Lessons in Carols

Each year as the Christmas holiday approaches we begin to hear various Christmas carols, but as you listen do you ever stop to wonder where the carol came from. Who wrote it and why? What part of the world did it originate in or were there special circumstances surrounding the song? 

Many may know the story of the carol "Silent Night", but here is more information or a recap for some.  180 years ago the carol "Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht" was heard for the first time in a village church in Oberndorf, Austria. The congregation at  Midnight Mass in St. Nicholas Church listened as the voices of the assistant pastor, Fr. Joseph Mohr, and the choir director, Franz Xaver Gruber, rang through the church to the accompaniment of Fr. Mohr's guitar.

The lyrics were composed as a poem by Fr. Mohr and on December 24, 1818 he took the newly composed poem to his musician-school teacher friend Franz Gruber to see if he could put the words to music. The rest is history. On that Christmas Eve, a song was born that would wing its way into the hearts of people throughout the world. Now translated into hundreds of languages, it is sung by untold millions every December from small chapels in the Andes to great cathedralsin Antwerp and Rome. The songs powerful message of peace has crossed all borders and language barriers, conquering the hearts of people everywhere. There are far more people who know the song and can sing it without looking at the words, including the little children who paricipate and many Christmas programs every year, who joyfully sing this little poem that has been put to music.

A Christmas carol that many children know and love is "Jingle Bells." Did you know that this song was meant for a Thanksgiving program as a chruch in Savanah Georgia where the composer was the organist? The song was written by James Lord Pierpont in 1857 and was origianlly called "one Horse Open Sleigh." The song was soon loved by everyone at the Thanksviging program that it was sung again on Christmas day and is now one of the most popular Christmas carols. 

An interesting and little known fact pertaining to this particular Christmas carol: On December 16, 1965, astronauts aboard Gemini 6, Wally Schirra and Tom Stafford, played a prank on Mission Control. They said they saw some kind of UFO stating that the pilot was "wearing a red suit". They then played "Jingle Bells" on a harmonica backed by sleigh bells. Both instruments are now on display at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and considered the first musical instruments played in space (www.smithsonianmag.com) Who knew that "Jingle Bells" would become an intersteller hit as well.

The last carol we will look at is "What Child is This." This popular Christmas carol was written in 1865 by twenty-nine year old William Chatterton Dix. Dix was afflicted with a sudden near-fatal illness and confined to bedrest. It was during this time that he wrote several hymns including "What Child is This." The amazing thing about his writing of this song and the others is that during the time of his illness he suffered from deep-depression but he was moved to write during that very difficult time.  Becasue of his efforts we have been rewarded with a beautiful carol that is set tot he traditional music "Greensleeves." 

This  carol has been covered by artists from just about every style of music. From Sarah McLachlan, Josh Groban and Jessica Simpson to Johnny Mathis, Joan Baez and Burl Ives -- secular artists have done the song justice for years. As for Christian artists, there are several great versions out there for your listening enjoyment.

Now that you know a bit more about some of the most beloved Christmas carols, the hope is that you will enoy them more this Holiday Season when you hear them played on the radio, or from your iPod, or sung at your church. Please pass on the traditions of these carols to those you know and meet in hopes that they may come to a deeper appreciation of the Christmas carols and the Christmas seaon.