“O come, all ye faithful!”, a song that was largely popularized in the mid-18th century. Its rich history, however, tells us that its powerful lyrics come from the early 13th century, a time when carols were beginning to gain popularity. This carol is famous worldwide for its simplicity, the whisper of every line that soars with our spirits, and dynamics all across, is a mere interlude behind the rich history of carols, carol singing, and Christmas itself! And with choirs coming home to sing to you about how Santa’s Sleigh fell into a drifting bank, after which he got upsot. Or about The First Noel, sung by the angels for the birth of Jesus Christ, or just a good ol’ cheer for the spirit of Christmas, you’ll find the history behind these carols fascinating!
The lore of these beloved carols dates back to before Christ was even born when pagan cultures celebrated the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. These songs were reframed and called carols by early Christians, who sang these songs during the feast from the first century, but the trend never gained popularity because all the songs were in Latin, a language not everyone knew. Thus, the trend died out for a very long time. The 10th century had such carols play in European monasteries, where arrangements of Christmas proses were written. Still, the trend didn’t truly start till the 13th century, when the St. Francis Assisi of Italy incorporated these songs in the nativity play. A play depicting the birth of Jesus, the time in which the song “O come, all ye faithful!” is said to be written. Around this time, carols were translated from Latin to more common languages to be enjoyed by a broader audience. Unfortunately, the records of the very first carol have been tragically scorned to ashes with only fragments left. Carol singing at the time was still gaining popularity, so groups of people singing called “waits” used to go from house to house to sing carols and bring around the cheer of Christmas, a tradition we see today too!
After the puritans came to power in England in the 1640s, carol singing was reined into to a stop. Between the time of 1558 and 1829, it was illegal to practice Catholicism, and even reading the Bible was considered an offence that could have you jailed. But legend has it that “The Twelves Days of Christmas” was born during these times. The song was a method used to teach children about the birth of Jesus and the Bible.
While no hard facts are pointing to its existence, we do know that carolling did continue in secret, and was brought out with the Victorian era by two men, William Sandys and David Gilbert. This was further pushed to the masses after the protestant churches gained prominence after the reformation. In fact, Martin Luther recommended including carols in the Christmas eve service too. William Sandys wrote a book for Christmas carols with the first prints of songs “The First Noel”, “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” and “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”, carols that are few of the most popular now.
“Silent Night”, written by Father Joseph Mohr and Franz Xavier Gruber from Mariapfarr, Austria in 1818, is a sombre song that is often sung at the start or end of a service, depicting the tender moments of the baby Jesus falling asleep in his manger. “We The Three Kings Of Orient”, was written by John Henry Hopkins Jr, the rector of the Christ Episcopal Church, Pennsylvania in 1857, talks about the three Magi who come to his birthplace, bringing gifts and well wishes. “Mary, Did You Know?”, was written by Mark Lowry in 1984 and music by Buddy Greene in 1991, and is a song with a compelling melody, and a powerful message, talking about the greatness of their god, and the wonders he would do according to the gospel. Carols are only growing in popularity, with more carols coming out, or the old ones being redone, remastered and reimagined. They’re still a significant part of the nativity play, which again is a regular event every Christmas season, and there isn’t anything else that can bring the sense of Christmas cheer like Christmas carols!
Chords & Co. 