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A Brief History of Holiday Music: A 3-Part Series
How well do you know your holiday music?
November 29, 2011 by Kimberly Sena Moore (Music Therapist)
There are certain ubiquitous elements that surround us this time of year. Christmas lights, egg nog, Christmas trees, Santas,...and let's not forget the music.
There's no escaping it. Whether you realize it or not, the music you hear plays a powerful role is shaping your holiday experience. Can you think of going to a church Christmas service and not singing "Silent Night"? Or going to the mall and not hearing "Jingle Bells"? Or stringing lights on the Christmas tree and not hearing "Deck the Hall" playing through your satellite's radio channel?
Probably not.
Music is an integral part of our holiday experience. And it has been around longer than you think.
This article kicks off a three-part series on the history of holiday music. It starts with and overview of the earliest Christmas songs and hymns. Later weeks will cover the "hey day" of Christmas songs, as well as "fun facts" about your favorite
The Earliest Christmas Songs
The earliest Christmas songs are thought to originate in the Middle Ages. The 12th century brought us the traditional hymn "O Come, O Come Emmanuel"...although the music and words we are most familiar with were adapted and translated, respectively, in the mid-1800s. Another early favorite is "The First Noel," which dates back to the 13th century.
The 16th century brought us 3 other traditional songs: "The Twelve Days of Christmas," "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," and "O Christmas Tree." Next to "Silent Night," "O Christmas Tree" is the second most popular holiday song to originate from Germany.
Another fun fact? The title "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" may not mean what you think. The Old English word "merry" best translates in modern English to "pleasant" or "agreeable," not happy. And "rest" in Old English best translates to "keep." Thus "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" most accurately means "God Keep You, Pleasant Gentlemen."
Christmas in the 1600s
Several carols and hymns we hear and sing today had their origins in the streets and churches of England in the 1600s. A few of note include "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" and "Here We Come A Caroling." Very little is known about the origins of both. We do know that "Here We Come A Caroling," otherwise known as "The Wassail Song," was a song meant to wish a person good health and good cheer in the New Year.
Music was also being brought to the American colonies from England. The Pilgrims brought with them a certain traditional tune that we now call "What Child Is This?" (those words were added in the 1800s). The name of the tune? "Greensleeves."
Christmas in the 1700s
During the 1700s, Christmas hymns and carols gained popularity, partly due to the publication of song collections. The famous classical comper Handel published several holiday songs that still maintain their popularity including "While Shephards Watched Their Flocks By Night" and (we think) "Joy to the World."
Other traditional Christmas songs that originated from the 1700s include "O Come All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fidelis)," "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing," "Holly and the Ivy," and "Angels We Have Heard on High." England continued to reign as the main producer of Christmas hymns as all but the last hymn mentioned above were composed by an Englishman.
Coming Up
Next week we will cover Christmas songs from the 1800s and 1900s. Stay tuned...
References
Nobbman, D.V. (2000). Christmas Music Companion Fact Book. Anaheim Hills, CA: Centerstream Publishing.
This is the second article in a 3-part series titled "A Brief History of Holiday Music.
This is the third and final article in a three-part series on the history of holiday music.
How well do you know your holiday music?
November 29, 2011 by Kimberly Sena Moore (Music Therapist)
There are certain ubiquitous elements that surround us this time of year. Christmas lights, egg nog, Christmas trees, Santas,...and let's not forget the music.
There's no escaping it. Whether you realize it or not, the music you hear plays a powerful role is shaping your holiday experience. Can you think of going to a church Christmas service and not singing "Silent Night"? Or going to the mall and not hearing "Jingle Bells"? Or stringing lights on the Christmas tree and not hearing "Deck the Hall" playing through your satellite's radio channel?
Probably not.
Music is an integral part of our holiday experience. And it has been around longer than you think.
This article kicks off a three-part series on the history of holiday music. It starts with and overview of the earliest Christmas songs and hymns. Later weeks will cover the "hey day" of Christmas songs, as well as "fun facts" about your favorite
The Earliest Christmas Songs
The earliest Christmas songs are thought to originate in the Middle Ages. The 12th century brought us the traditional hymn "O Come, O Come Emmanuel"...although the music and words we are most familiar with were adapted and translated, respectively, in the mid-1800s. Another early favorite is "The First Noel," which dates back to the 13th century.
The 16th century brought us 3 other traditional songs: "The Twelve Days of Christmas," "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," and "O Christmas Tree." Next to "Silent Night," "O Christmas Tree" is the second most popular holiday song to originate from Germany.
Another fun fact? The title "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" may not mean what you think. The Old English word "merry" best translates in modern English to "pleasant" or "agreeable," not happy. And "rest" in Old English best translates to "keep." Thus "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" most accurately means "God Keep You, Pleasant Gentlemen."
Christmas in the 1600s
Several carols and hymns we hear and sing today had their origins in the streets and churches of England in the 1600s. A few of note include "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" and "Here We Come A Caroling." Very little is known about the origins of both. We do know that "Here We Come A Caroling," otherwise known as "The Wassail Song," was a song meant to wish a person good health and good cheer in the New Year.
Music was also being brought to the American colonies from England. The Pilgrims brought with them a certain traditional tune that we now call "What Child Is This?" (those words were added in the 1800s). The name of the tune? "Greensleeves."
Christmas in the 1700s
During the 1700s, Christmas hymns and carols gained popularity, partly due to the publication of song collections. The famous classical comper Handel published several holiday songs that still maintain their popularity including "While Shephards Watched Their Flocks By Night" and (we think) "Joy to the World."
Other traditional Christmas songs that originated from the 1700s include "O Come All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fidelis)," "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing," "Holly and the Ivy," and "Angels We Have Heard on High." England continued to reign as the main producer of Christmas hymns as all but the last hymn mentioned above were composed by an Englishman.
Coming Up
Next week we will cover Christmas songs from the 1800s and 1900s. Stay tuned...
References
Nobbman, D.V. (2000). Christmas Music Companion Fact Book. Anaheim Hills, CA: Centerstream Publishing.
This is the second article in a 3-part series titled "A Brief History of Holiday Music.
This is the third and final article in a three-part series on the history of holiday music.
