Traditional Carols

Hi everyone,

Continuing on with our Christmas Music blogs, we are looking at Traditional Carols. Now Christmas isn't Christmas without singing a carol or two. There are so many to choose from that it takes a while to select the ones sung at your local church in their carol service.

Here's a little history on some of the traditional carols sung at Christmas.

Once in Royal David's City:

Once in Royal David's City originated as a poem written by Irish poet Cecil Frances Alexander in 1848. A year later English organist Henry John Gauntlett discovered the poem and set it to music creating the traditional carol we know and love today. Traditionally the first verse is sung as a solo acapella by a young male chorister or by a female soprano soloist. Then the choir, organist and congregation all join in with the second verse. I have the pleasure of singing this carol on Sunday 22nd December with a lovely friend of mine for our church's Carols by Candlelight service.

Hark the Herald Angels Sing:

Hark the Herald Angels Sing was written by Charles Wesley in 1739. It is one of the oldest Christmas Carols in the world. It is one of a few Christmas Carols with a descant in traditionally sung by sopranos in a choir. It is based on a verse in the bible from Luke Chapter 2:14. 'Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests.' The version most commonly sung today was adapted from the original by Charles Wesley by the Oxford University Press in 1961 for their Carols for Choirs collection.

Joy to the World:

Joy to the World is one of my favourite Christmas Carols! Isaac Watts wrote it in 1719 and it has become a staple Christmas Carol to sing at carol services all over the world at Christmas time. The lyrics alone have such a sentimental meaning to what Christmas really means. 'Joy to the world, the Lord is come. Let earth receive her king! Let every heart, prepare him room. And heaven and nature sing, and heaven and nature sing, and heaven and heaven and nature sing!'

Away in a Manger:

Not much is known about the history of Away in a Manger as its origins have since been debunked. Many people have claimed over the years to have written a verse or two of the song but no real definitive answer has been proven. What I do know is, that it is a popular Christmas carol to sing in nativity plays across the world especially in the UK, Ireland and in the US. When children sing it, my heart just melts. Away in a Manger and Silent Night are my favourite carols to hear children sing.

Silent Night:

Silent Night was first sung on the night of Christmas Eve at St Nicholas Church, Oberndorf Bei Salzburg in Austria in 1818. Joseph Mohr was a young priest at St Nicholas Church and a few hours before the Christmas Eve service the organ broke leaving Joseph in a pickle. He had recently wrote a beautiful poem called 'Stille Nacht' and knew a organist from a nearby town asking him to put music to his poem and thus Silent Night was born. They sung it at the Christmas Eve service with Joseph playing the guitar with the choir singing the last two lines of each verse. How magical is that?

O Holy Night:

O Holy Night is another among my favourite Christmas Carols. It can be a Christmas Carol as well as a Christmas Song. The composer Adolphe Adam wrote the music for it in 1847 set to the French poem 'Minuit, Chrétiens' by Placide Cappeau and released under the name 'Cantique de Noel'. Almost a decade later it was translated into English by John Sullivan Dwight in 1855. It is traditionally sung in a carol service as a solo piece often by a female soprano soloist.

There is a beautiful version by Katherine Jenkins on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vx6MeuSHw4

So that's the history of some of the Christmas Carols we sing each year across the world. Do you have a favourite traditional carol? Is there a traditional carol from your heritage that you enjoy singing at Christmas? Do let us know!

Lily xxxx