medieval Christmas Carols: Good King Wenceslas
Some popular Christmas carols can be traced back to medieval times; medieval carols include The Holly and the Ivy and Good King Wenceslas. The carol Good King Wenceslas was originally published in the 16th century in Sweden but was later adapted into the well known children's Christmas song by English hymn writer John Mason Neale (1818 -1866). King Wenceslas did in fact exist and lived from approximately 907 to 935; King Wenceslas is the patron saint of the Czech Republic.
Popular Nineteenth Century Christmas Carols
Many Christmas carols were composed or adapted in the 19th century. Christmas carols were a popular Victorian Christmas tradition; popular Christmas carols of the 19th century include:
- Hark the Herald Angels Sing – composed 1833 - William B Sandy (1792 – 1874)
- I Saw Three Ships – composed 1833 - William B Sandy (1792 – 1874)
- The First Noel – composed 1833 - William B Sandy (1792 – 1874)
- God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen – composed 1833 - William B Sandy (1792 – 1874)
- Silent Night! Holy Night! – composed 1816 - Rev. Joseph Mohr (1792 - 1848); translated in approximately 1887 by William Tidd Matson from the original Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht!
- O Little Town of Bethlehem – composed 1868 - Bishop Phillips Brooks (1835 – 1893)
- We Three Kings of Orient Are – composed 1857 - John Henry Hopkins, Jr. (1820 – 1891)
- It Came Upon The Midnight Clear – composed 1849 - Edmund Hamilton Sears (1810 – 1876).
Christmas Carols Today
Some of the original 18th and 19th century Christmas carols have been updated by 20th century versions of the original Christmas carol; this may be a variation in the words or the music. The Christian church adopted the idea of the carol to celebrate Christmas, the birth of Christ. Christmas carols are not only sung in churches at Christmas time but are also sung in schools and other public places in Christian countries. Christmas carols have significant meaning for many at Christmas time, in addition to Christmas trees.
References:
Hymns and Carols of Christmas website accessed 11/04/09
King Wenceslas website accessed 11/04/09
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