‘Tis ‘singing season’ for Christmas carols…and tunes

Christmas is the “singing season,” with new Christmas songs being added every year by popular artists, swelling the voluminous inventory of holiday tunes and traditional carols.

Ever wonder why some Christmas songs are called carols?

Joanne Van Leerdan of Cobden, Victoria, Australia, is on top of it. She’s an author, poet and English teacher who has a blog named “WordyNerdBird.”

“‘Carol’ is a very old word that dates back to about 1300 in both its noun and verb forms,” Van Leerdan said. “At that time, the noun meant both a joyful song and a form of dance in a circle or ring. Both of these meanings probably came from the old French word ‘carole’”…and “paint a festive picture.”

She said that in about 1500, the term “carol” began being used to refer “to a hymn or song of joy sung at Christmas,” often with “religious connotations” and largely associated with the celebration of the birth of Jesus, the Christ child.

Another authority who has thoughts on this subject is Neil Ferris, the orchestra and chorus director of the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) Symphony in London, England.

 

“Singing carols is an important part of many people’s Christmas celebrations,” Ferris says. “Singing with other people brings a great sense of community and connection, but at Christmas time, singing carols brings extra joy and warmth during a special time of year.”

He said that in his mind, “carols tend to be more traditional and sometimes religious.”

“Often the two (Christmas carols and Christmas songs) can get mixed up, especially because lots of pop singers, like Beyoncé, have released their own versions of carols.”

“Most choirs today sing a mixture of Christmas carols and songs,” Ferris said.

 

He said his favorite carol is “Once in Royal David’s City.” It was written in 1848, originally as a children’s poem by Cecil Frances Alexander of Dublin, Ireland, a female poet and hymnwriter. 

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A year later, English organist Henry John Gauntlett of London discovered the poem and set it to music.

 

The opening verse is:

 Once in royal David’s city

Stood a lowly cattle shed,

Where a mother laid her baby

In a manger for his bed.

 

“It reminds us about the humbleness and simplicity of the original story,” Ferris said.

He added: “My favorite Christmas song is ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’ as it makes me feel all warm inside!”

That song was written in 1943 by Hugh Martin and revised to be “more upbeat” before it was introduced by Judy Garland in the 1944 MGM musical “Meet Me in St. Louis.”

The tune was extremely popular with U.S. troops serving in World War II; Garland’s performance at the Hollywood Canteen was said to have brought many soldiers to tears.

(Co-founded by actors Bette Davis and John Garfield, the Hollywood Canteen was a club that operated from 1942-45, offering food, dancing and entertainment free of charge to enlisted men and women, who were usually on their way overseas during World War II.)

 

In 1957, Frank Sinatra approached Martin to record “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and asked him to “further jolly up” some of the lines, which he agreed to do.

 

The staff at LifeWay Christian Resources, a nonprofit entity of the Southern Baptist Convention, headquartered in Brentwood, Tenn., compiled a “greatest hits” list of traditional Christmas carols (the most popular among the churches it serves). Here’s the top 15.

 

1. “Joy to the World”

2. “O Come, All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fideles)”

3. “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”

4. “The First Noel”

5. “Angels We Have Heard on High”

6. “Silent Night, Holy Night”

7. “O Little Town of Bethlehem”

8. “Angels from the Realms of Glory”

9. “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”

10. “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear”

11. “Away in a Manger”

12. “Go Tell It on the Mountain”

13. “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus”

14. “O Holy Night”

15. “What Child Is This?”

 

That’s a tough one. Do you agree with the way that stacks up? How would you shuffle this list? Which carols have been snubbed? 

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