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Christmas
Music
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The Christmas Carol derives ultimately from
the songs that accompanied festive dances across Europe, and where used to
celebrate many different holidays, not just Christmas. The lyrics of
Medieval Christmas carols varied from drinking songs to religious
subjects, and the celebration itself was much wilder than our own
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The Church made occasional efforts to solemnize the
celebrations, but seems only to have succeeded in making the lyrics of the
carols more religiously based. Paid singers and carolers, along with
prodigious amounts of alcohol, were fixtures of medieval Christmas feasts;
singing along with the entertainers was common.
Christmas music in England suffered its greatest setback in England during
the reign of Oliver Cromwell. The religious fanaticism of Cromwell and his
Puritan backers in Parliament reached such excesses that they actually
banned the celebration of Christmas! Even after the Puritan government
fell and the Monarchy was restored, the celebration of Christmas in
England never regained the wild joy it had previously known. Caroling
became a folk tradition, but was nowhere near as ubiquitous as it had
been.
Other than the translation of "Silent Night", there was little innovation
in English Christmas music until the Victorian era. It was then that
Christmas was "reformed", and made into the domestic, child-centered
holiday of today. It was during this time that "Hark The Herald Angels
Sing" and "Come O Ye Faithful" were set to the music we are familiar with
today.
The beloved carol "Silent Night", which become popular in Victorian times,
was hastily written in 1818 to provide Christmas Eve music in an Austrian
church were the organ has recently broken. It was translated into English
in 1863, and has since become one of the most beloved carols in the world.
American composers have been largely responsible for the secular trend of
modern carols. Christmas in America has never been a particularly
religious festival. Until the 19th century, Christmas was only celebrated
in parts of the United States. In fact, since much of New England was
settled by fanatical English Puritans, the celebration of Christmas was
often banned in that part of the country! It took the cultural influence
of Victorian England to make Christmas socially acceptable in New England.
Since most Protestant Americans had no deep religious traditions regarding
Christmas, American music about Christmas has always emphasized nostalgia,
family, and winter festivity.
Victorian-era American carols are exemplified by such songs as "Jingle
Bells", and "Deck the Halls". "Jingle Bells" was written in Boston in 1857
by Oliver Ditsen, and was originally called "One Horse Open Sleigh". "Deck
The Halls" is an old Welsh melody, given lyrics by an unknown lyricist in
19th century America.
The Forties was a golden age for American Christmas carols, with three of
the most beloved ones were written and recorded at that time. "White
Christmas" was written by Irving Berlin in 1942, for the Bing Crosby movie
Holiday Inn. Curiously, one of the most beloved Christmas songs was
written by Berlin, who was Jewish! "The Christmas Song", popularly known
as "Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire", was written by Mel Torme, and
made famous by Nat King Cole 1947 recording. "Rudolph The Red Nosed
Reindeer" was written by Johnny Marks in 1947, based on a character his
brother-in-law, copywriter Robert L. May, had created originally for a
Montgomery Ward Department store promotion in 1939. Gene Autry's recording
of the song has become a fixture of the holiday season.
In modern times, Christmas music continues to be re-interpreted and re-invented.
New classics are being written every year. One thing that remains constant
is the joy that music adds to the already joyous holiday season!
Christmas Depot.com carries the most
comprehensive listings of Christmas music available anywhere on the
web.
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This site was last
updated on 05.10.2006
Copyright © 1997-2006 GiftsGiftBaskets, All right reserved.
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