Do You Hear What I Hear? Christmas Carols.

Do You Hear What I Hear? Christmas Carols

A Christmas carol is a carol (a song or hymn) on the theme of Christmas, traditionally sung at Christmas itself or during the surrounding Christmas holiday season. The term noel has sometimes been used, especially for carols of French origin.[1] Christmas carols may be regarded as a subset of the broader category of Christmas music.

Carols were first sung in Europe thousands of years ago, but these were not Christmas Carols. They were pagan songs, sung at the Winter Solstice celebrations as people danced round stone circles. The Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year, usually taking place around 22nd December. The word Carol actually means dance or a song of praise and joy! Carols used to be written and sung during all four seasons, but only the tradition of singing them at Christmas has really survived.

When we think of traditional Christmas carols such as “Away In a Manger” or “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear,” we generally assume these religious standards have been handed down through the ages. As with so many assumptions about history, we’re wrong.

Most of what the English-speaking world regards as traditional Christmas music is actually less than 200 years old. A few of the Christian standards, like 1962’s “Do You Hear What I Hear?”, were even written after the rock era had begun.

So what was the first Christmas song? Although that question isn’t quite as difficult to answer as “what was the first song ever?”, the only real answer is that there’s no way of definitively proving what the first Christmas song was.

We can, however, state with certainty that Christmas-themed music has been produced since the fourth century — although it wasn’t part of most religious services until much later.

Until St. Francis of Assisi in the 12th century, Christmas music wasn’t typically used in religious services. And even after that, the presence of Christmas music in church wasn’t continuous. Throughout the centuries, some felt Christmas music was inappropriate for what was supposed to be a solemn holiday, and so carols were sung on streets more than in churches (Oliver Cromwell even banned Christmas carols in the U.K. during his 17th century reign).

Regardless, the oldest Christmas songs we know about are religious. St. Hilary of Poitiers composed the Latin carol “Jesus refulsit omnium” (“Jesus illuminates all”) in the fourth century, presumably after the first recorded Christmas celebration (336 A.D.). Also in the 4th century, the Roman Christian poet Prudentius composed “Corde natus ex Parentis.” These, however, are more hymns than carols.

The French version of “The Friendly Beasts” (written about the animals surrounding Christ at the nativity) traces back to the 12th century, making it a strong contender for the oldest Christmas carol that people still sing regularly today. Another French oldie, “Entre le bœuf et l’âne gris” (English: “Between the Ox and the Grey Ass”), is placed by scholars as far back as the 13th century. The German/Latin carol “In Dulci Jubilo” (later used by Johann Sebastian Bach) also dates back to the Middle Ages.

In terms of carols originally composed in English, the history is more recent, but it’s similarly uncertain. While “Adam lay ybounden” has been traced back to the 15th century by scholars, the song — which is mostly about Adam from Genesis — hardly resembles a Christmas carol in terms of lyrical content (and the original music has been lost). Other 15th century English carols “This Endris Night” and “Sir Christmas” are more in the holiday spirit, but mostly forgotten.

Fast forward to the 16th century, though, and we’ve got a song with household name recognition: “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen.” While the standard lyrics come from the 19th century, variations on the song go back to at least the 1650s. A century later, in 1739, we have the first published version of “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.” By the 1800s, a number of the Christmas carols we know and sing today start cropping up.

In short, the title “World’s Oldest Christmas Carol” doesn’t really have one easy answer ready for holiday party trivia. Like much music history prior to the Guttenberg press, the vast majority has been lost. So for all we know, traveling minstrels were singing songs along the lines of “All I Want For Christmas Is You” back in the Middle Ages. 

Traditionally, carols have often been based on medieval chord patterns, and it is this that gives them their uniquely characteristic musical sound. Some carols like “Personent hodie,” “Good King Wenceslas,” and “The Holly and the Ivy” can be traced directly back to the Middle Ages, and are among the oldest musical compositions still regularly sung.

Compositions continue to be written that become popular carols. For example, many of the carols written by Alfred Burt are sung regularly in both sacred and secular settings, and are among the better known modern Christmas carols.

Almost all the well-known carols were not sung in church until the second half of the 19th century.,” Hymns Ancient and Modern 1861–1874 included several carols. Isaac Watts, the “father of English hymnody,” composed “Joy to the World,” which has become a popular Christmas carol even though it is widely believed that Watts did not write it to be sung only at Christmas.

Charles Wesley wrote texts for at least three Christmas carols, of which the best known was originally entitled “Hark! How All the Welkin Rings,” later edited to “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”.[14] A tune from a cantata, Festgesang, by Felix Mendelssohn in 1840 was adapted by William H. Cummings to fit Wesley’s words. This combination first appeared in “Hymns Ancient and Modern” in 1861.

“Silent Night” comes from Austria. The carol was first performed in the Nikolaus-Kirche (Church of St. Nicholas) in Oberndorf, Austria on 24 December 1818. Mohr had composed the words much earlier, in 1816, but on Christmas Eve brought them to Gruber and asked him to compose a melody and guitar accompaniment for the Midnight Mass.