The History of
Christmas Carols
Christmas carols have been around for so long that everyone is
completely aware of them. Many of the iconic and timeless carols you
know, have a fascinating and surprising origin.
Carol of the Bells:
This haunting holiday tune has popped up just about everywhere in
the movies and in television series. It wasn't originally a Christmas
song. Carol
of the Bells
started as a Ukrainian folk chant telling of the coming New Year,
which pre-Christian Ukraine celebrated in April. The chant's meaning
shifted in the 1930's when the American composer Peter J. Wilhousky
gave the tune new lyrics and re-arranged its melody, enabling it to
be performed by the NBC Symphony Orchstra and proved to be a canny
change as the song became a Christmas Carol since he wrote new lyrics
in 1936.
Hark! The Herald
Angels Sing:
Originally composed as a Christmas Day hymn by Charles Wesley in
1739 (who wrote more than 6,000 hymns), it was initially given a
rather bland name, Hymn
for Christmas Day. The
opening lyrics were different too: Hark
how all the Welkin rings/ Glory to the Kings of Kings.
Welkin
is an old English term for the heavens. Evangelist George Whitefield
tweaked the lyrics about 15 years later and renamed it “Hark!
The Herald Angels Sing.”
Jingle Bells:
This is likely one of the most familiar Christmas carols of all
time. It was composed by organist James Pierpont at a Unitarian
church in Savannah, Georgia. He copywrited the song in 1857 as One
Horse Open Sleigh. The
tune was then reprinted in 1859 with the title Jingle
Bells
or the One
Horse Open Sleigh. The
lyrics have generally stayed the same since then; however, the
purpose of the song has significantly changed ~ Pierpont intended the
song be sung at Thanksgiving, not Christmas.
Do You Hear What I
Hear?
This song is one of the newest songs on the list. It was written
during the height of the Cold War, as the Cuban Missile Crisis was
unfolding. In the studio, the producer was listening to the radio to
see if we had been obliterated. “En route to my home, I saw 2
mothers with their babies in strollers. The little angels were
looking at each other and smiling,” says songwriter Noel Regney.
And when you take into consideration the time it was written, the
lines about 'ringing
through the sky'
take on a slightly more apocalyptic tone.
The Twelve Days of
Christmas:
This long-time favourite Christmas tune is said to have come about
as a way for Catholics to practise catechism in a way that people
would not understand. The 12 gifts are said to represent the 12
fruits of the Holy Ghost. However, there is not a lot of evidence
for this theory and the song likely originated as a kind of memory
game for kids. The best-known version was printed in 1780 in the
children's book Mirth without Mischief. In 1909, the musical
structure originated from a piece of sheet music by an English
composer which makes the song easy and fun to sing.
Have Yourself a
Merry Little Christmas:
This song was written in 1943 by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane for the
Judy Garland musical Meet
Me in St. Louis.
Originally, the lyrics to this song were considered to be too sad,
especially at a time when WW2 was unfolding: Have
yourself a merry little Christmas /it may be your last / Next year we
may be living in the past.
According to Martin, Garland refused to sing it. She said, “If I
sing that, little Margaret will cry and they'll think I'm a monster.”
The lyrics were then quickly changed.
Joy to the World:
This
is undoubtedly the most-published Christmas hymn on the continent and
is yet another song on the list that was never meant to be a
Christmas song. Published in 1719, the English hymnist, Watts
intended the song to be sung at Easter. His lyrics were referring to
the 'second coming of Jesus'. The version we know today, comes from
Lowell Mason's The National Psalmist from 1848, titled Antioch
and attributed to Handel.
God RestYe Merry
Gentlemen:
This is one of the oldest carols commonly sung today. It dates back
to the 16th
century and describes how Jesus has come to
save us all from Satan's power when we were gone astray.
Graciously, I thank Tom for the above submission)
It's
December at The White House...
and Donald Trump orders his aides to put up a 'nativity scene' on
the lawn.
They all grovel before him ~ and begin their task.
After working for a few hours to set one up, the aides step back to
look at their work. “It looks pretty good,” says the first
one.”Yeah, but I'm not sure the boss will like it,” says the
second.
When questioned, he responds, “Well, look at these 3 wise men.
Three wise men? That sounds like Ivy League elitists to me. Plus
frankincense and myrrh? I bet these guys are Arabs. The President
wouldn't like this at all.” the other aide agrees he has a point ~
so they take out the wise men ~ and chuck them over the fence.
“Do
you think it's ready now?”says the first aide.
“Not
really,” says the second one. Look at Mary and Joseph ~ they're
refugees.
I bet they're bringing drugs and crime to Nazareth.!”
So they take out Mary and Joseph, too
“Oh,
I think we're ready,” says the first one.
“Not
yet,” says the second. “Look at the baby. His parents came from
Egypt
just
so he could be born in
Nazareth?
Sounds
like an anchor baby to me.
So they chuck out Jesus, as well.
Proud of their work, they head back to the Oval Office to let the
president know they've finished.
“Well?”
he
asks, “have
you finished the most bigly tremendous decorations?
We're going to make Christmas great again!”
“Yes,
Mister President. We're sure you'll be very happy with it.
We took out the wise men...Mary and Joseph...and Jesus.
“Well,”
Trump asks, “what's left?”
“It's
just the way we thought you'd like it, sir.
One jackass ~ and a whole bunch of sheep!”
Quotes from wise Government Minds
“Man
is not what he thinks he is ~ he is what he hides.”
“You
cannot extend the mastery of government over the daily life
of a people without somewhere making it master of people's souls and
thoughts.”
“The
greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest
things.
He is the one who gets the people to do the greatest things.”
(Ronald Reagan)
“Do
not pray for easy lives ~ pray to be stronger men.” John (F.
Kennedy)
“We
did not come to fear the future ~ we came here to shape it.”
(Barack Obama)
Compiled by Merle Baird-Kerr...December 16, 2018
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