Christmas Carols in the Victorian Era
Noël Songs Reinvented During the Reign of Queen Victoria
Oct 22, 2009
From the 17th century Puritan opposition of Christmas tradition, and even after Cromwell's demise, it took more than 150 years before Christmas carols were again published.
Queen Victoria's involvement immensely helped change the face of Christmas from what was essentially an austere event. When she ascended the throne in 1837, she had a strong desire to introduce a sense of seasonal morality at Christmas with the emphasis placed on family values centered in the home.
Beginnings of the Victorian Carols
When Queen Victoria was born in 1819, Carols were only being sung in a few isolated communities. However, as early as 1822, collections of the old songs were published and the caroling tradition that had almost died out was revitalized. The religious clergy all over England followed through and taught them to their parishioners.
In 1840, the Queen's consort, Prince Albert, introduced the Christmas tree to England. He had the idea to import a fir tree from his native Germany, where the Christmas tree was an old custom. From then on, the candle-lighted and heavily decorated tree became a part of the Victorian Christmas festival.
London was filled with the sound of music from the bell-ringing and bag-piping to the humble one-man-band. Carolers were welcomed into candlelit, homes for a glass of warming punch with a hot mince pie as reward for their vocal efforts in the spirit of Christmas.
Victorian Christmas a Family Affair
The reinvented Victorian Christmas was very much a family affair. The Windsor Castle and a few other household children were given their presents on Christmas Eve.
Despite the Christmas Eve discomfort of traveling in packed trains or horse-drawn coaches, the visiting relatives inched their way to waiting loved ones where valuable time was shared with baskets of game, gifts and delicacies. Families made last-minute preparations as the collected voices of wassailers floated on the cold crisp night air.
The butchers' boy made his last deliveries, passing the holly cart on the way selling door-to-door to those who couldn't get to collect their own boughs. Christmas hampers soon arrived and candies were lit on the tree.
The press circulated pictures of the Royal Family gathered around the tree, identifying the Victorian families as closely-knit. Soon the Victorians, with their love for grandeur, revived many medieval Christmas traditions and added some of their own, that have become traditions through the years.
Christmas Day During the Victorian Era
On Christmas Day, crackers were pulled after dinner was cleared away. Games were played. And importantly, family members sang Christmas carols merrily and joyfully around the piano.
Many Victorian homes had a piano or organ in their parlors. The most popular carols time included "Silent Night," "The Wassail Song," "The First Noel," and "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen."
For once, the Victorian children were allowed to be seen and heard as there were singing and dancing. After the punch or cordial was served, the Christmas celebration was over, until the dawning of another year.
As a final insight, through the years the melodies of the Victorian carols have undergone some revisions and continued in a more secular society, but the sense of tradition in keeping with the spirit of Christmas has remained.
Readers may want to check out this related article - Christmas Carols Revisited - the period about a century and a half, before the Victorian era; and Most Popular Victorian Carols, short information of the most popular Victorian carols.
Source:
Bailey, Olivia. Victorian Songs & Music: Empire of the Song. London: Caxton Publishing Group, 2002
 |
