Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, December 9, 1993 TAG: 9312090474
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: S-18 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CODY LOWE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
There are hundreds of hymns, carols and popular secular songs for the season, and just about everyone has a favorite or two.
Caroling - a tradition that once included dance as well as music - represents a blending of sacred and secular expressions of the joys of Christmas. Here is the background for some of the most popular carols. Included are the name of the carol, composers' names or national background, and a brief history.
\ Angels We Have Heard on High. Traditional, French/English melody. Sometimes called the "Westminster Carol" because of its association with the Westminster Abbey Choir. "Gloria in excelsis Deo" is Latin for "Glory to God in the highest."
\ Away in a Manger. Popularly attributed to Martin Luther, though his authorship is questioned. One theory is that the song was written by Pennsylvania Lutherans in the first half of the 19th century. It was associated with a painting of Luther and his children at Christmas. The carol was published as early as 1885 by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in North America, which did not attribute composition to anyone.
\ Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus. Lyrics by Charles Wesley, 1744; tune "Hyfrydol" by Rowland Prichard, 1855. Wesley, whose brother, John, is considered the founder of Methodism, was one of the most prolific Christian hymn writers. This was one of his earlier hymns, and was published with 23 other Christmas works as "Hymns for the Nativity of Our Lord." It didn't make the denomination's hymn book, however, until 1875, when the tune it now follows had been added to it.
\ Deck the Halls. Traditional Welsh air. A favorite secular Christmas carol. The tune was once used by Mozart in a work for violin and piano. The line "Follow me in merry measure" indicates the singers were to dance as well.
\ The First Noel (or Nowell). Traditional. There is some disagreement whether this carol is English or French in origin. It dates to the 17th century.
\ God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen. Traditional, English. This song fell out of favor with denominational hymn books in the last decade, largely because its lyrics were seen as irredeemably sexist. It remains a favorite, however. The first line - also the song's title - is frequently misread since the comma is omitted. It means "May God keep you merry, gentlemen." The song is mentioned in Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" as particularly infuriating to Ebenezer Scrooge.
\ Good Christian Men, Rejoice. The song was written in a combination of Latin and German words. It was paraphrased in English in 1853 by John Mason Neale. This hymn was slightly altered by some hymnal revisionists in recent years to read "Good Christian Folk, Rejoice" to eliminate sexist references.
\ Good King Wenceslas. Traditional Swedish melody, Bohemian story, English verse (by John Mason Neale). The story is told in a dialogue between King Wenceslas of Bohemia and his page. Wenceslas was known for his kind-hearted generosity toward his people.
\ Hark! The Herald Angels Sing. Charles Wesley words to a Felix Mendelssohn tune. The words were written before 1739 and the current tune added in 1840. The first two lines originally read, "Hark! how all the welkin rings, Glory to the King of Kings." They were changed by a later hymn compiler - about 1850 - to the current language.
\ Here We Come a Wassailing. Traditional English. The wassail - which may come from Anglo-Saxon words meaning "Be in health" - was a drink made of mulled ale, eggs, curdled cream, apples, nuts and spices. The hot drink may have been taken from door-to-door by young people who solicited gifts in exchange for a drink and a song.
\ The Holly and the Ivy. Traditional English words and French melody. Evergreen holly was long used as a wintertime decoration. It sometimes is used to represent the crown of thorns Christ was forced to wear at his crucifixion.
\ I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day. Words by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in 1863, melody by J. Baptiste Calkin in 1872. Written just months after the battle of Gettysburg, Longfellow's poem reflects the dark, uncertain mood of the Civil War. Yet, after despairing that "There is no peace on Earth, I said," it ends with the hopeful refrain, "The wrong shall fail, the right prevail, with peace on Earth, good will to men!"
\ I Saw Three Ships. Traditional English. A carol with Christ and Mary arriving by ship probably makes sense coming as it does from an island nation.
\ It Came Upon the Midnight Clear. Lyrics by Edmund H. Sears, tune by R. Storrs Willis, 1850. One of a relatively few popular carols to come from the United States. This strongly Trinitarian carol was written by a Unitarian minister.
\ Joy to the World. Lyrics by Isaac Watts in 1719, set to an arrangement of a Handel melody by Lowell Mason in 1830. Watts and Charles Wesley would share the title of "Greatest English hymn writers." This hymn has been altered for many years by different denominations to reflect their own particular theology. The third stanza, referring to the curse upon the Earth after the fall of Adam and Eve, is omitted in some versions. Other groups change "the Lord is come" to "the Lord will come."
\ Love Came Down at Christmas. Lyrics by Christina Rossetti in 1893, music by R.O. Morris in 1925. This was one of the last poems written by this Italian transplant to England.
\ O Christmas Tree. German folk song. This is believed to be an ancient tune - possibly from the Middle Ages. It is a more or less secular celebration of the evergreen, sometimes sung in German, "O Tannenbaum."
\ O Come, All Ye Faithful. Adeste Fideles. Latin hymn, 18th century. Believed to have been written about 1745 by an Englishman who copied music for Roman Catholics in France. It is still sung in Latin and English versions in the United States and has been translated into 125 languages.
\ O Come, O Come, Emanuel. 12th century Latin words sung to 13th century plain song. This was originally a seven-verse composition written for use during vespers on the seven days before Christmas. The English translation has been shorted to six verses, and is sung to a Gregorian melody.
\ O Little Town of Bethlehem. Lyrics by Phillips Brooks, music by Lewis Redner, 1868. Brooks was pastor and Redner was organist at Holy Trinity (Episcopal) Church in Philadelphia when this song was written. Brooks, who was educated at Episcopal Theological Seminary in Alexandria, had recently spent a year in the Holy Land and was moved to write a song about the place for the children of his church.
\ Silent Night, Holy Night. Lyrics by Joseph Mohr, music by Franz Gruber, Dec. 24, 1818. Perhaps the most popular Christmas carol of all, this one was written on short notice by an assistant Roman Catholic priest in the Austrian village ofOberndorf. The story - related by a relative of Gruber - is that when the church organ refused to work for a Christmas Eve service, Father Mohr wrote a new hymn as a substitute song. He asked Gruber, the church organist, to come up with music for the guitar. Within 40 years, the song was being sung widely throughout Europe and, at first, was believed to be a Tyrolian folk song. Gruber later wrote a letter attesting to its origins.
\ We Three Kings of Orient Are. Lyrics and music by John Henry Hopkins Jr., 1857. Another American carol, this one was written by an Episcopal rector in Williamsport, Pa. It is based on elaborations of the biblical account of the Wise Men who visited the baby Jesus. Each of the three Wise Men sings a verse about his gift, and they all join in two verses of praise.
\ What Child Is This? Lyrics by William Chatterton Dix (late 1800s), traditional English tune ("Greensleeves"). Dix was an insurance company manager who also wrote hymns. This one was set to an arrangement of an old English folk song that has been around at least since Shakespeare's time.
Much of the information for this story came from the book, "Christmas Songs and Their Stories," by Herbert W. Wernecke.
by CNB