Posted on 12/10/2007 10:37:26 AM PST by NYer
The carol, as a religious song for a particular season, dates back to the 13th century but it hit glory days during the next century gaining widespread popularity. Over the following hundred years the carol developed musically and as a literary form in its own right, but was silenced by the Reformation in England and replaced by the metrical Psalm. A resurgence of carols in the 18th century has helped them become the sine qua non of the Christmas season.
‘Hark the Herald Angels Sing’ was penned in 1739 by Charles Wesley, whose brother John founded the Methodist church.The original title was “Hark how all the welkin rings / Glory to the King of Kings”, welkin meaning ‘the heavens’. Wesley is said to have thought of the hymn while listing to church bells one Christmas day. Originally set to slow and sombre music, Felix Mendelssohn composed the tune sung today in 1840 to commemorate Gutenberg’s printing press. The lyrics were adapted to ‘Hark the herald angels sing’ by William H Cummings in 1855, to fit Mendelssohn’s melody.
O Come All Ye Faithful, is popularly thought to have been written by a 13th-century saint. But the crescendoing carol, originally in Latin and entitled Adeste Fidelis, dates instead to 1743. It was written by John Francis Wade, a Roman Catholic who fled France during the Jacobean rebellion and worked as a music teacher in England. The carol was first translated into English in 1789 for use in the Protestant Church. There are almost 50 different English versions, the most well known was translated in 1841 by Frederick Oakeley an Anglican priest who wrote “Ye faithful, approach ye”. But after his conversion to Catholicism in 1845 Oakeley rewrote the opening lines as ‘O come all ye faithful / Joyfully triumphant.’
O Little Town of Bethlehem was written by Rev Phillips Brooks a Philidelphian vicar, after a horseback ride from Jerusalem to Bethlehem where he helped at Midnight Mass, in 1867. He wrote the following about the journey in 1865.
"I remember standing in the old church in Bethlehem, close to the spot where Jesus was born, when the whole church was ringing hour after hour with splendid hymns of praise to God, how again and again it seemed as if I could hear voices I knew well, telling each other of the Wonderful Night of the Saviour's birth."
The tune ‘Forest Green’ was adapted for the carol by Ralph Vaughan Williams.
Away in a Manger, the Nativity play favourite, was first printed anonymously in the Lutheran book, Little Children’s Book for Schools and Families in 1885. Verse three was added by John T McFarland, and the words were set to music composed by James Murray in Dainty Songs for Little Lads and Lasses in 1887.
Silent Night has a disputed history. Traditionally the tale goes that Mohr and Gruber wrote it on Christmas Eve in Oberndorf, Austria when they found the church organ was eaten away by mice or rust, depending on which story you believe, and had to improvise with voices and a guitar. This charming account has been dispelled as folklore since the discovery of a manuscript that indicates Gruber wrote the score a few years after Mohr wrote the emotive lyrics in 1816. The carol apparently began its journey around the world when master organ builder Karl Mauracher, who had been working on the Oberndorf organ took a copy of it away with him. It is now translated into 150 languages. On Christmas Eve in 1915, from the trenches of World War One, the carol could apparently be heard coming from the German line.
Once in Royal David’s City was written in Hymns for Little Children by Mrs Cecil F. Alexander, the wife of the Bishop of Derry in 1848. The following year, Henry Gauntlett discovered the poem and set it to music.
While Shepherds Watched their Flocks by Night has an illustrious origin as the creation of Poet Laureate Nahum Tate and Nicholas Brady in 1703 during the reign of Queen Anne. At that time only the Psalms were sung in the Anglican Church and Nahum and Tate were famous for paraphrasing them into rhyme to be sung. The melody of the carol comes from Handel’s opera ‘Siroe’.
In the Bleak Midwinter was written by poet Christina Rossetti for Scribner’s Monthly as their Christmas poem. There are many musical arrangements for the carol the most famous was composed by Gustav Holst in the early 20th century.
See Him Lying in a Bed of Straw is a relatively recent addition to the carol canon. Written by Michael Perry and arranged by Stephen Coates it’s a modern gospel carol that is becoming a classic.
Joy to the World is credited to Isaac Watts in 1719, who is known at the 'Father of English Hymnology'. The rousing music by Lowell Mason is said to have been inspired by Handel’s Messiah, in particular the refrain “And heaven and nature sing”.
Here are the top Carols being sung in churches across the country this year according to our poll.
Methodist
Evangelical
Baptist
Church of England
The Catholic Church in England and Wales Network and the Elim Pentecostal Church were unable to provide any details.
I gotta agree. O Holy Night not only humbles me but depending on the singer my eyes get all fuzzy and stuff.
By far my favorite religious based carol.
Gotta go with Jingle Bell Rock for my non-religious based.
"Ex Maria virginae, gaudete!"
One of my favorites as well. First time I ever heard it was from a really obscure British folk group named Steeleye Span. One of Ian Anderson's (Jethro Tull) Chrysalis projects, I believe. I have the album.
For young people, an "album" was physical object similar to those ancient ones called "CD's" only with a littler hole in the middle. You couldn't download it. We used to spin it on a stick and pound on logs with rocks to keep time...
I also like the Coventry Carol. 16th century, that one.
**Please post your favorites!***
Anything EXCEPT the “rum-pum-pum-pum” song!
I saw three ships come sailing in..
God Christian Men rejoice..
God rest ye merry Gentlemen...
And these are just those off the top of my head!
Mine too!
It is very difficult to sing and I love when someone can do it well.
This is an English translation:
Barn, poor and silent,
Heavenly island
Full of eternal glory
Jesus asleep now,
Lies in the crib, how
Does start salvation story?
While Christ is lying
Angels come flying
Kneel down while hiding their faces
With golden hair
High in the air
Praising God for all His graces
While Virgins bearing
Whole world is cheering
Power of devil is broken
Devil's imprisoned
God's sun has risen
Doors of the Heavens are open.
Thanks for those links!
You won't thank me for the brutal rendition, it will make your ears bleed!
ROFL! Thanks ... I needed a good laugh :-)
Really! What denomination is that?
We have all the Steeleye Span albums (AND the reissues on CD!), and all Prior's independent work, including Carols and Capers, Summer Solstice and Silly Sisters.
Some really good stuff, I think it introduced English folk and the Child and Sharpe ballads to people who would never have heard of it otherwise.
Our "Prelude to Christmas" concert included the Coventry Carol. It's my husband's absolute favorite carol. I'm quite variable -- my favorite tends to be whatever really good one I heard last. There's so much to choose from!
Even the "folk choir" at our old church couldn't sing THAT badly . . . . wow!
It might be worse than that!
Hey, I warned ya!
You are, of course, correct. However, the society at large views Christmas Day as the culmination, rather than the beginning of the 'Christmas Season'. Hence, this newspaper is more focused on the actual hymns of the season.
In keepig with Advent, however, at yesterday's Advent Lessons and Carols, the choir director selected one verse from our Traditional Christmas Novena, and sandwiched it in between the Holy, Holy Holy (Qou-ddous, Qou-ddous, Qou-ddous). This is from the Arsal Allah that we sing each night during the Novena.
Isaiah called Him wonderful and then foretold
His Kingdom on His shoulders He will always hold.
The thund'rous voice of God's own word is heard above
In Mary's womb the lion's whelp is hushed by love.
Ha-lel, Ha-lel, Ha-le-lou-noh
The other verses are equally beautiful. This is one of my most favorite.
This shining star the virgin lamp brings from her womb
When He arose preserved the seal upon His tomb.
She labored not in bearing Him but felt delight
Though born upon the midnight hour, He made it bright.
Ha-lel, Ha-lel, Ha-le-lou-noh
Mind you, we were a group of 5 women and 3 men, including the priest and organist. We are not trained as a choir. This combination of two chanted hymns was compiled by the priest and organist and we had only 1 rehearsal to learn it. But, the hymnody is so unique from western songs that several members of the other choirs came over later to comment on the music and how it had touched their souls. One woman went so far as to suggest that we make a recording of it and sell the CDs. ROFL!!! Just wait til Abouna hears that!
Our bishop will be joining us on December 20 to hear us sing. He is adamant that this Novena be held in ALL of his parishes. Our parish is quite small and getting parishioners to attend the Novena is as easy as moving a mountain. But I expect the Church will be packed on that day of the Novena. Fortunately, there is no pulling the wool over this bishop's eyes. He is very keen and aware of everything happening in the parishes of the eparchy. God bless him!
"Once in Royal David's City" is very Anglican, otherwise no call to have heard of it. For that matter, so is "In the Bleak Midwinter".
"In the Bleak Midwinter" is a poem by Christina Rosetti (the painter Dante Gabriel Rosetti's sister):
In the bleak midwinter
Frosty wind made moan,
Earth as hard as iron,
Water like a stone;
Snow had fallen,
Snow on snow,
Snow on snow,
In the bleak midwinter,
Long ago.
Our God, heaven cannot hold him,
Nor earth sustain;
Heaven and earth shall flee away
When he comes to reign;
In the bleak midwinter
A stable place sufficed
The Lord God incarnate,
Jesus Christ.
Enough for him, whom Cherubim
Worship night and day
A breast full of milk
And a manger full of hay.
Enough for him, whom angels
Fall down before,
The ox and ass and camel
which adore.
Angels and archangels
May have gathered there,
Cherubim and seraphim
Thronged the air;
But his mother only,
In her maiden bliss,
Worshipped the Beloved
With a kiss.
What can I give him,
Poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd
I would bring a lamb,
If I were a wise man
I would do my part,
Yet what I can I give Him —
Give my heart.
The best known setting is by Gustav Holst, but there is also a beautiful one by Harold Darke.
"Once in Royal David's City" was written by Cecil Frances Alexander, who also wrote "All Things Bright and Beautiful" and a bunch of other poems and hymns. It's very long, and all the verses aren't usually sung.
Once in royal David's city
Stood a lowly cattle shed,
Where a mother laid her baby
In a manger for His bed:
Mary was that mother mild,
Jesus Christ her little child.
He came down to earth from heaven,
Who is God and Lord of all,
And His shelter was a stable,
And His cradle was a stall;
With the poor, and mean, and lowly,
Lived on earth our Savior Holy.
And through all His wondrous childhood
He would honor and obey,
Love and watch the lowly Maiden,
In whose gentle arms He lay:
Christian children all must be
Mild, obedient, good as He.
For He is our childhood's pattern;
Day by day, like us He grew;
He was little, weak and helpless,
Tears and smiles like us He knew;
And He feeleth for our sadness,
And He shareth in our gladness.
And our eyes at last shall see Him,
Through His own redeeming love;
For that Child so dear and gentle
Is our Lord in heaven above,
And He leads His children on
To the place where He is gone.
Not in that poor lowly stable,
With the oxen standing by,
We shall see Him; but in heaven,
Set at God's right hand on high;
Where like stars His children crowned
All in white shall wait around.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S01sjiXzpLk
Lichfield, btw, was Dr. Samuel Johnson's home town.
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