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Enjoy
and be blessed by Dianna's improvised
verses while we ponder the original
words to the beloved carol ...
Away
in a manger, no crib for a bed,
The
little Lord Jesus lay down His sweet
head,
The
stars in the sky, looked down where
He lay,
The
little Lord Jesus asleep on the
hay.
The
cattle are lowing The poor Baby
wakes
But
little Lord Jesus No crying He makes
I
love Thee, Lord Jesus Look down
from the sky
And
stay by my side, 'Til morning is
nigh.
Be
near me, Lord Jesus, I ask Thee
to stay
Close
by me forever And love me I pray
Bless
all the dear children In Thy tender
care
And
take us to heaven To live with Thee
there
Following
is an indepth history of CHRISTMAS
CAROLS... along with some interesting
facts about the individual carols.
If you have time to just sit and
enjoy a lengthy writing, this is
very interesting.
The
joyous themes for many traditional
Christmas carols were banned in
England by the staunch Protestant
Oliver Cromwell and many of the
very old Christmas carols and songs
were subsequently lost for all time.
Christmas carols were only fully
popularised again during the Victorian
era when they again expressed joyful
and merry themes in their carol
lyrics as opposed to the normal,
more sombre, Christian lyrics found
in hymns. As religious observances
in the United States and England
were closely linked the popularity
of Christmas carols grew in both
countries in the 19th century.
The
word "carol" derives from a Greek
dance called a choraulein, which
was accompanied by flute music.
The dance later spread throughout
Europe and became particularly popular
by the French, who replaced the
flute music with singing. Originally,
people performed carols on many
occasions during the year. By the
1600s, carols involved singing only
and Christmas had become the chief
holiday for these songs. Counted
among the most favored of non-religious
carols are "Jingle Bells" and "White
Christmas," both of which first
appeared as popular songs in the
United States.
It
is unclear when the first carol
was written but it is believed that
circa 1350 to 1550 is the golden
age of English carols and most of
the carols followed the verse-refrain
pattern.
During
the 14th century carols became a
popular religious song form. The
theme often revolved around a saint,
the Christ child or the Virgin Mary
at times blending two languages
such as English and Latin.
By
the 15th century the carol was also
considered as art music. During
this time elaborate arrangements
were made and carols were considered
an important contribution to English
medieval music. The Fayrfax Manuscript,
a court songbook featuring carols,
was written by the end of the 15th
century. The songs were written
for 3 or 4 voices and themes were
mostly on the Passion of Christ.
By
the 16th century though the popularity
of carols faltered, almost disappearing
entirely if not for the revival
that happened by the middle of the
18th century. Most of the carols
we know today were written during
this period.
Individual
Carol Trivia ...
Away
in a Manger!
Away
in a manager is many times the first
carol that children are taught.
Away in a Manger was originally
published in 1885. The publication
of the carol was in a Lutheran Sunday
school book and this created the
misconception that the lyrics of
Away in a Manger were actually written
by Martin Luther himself. The author
is unknown. The music to Away in
a Manger was composed by William
J. Kirkpatrick in 1895.
Carol
Of The Bells Lyrics
The
Carol of the Bells lyrics were added
to the original folk music from
the Ukraine by Peter Wilhousky.
The lyrics and words to this popular
Christmas song celebrate the festive
season and its traditions such as
the pealing of church bells at Christmas
and of the singing of Christmas
Carols - caroling. The original
Ukrainian lyrics to the song was
entitled Shchedryk meaning bountiful
and were traditionally sang to celebrate
the New Year.
"Adeste
Fideles,"
More
commonly known as "Oh
Come, All Ye Faithful,"
it is not strictly a Christmas carol
but a Latin hymn of praise. It was
composed by John Reading in the
1700s. The tune first appeared in
the collection known as "Cantus
Diversi" in 1751. The most familiar
English version of this carol was
translated by Frederick Oakeley,
but people sing it in many parts
of the world and in many languages.
"The
First Noel"
It
is unknown in origin, except that
it is believed to have come from
the West of England. It first appeared
in 1833 in "Christmas Carols Ancient
and Modern," a collection of seasonal
songs gathered by W.B. Sandys.
"God
Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen"
It
is an old English rhyme and dates
at least as far back as the 1500s.
It is a carol of which the British
people are particularly fond.
"Good
Christian Men, Rejoice"
This
carol was originally a very old
Latin Christmas song called In Dulci
Jubilo. John Mason Neale translated
the words around the middle of the
1800s. The melody is believed to
be German in origin and dates from
the 1300s or earlier.
"Hark!
The Herald Angels Sing"
It
was written by Charles Wesley (brother
of John Wesley) in 1739. The carol
originally began with: "Hark, how
all the welkin rings." The tune
for this song was taken from the
"Festesang" by Mendelssohn.
"It
Came Upon A Midnight Clear"
was
written by Edmund H. Sears in 1849.
At the time, Sears was a pastor
in Wayland, Massachusetts. The music
was provided by Richard S. Willis,
then editor of "Musical World,"
in his "Study Number 23." Uzziah
Burnap arranged this accompaniment
to the lyrics in 1859.
"Joy
To The World"
was
composed by the great English hymn
writer, Isaac Watts. It is based
on the Ninety-Eighth Psalm and its
words reflect the missionary spirit
of the early 1700s. Lowell Mason
arranged the lyrics to music taken
from several choruses of the "Messiah"
by Handel.
"O
Little Town Of Bethlehem"
It
was written by Phillips Brooks,
a renowned Boston minister. He composed
the carol in 1867 for his Sunday
School in Philadelphia, where he
was preaching at the time. Lewis
Redner, organist of the church,
wrote the tune.
"While
Shepherds Watched Their Flocks"
was
among the first compositions produced
after the 1700s. Only the Psalms
of David were sung in the Anglican
Church prior to that time. It was
written by Nahum Tate in 1703 and
the familiar melody used for this
carol was taken from "Siroe," an
opera by Handel.
"The
Twelve Days of Christmas"
Though
no substantive evidence supports
the following interpretation of
the symbolism, there is no proof
against it, and it is inspiring,
so here is a list of traditional
meanings to the 12 days lyrics:
Partridge
in a pear tree ... Christ upon the
Cross
Two
turtle doves ... The Old and New
Testament
Three
French hens ... Biblical virtues,
faith, hope and charity
Four
calling birds ... The four Gospels
Five
golden rings ... The first five
books of the Old Testament
Six
geese-a-laying ... The six days
of creation
Seven
swans-a-swimming ... Seven gifts
of the Holy Spirit
Eight
maids-a-milking ... The eight beatitudes
from Matthew
Nine
ladies dancing ... The nine-fold
fruit of the Holy Spirit
Ten
lords-a-leaping ... The Ten Commandments
Eleven
pipers piping ... The eleven faithful
apostles
Twelve
drummers drumming ... The twelve
points of doctrine in the Apostle's
Creed.
"Silent
Night, Holy Night"
The
German words for the original six
stanzas of the carol we know as
"Silent Night" were written by Joseph
Mohr in 1816, when he was a young
priest assigned to a pilgrimage
church in Mariapfarr, Austriam,
The Church of St. Nicholas.
The
congregation at that Midnight Mass,
over 180 years ago, 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 organ
was out of commission at the time)
On that Christmas Eve, a song was
born that would make its way into
the hearts of people throughout
the world. Much credit is given
for the eventual popularity due
to the fact that the organ builder
showed up after the holidays to
complete his repairs, heard the
song, obtained a copy of it, and
took it with him to his home in
Zillar Valley. Soon the hymn was
included in concerts throughout
Germany and Austria.
The
carol made its debut in the United
States in 1839 and quickly became
an international favorite. Eventually,
Mohr and Gruber were acknowledged
as the writer and composer of "Silent
Night." It is reported that reading
through the verses while writing
the carol, Gruber replied, "Friend
Mohr, you have found it! The right
song - God be praised!
Unknowingly,
the two men had fulfilled their
dream of creating 'The Perfect Christmas
Hymn."
"Silver
Bells"
This
Christmas song is a collaboration
between composer Jay Livingston
(1915-2001) and songwriter Raymond
Bernard Evans (1915-2007). Evans
wrote the lyrics and Livingston
composed the melody. The song was
used in a movie titled "The Lemon
Drop Kid" starring Bob Hope and
Marilyn Maxwell. Hope and Maxwell
sang the carol as a duet in one
of the scenes. The song was later
recorded by Bing Crosby and Carol
Richards.
Interesting
Fact:
The original title of the song was
actually "Tinkle Bell" but was later
changed to "Silver Bells." This
song was inspired by a tiny bell
Livingston and Evans had on their
work desk.
"Rudolph
the Red-Nosed Reindeer"
Rudolph
was actually the main character
of a story written in 1939 by Robert
L. May. In 1949, a song based on
the story was composed by Johnny
Marks, Mays' brother-in-law. The
song, which we now know as "Rudolph
the Red-Nosed Reindeer,"
was recorded by Gene Autry; a movie
narrated by Burl Ives in 1964 followed.
The song became a phenomenal hit;
selling millions of copies, inspiring
recordings in various languages
and producing a variety of products
based on the loveable reindeer.
Interesting
Fact:
Marks is also the author of other
Christmas carols including "Rockinš
Around the Christmas Tree" and "Most
Wonderful Time of the Year." Rudolph
is one of Santa's reindeers which
includes Dasher, Dancer, Prancer,
Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and
Blitzen.
"It
Came Upon A Midnight Clear"
Written
by Edmund Hamilton Sears (1810-1876)
who was also the pastor of the Unitarian
Church in Wayland, Massachusetts.
The lyrics of the said carol appeared
on the Christian Register in 1849.
"Hark
the Herald Angels Sing"
Charles
Wesley (1707-1788), younger brother
of John Wesley. Charles was a hymn
writer and a poet, also known as
one of the poeple who began the
Methodist movement in the Church
of England. The said song appeared
in 1739 in a book called Hymns and
Sacred Poems.
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