Christmas Carols

More historical rabbit-holes while I procrastinate on holiday decorating

This is the 2nd installment in the procrastination game

As promised in the most recent post, we’ll move on from the history of Christmas cards to explore carols. A “carol” was a song with accompanying dance. We use the term now to refer specifically to songs for Christmas, especially the more traditional ones, but I can’t think of any that have their own dance beyond The Nutcracker ballet.

Songs, Hymns, and Carols through History

Have you ever wondered what the first Christmas song was? In the running is this hymn (you can also find it on YouTube in Arabic):

There is also this hymn from the 4th century, for which we only have the lyrics, written by St. Hilary of Poitier, but which modern composers have set to music:

Another 4th century contender, from the poet Prudentius, living in an area of the Roman Empire that is now Spain, is Corde Natus ex Parentis. (If those all seem too contemporary for you, go back another 2500 years & listen to the Epic of Gilgamesh; not Christmas of course, but really amazing.)

From here on, it’s Euro-centric; they’re the tunes I’m most familiar with. The next Christmas songs in the historical record are from the Medieval period, influenced by St. Francis of Assisi’s 13th century Nativity plays, the elaborations of traveling minstrels, and the wassailing traditions of Anglo-Saxon settlements pre-Norman conquest. Among those still known from the Middle Ages are The Friendly Beasts (12th century, France), Good King Wenceslaus (13th century, Finland), and Good Christian Men, Rejoice (14th century, Germany).

Good King Wenceslaus was a 10th century Duke of Bohemia, known for his charity to the poor. He’s the patron saint of the Czech Republic. The carol that bears his name tells a story that takes place on December 26 (the Feast of St. Stephen).

At least two popular songs from this period have their roots in the Medieval Mystery Plays, pageants based on Biblical and apocryphal religious stories, that were staged by local parishioners for holy days, and attended by peasants and kings alike. The songs are Cherry Tree Carol (15th century) and Coventry Carol (16th century). The former is a ballad that imagines Joseph’s jealousy, exposed on the road to Bethlehem, and the child Jesus informing Mary of his future execution. It is one of the few Christmas carols that remained popular in the Appalachians, among the descendants of the Scotch-Irish who settled there. The latter is an achingly sad retelling of the Massacre of the Innocents, whose feast day in the Roman Catholic tradition is December 28; all the baby boys whose death was ordered by Herod in order to wipe out any future rival for his throne.

One of JeanYee Wong’s delightful illustrations for “The Cherry Tree Carol,” 1951, Peter Pauper Press

The early modern period brought us O Tannenbaum (16th century, Germany), Greensleeves (16th century, whose melody was later used for What Child is This? in 1871), and Huron Carol (composed by a French Jesuit in 1642, in the Wyandot/ Wendat language, for the native peoples of what is now Ontario). Some gems from the 18th century: Joy to the World (1719), Adeste Fidelis (1751), God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen (1760), and The Twelve Days of Christmas (1780). I was today years old when I found out that it is not God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen. Apparently the gentlemen in the song are not yet merry; it is only the shifting of the comma’s placement that would make them so.

These are the truly merry gentlemen.

The 19th century, specifically the Victorian era, brought us all the other greatest hits of the Christmas hymnal. Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert, brought the Christmas traditions of his native Germany to his wife’s country, and the couple made Christmas look so fabulous that it even caught on as The Most Festive Holiday in the Puritan-founded United States. I find it sweet that some of the most enduring hymns from this era were composed by church ministers for their local children’s Christmas pageants: Silent Night (1818, Austria), We Three Kings (1857, U.S.), and O Little Town of Bethlehem (1868, U.S.).

“Silent Night/ Stille Nacht” was originally composed for guitar & vocals by an Austrian priest, for the village children to sing on Christmas Eve 1818. But an Austrian with a guitar will always be Captain Von Trapp to me.

Other 19th century Christmas songs with interesting trivia: I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day (1872) was based on an 1863 Longfellow poem. Jingle Bells/ originally One Horse Open Sleigh (1857) was actually written for Thanksgiving and was the first song to be heard from space in 1965.

The turn of the 20th century brought more published compilations of Christmas tunes, though they mainly contained older hymns. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was a book published in 1939 as a marketing campaign for Montgomery Ward department store, and wasn’t recorded until 1949, when Gene Autry sang it at his wife’s insistence. Mid-century hits still on regular rotation in 2024 include White Christmas (1942, Irving Berlin), Silver Bells (1950, Bing Crosby & Carol Richards), Blue Christmas (1948, but the 1964 Elvis version is better known), and Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree (1958, Brenda Lee).

We’ll just leap over the last half of the 20th century, since most readers have personal memories to fill in the gaps. I’ll just say that the most unexpected Christmas album of the 21st century so far might be A Heavy Metal Christmas (2012, Sir Christopher Lee, recorded at age 90). Saruman could rock.

Solstice

With the first day of Northern Hemisphere Winter almost here (December 21), you may want to check out the long-range weather forecast courtesy of The Old Farmer’s Almanac: https://www.almanac.com/winter-extended-forecast-farmers-almanac

When 4 p.m. brings dusk, the long evenings call for looking back at summer photos:

Top L to R: My 1st solo hive check; Strawberry-rhubarb pie; Strawberries from the front yard. Middle L to R: Dog living the garden life; valley of fireflies in Japan; floating fishing huts in Japan. Bottom L to R: milkweed. bee on chive blossom; nest of killdeer eggs at the local garden center

Holiday Offer

In addition to lowering the base price of a paid subscription to better fit the current economic landscape, we’re offering 40% off for the next 12 months. That’s $3/month or $24/year for those who upgrade their subscription. From now until December 31, you can click on the link here to take advantage of the discount. As a free subscriber, you’ll still be able to read posts, comment, chat, all the things. We’ll be adding printable seasonal recipes as a thank you to paid subscribers, beginning in January, as well as extended posts. We’re grateful for all of you who continue to read, follow, and encourage us here at The Suburb Farm.

Our old dog, Joy, in her favorite season. Joy passed away 2 1/2 years ago. Our current dog is her grand-nephew.

Do you have a favorite Christmas carol, or other holiday song? What songs do you play while you prepare for festivities this time of year? However you celebrate, here’s wishing you peace and light this holiday season! Next time, the history of holiday sweets…

—Erin, in Michigan

References for this post:

https://wmmr.com/listicle/classic-christmas-songs-100-years-old/

https://wmmr.com/listicle/15-unconventional-christmas-albums/

https://northernwilds.com/christmas-carols-from-medieval-to-modern-day/#:~:text=Scholars%20credit%20the%20world's%20oldest,the%20Father%20Love%20Begotten%E2%80%9D).

https://www.oldest.org/religion/christmas-songs/

https://donnahatch.com/christmas-carols-origins-good-king-wenceslas/

https://www.appalachianhistory.net/2018/12/cherry-tree-carol-abridged.html

https://jeanyeewong.blogspot.com/2012/06/cherry-tree-carol_12.html