History of Christmas Music: More than just Carols

St. Andrew’s Church, East Sussex, UK. Image: Visit1066Country

HISTORY OF CHRISTMAS MUSIC

Christmas carols transcend mere musical compositions; they are intricately woven into the tapestry of our holiday customs. These songs serve as a unifying force, fostering a sense of community, celebrating faith and familial bonds, and instilling a spirit of goodwill.

Whether performed in the serene ambiance of candlelit churches or amidst the vibrant atmosphere of bustling shopping malls, carols evoke a profound sense of wonder and connection to the festive season.

In a word: nostalgia. Carols have this incredible power to bring back happy memories from our past. Just hearing a familiar carol can whisk us away to those wonderful childhood days, family get-togethers, or peaceful snowy nights by the fire. It’s this feeling that keeps carols so special and festive during the Christmas season.

Early Christmas Music

Polyphonic hymns of Costanzo Festa, Vatican Museum. Image: Wikimedia

Early on, music became a marked feature of the Christmas season. But the first chants, litanies, and hymns were in Latin and deemed too theological and too Latin for widespread use. The rise of the carol written in the vernacular began under the influence of Francis of Assisi in the 13th century.

The word carol comes from the Greek word choraulein (pronounced chorolyne). The roots of the word are choros, meaning dance, and aulein, meaning to play the flute. So, a choraulein was an ancient circle dance performed to flute music. The Latin equivalent is carula, the French is carole. In the Middle Ages, the English combined circle dances with singing and called the resulting performances carols.

Later, the word carol came to mean a song treating a religious topic in a familiar or festive style. From Italy, it passed to France and Germany and later to England, retaining its simplicity, fervor, and mirthfulness. Music has become one of the greatest tributes to Christmas, featuring some of the noblest compositions by great musicians.

Popular Carols

Here are a few famous carols written by influential individuals of the past. You may have been unaware of their authorship:

Hark! the Herald Angels Sing

Though the song was set to music by Felix Mendelssohn, the lyrics were written by Charles Wesley, the famous British evangelist and hymnwriter, younger brother of John Wesley, the founder of Methodism. The lyrics were later revised by George Whitefield, a remarkable evangelist in both Britain and America. His version was an improvement on Wesley’s ‘Hark how all the welkin rings’.

Joy to the World

The lyrics were written by the English hymnwriter Isaac Watts, based on Psalm 98. It is less well known that he edited, expanded, and helped publish in England A Faithful Narrative of the Surprising Work of God by the renowned American theologian and evangelist Jonathan Edwards, which describes the Great Awakening.

Masters in This Hall

While perhaps less well-known in America, this British song was written by William Morris, the prestigious poet, writer, artist, textile designer, and leader of the British Arts and Crafts movement.

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

The song is based on the 1863 poem by the well-known American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, during the American Civil War.

From Heaven Above to Earth I Come

In German, Vom Himmel hoch, is based on Luke 2:8-18, and was written in 1534 by the German Reformer Martin Luther, a prolific hymn writer.

Christmas Music in England

Fines in the Agreement of 1647. Image: Wikipedia

During the British Commonwealth government under Oliver Cromwell, the Puritan-led Parliament prohibited singing Christmas carols as “pagan” and sinful. It was thought at the time that its pagan roots in the 13th century and its overly “democratic” 14th-century influences made it an unsuitable activity for the general public. The Commonwealth government of 1647 mandated it so.

English Puritans disapproved of Christmas celebrations and did not close shop on that day; they continued to work through December 25. During this brief interlude of English history, in which there was no monarch, such activity by the populace was to remain illegal. In America, this was also true in Colonial New England Puritanism, so that in Boston, one could be fined five shillings for demonstrating Christmas spirit.

But this activity was prohibited in Britain only as long as the Commonwealth survived. In 1660, when King Charles II was restored to the throne, the public was once again permitted to practice the singing of Christmas carols.

Christmas Music in Ireland

No musical work is more closely associated with the Christmas season than “Messiah” by George Frederick Handel (1685-1759). It had nothing to do with the Christmas season when Handel originally composed it. It was initially performed during the Easter season. Since Handel’s death, it is usually performed during the Advent season.

Messiah title page, Handel’s autograph. Image: Wikipedia

Handel was German by birth but became a naturalized Englishman in 1726. He had written several Italian operas, but by the early 1740s, English interest in Italian opera had waned, and he abandoned the genre.

Handel wrote “Messiah” in the summer of 1741 in his characteristically quick 24 days. He used the familiar King James Bible, especially Isaiah, the Psalms, and the Gospel of Luke; he had previously written some oratorios on Biblical themes. His first performance of Messiah was the following spring in Dublin.

St Patrick’s Cathedral. Author’s photo

“Messiah” is frequently attributed to having been performed initially at Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin, but that is only half right. When I entered the church and asked about it, I was told the original performance was not held there. The Christ Church choir had performed it, along with the choir from St. Patrick’s Cathedral, which is located three blocks away (pictured at right).

Neal’s Music Hall. Image: Wikipedia

But the actual performance took place at Neal’s Music Hall on Fishamble Street, half a block from Christ Church, on April 13, 1742 (pictured at left). For a while, Handel lived about a mile away, north and across the River Liffey. I walked down to see the music hall, expecting a large building. The music hall no longer exists, but the plaque pictured below commemorates its location.

Each year, Messiah is performed in the open air on the street. However, the original premiere, to an audience of 700, was a benefit for prisoners in jail for debt, as well as for a hospital and an infirmary. The concert raised about £400, enough money to free 142 unfortunate debtors from prison.

Messiah’s debut location is in Dublin. Author’s photo

Debut of Messiah in London

It premiered in London a year later. It was not as well-received. You can read about how it was promoted by the name A Sacred Oratorio.

The best performance of Messiah I’ve experienced was in London several years ago by the Academy of Ancient Music at the Barbican Theatre, with authentic period instruments.

Bill Petro, your friendly neighborhood historian
billpetro.com

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