Delores E. Topliff
When
we think of traditional Christmas carols such as "Away in a Manger"
or "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear," we assume they have been with us
through the ages. As with many assumptions about history, we're wrong.
There
is no way to prove what the first Christmas song was, but Christmas music has
been produced since the fourth century although until St. Francis of Assisi in
the 12th century, it wasn't typically used in religious services. England’s
Puritan leader, Oliver Cromwell, banned singing Christmas carols during
his period as Lord Protector of the Commonwealth from 1653-1658.
The
French version of “The Friendly Beasts” about animals surrounding Christ at the
nativity traces back to the 12th century, making it one candidate for the oldest
Christmas carol that we sing today.
Variations of “God
Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen” go back to 1650. In 1739, "Hark! The Herald
Angels Sing” was published, and many other familiar carols followed soon after.
In
fact, most of what the English-speaking world regards as traditional Christmas
music is less than 200 years old. A few Christian standards are much younger. “The
Little Drummer Boy” was written in 1941, Frosty the Snowman in 1950, and
"Do You Hear What I Hear?" in 1962. Rolf Harris’s Six White Boomers
about kangaroos helping Santa bring gifts to Australia was released in 1980. To
my shock our family owned and sang from the song book pictured at the left in the
photo above.
The truth is,
beautiful and memorable or fun and catchy Christmas songs are still being
written. If they are good enough, they’ll be cherished and added to the
repertoire. There’s no reason someone can’t put pen to paper or fingers to
keyboard to write the next popular Christmas song. Do it now, and we all may be
singing it by next December 25th.
What is your all-time favorite Christmas Carol or song ever? Why? Have a Merry
Christmas!
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