CHRISTMAS CAROLS are an intrinsic part of most people’s Christmas experience, whether

they are singing them or listening to them. In the following article I have given some
background into how they became the Christmas music we know and love today.
The word Carol actually means dance or song of praise and joy! Carols were first sung in
Europe thousands of years ago, but these were not Christmas Carols. They were pagan
songs, sung at the December Winter Solstice celebrations as people danced round stone
circles. Carols used to be written and sung during all four seasons, but only the tradition of
singing them at Christmas has really survived. Early Christians turned the pagan solstice
celebrations into Christmas and gave people Christian songs to sing instead of pagan ones. In
AD129, a Roman bishop said that a song called "Angel's Hymn" should be sung at a Christian
service in Rome. Another famous early Christmas hymn was written in AD760, by Comas of
Jerusalem, for the Greek Orthodox Church. Soon after this, many composers all over Europe
started to write 'Christmas carols'. However, not many
people liked them as they were all written and sung in
Latin, a language that the general populous couldn't
understand. By the time of the Middles Ages most
people had lost interest in celebrating Christmas
altogether! This was changed by St. Francis of Assisi
when, in 1223, he started his Nativity Plays in Italy.
The people in the plays sang songs or 'canticles' that
told the story during the plays. Sometimes, the
choruses of these new carols were in Latin; but
normally they were in a language that the people
watching the play could understand and join in with.
The new carols spread to France, Spain, Germany and
other European countries. The earliest carol we know
of like this was written in 1410. Sadly only a very small fragment of it still exists. The carol
was about Mary and Jesus meeting different people in Bethlehem. These new carols were
usually sung in homes rather than in churches and were often about fictional characters who
weren't actually part of the nativity. Travelling singers or Minstrels started also singing these
carols and the words were devised to suit the local people and their surroundings wherever
they happened to live e.g. I Saw Three Ships. When Oliver Cromwell and the Puritans came
to power in England in 1647, the celebration of Christmas and singing carols was stopped.
However, the carols survived as people still sang them in secret. Carols gained in popularity
after the Reformation in the countries where Protestant churches gained prominence, as
well-known Reformers like Martin Luther wrote carols and encouraged their use in worship.
Before carol singing by the general public became popular, there were official carol singers
called 'Waits'. These were bands of people led by important local leaders. They were called
Waits because they were only sung on Christmas eve, when the Christmas celebrations
began. This was sometimes known as 'watchnight' or 'waitnight' because of the shepherds
who were watching their sheep when the angels appeared to them. Also many orchestras
and choirs were being set up in the cities of England and people wanted Christmas songs to
sing, so carols once again became popular. Many new carols were written in the Victorian
period and carols services became popular, as did the custom of taking carols to the streets.
Traditionally, carols have often been based on Medieval chord patterns, and it is this that
gives them their uniquely characteristic musical sound. Some carols are among the oldest
musical compositions still regularly sung. The book of religious songs, Piae Cantiones, was
produced in 1582 and contained carols from as far back as the early 1300s, such as
Personent Hodie, Gaudete and In Dulci Jubilo. Other ancient carols that have stood the test
of time are Quem Pastores (14th century), Coventry Carol (1534) and Ding Dong merrily on
High (16th century French) just to name a few.
Of course, Christmas here in Oz is unique. The traditional European image of a snow covered
landscape is far from our experience. Christmas traditions have been adjusted to fit our
Summer heat, so cold platters or a picnic at the beach often replace the traditional turkey
roast with all the trimmings. Our carols are also very different. Included in our Christmas
concert this year we have four Aussie carols that don’t have any mention of cold weather,
snow or blazing log fires! Instead we have brolgas dancing out on the plain, three drovers
out in the bush singing Noel, boo book owls and brown moths, the North wind, the red dust
and dry grass – all included in those wonderful carols by John Wheeler and William James
that epitomise a truly Australian Christmas.

Here is an old manuscript of Hodie Christus Natus Est.

It’s almost exactly the same as the version we are singing

today. It warms my heart to realise that beautiful melodies
such as Personent Hodie, Gaudete, Coventry Carol, In Dulci
Jubilo and of course this striking, chant-like piece have been
sung by people for so many centuries, and we are still able
to enjoy them in the present day. Nothing like being in a
choir to carry on the beautiful, ancient traditions.