Favorite Christmas Songs of the Period?

[crowley_greene]

I've volunteered to spend a day in a citizen persona providing some violin and fiddle music at the Hunter-Dawson State Historical Site in Missouri on December 9, and I'd like to mix some period Christmas music into my repertoire.

Does anyone have information on what some favorite or most popular songs of the season might have been? Oh, I can easily enough find out what dates most Christmas carols and songs might have been written. But I just thought that some of you from your own readings might have some suggestions on what some favorite songs might have been. Right now, I can think of late 1700's and early 1800's pieces like "Silent Night", "Joy to the World", "Here We Come A-Wassailing", "Away in a Manger" (to an earlier melody that differed from the one we know more commonly today), "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing", "Bring a Torch, Jeannette Isabella", "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel", "What Child is This" ("Greensleeves") . . . Those are just a few period correct songs that come to mind at the moment.

Who can suggest more?

Murray Therrell
Paragould, AR

[crowley_greene]

"Away in a Manger." While the melody I'm thinking of (I'd hum it, but that doesn't work too well on this forum) may be period correct, the lyrics to "Away in a Manger" weren't written until 1885 while the melody we're most familiar with today wasn't written until 1895. I'll take that one off the list.

Murray Therrell

[jthlmnn]

I will suggest two: "The Cherry-Tree Carol" (Traditional Appalachian folk song)
and "Lo, How a Rose E're Blooming" (Es Ist Ein Ros' Entsprungen).

Hope this helps

[crowley_greene]

I will suggest two: "The Cherry-Tree Carol" (Traditional Appalachian folk song)
and "Lo, How a Rose E're Blooming" (Es Ist Ein Ros' Entsprungen).

Thank you, John, two excellent suggestions. I had completely forgotten about "Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming", dating from the Renaissance Period. And I'm certainly familiar enough with "The Cherry-Tree Carol" to play it.

Murray Therrell

[bizzilizzit]

Who can suggest more?

Murray Therrell
Paragould, AR

O Tannenbaum
Jingle Bells
Here We Come a Wassailing
God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
Hark the Herald Angels Sing
Try this website as well:
http://special.lib.gla.ac.uk/exhibns/month/dec2000.html
Elizabeth

[crowley_greene]

I have an album of Victorian Christmas carols that includes "Jingle Bells." The historic "Jingle Bells" differs somewhat from the version we hear today -- the refrain has a bit of a different melody, with more engaging twists of harmony. I may consider doing "Jingle Bells" in its original form, it may be of interest to some listeners.

Murray Therrell

[8thILCavalry]

Lincoln Got Run Over By A Reindeer


No seriously: God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen



.

[VA Soldier]

You might want to look at Auld Lang Syne...written sometime in the 1700's, today its considered more of a New Years song, but that wasn't until the 1920's. Not sure on the dates, but you might want to look at the Holy and the Ivy, and Good King Wencelas

[vmescher]

You might want to look at Auld Lang Syne...written sometime in the 1700's, today its considered more of a New Years song, but that wasn't until the 1920's. Not sure on the dates, but you might want to look at the Holy and the Ivy, and Good King Wencelas

I'm doing a Christmas program in Fairfax, VA on Sunday and found these carols with dates. On thing that I mention is that although the carols might have been around, it would depend upon what church one belonged to or what region one came from as to whether or not a particular carol was sung. They were not all universally sung as we do today.

I'm sure that these are not the only ones but are a representative sample.

Hark the Herald Angels Sing - Charles Welsey 1739
Tune Felix Mendelssohn 1859

Joy to the World - Issac Watts 1719 (Psalm 9

Angels We Have Heard on High - Traditional French Carol

O Come All Ye Faithful - Latin Hymn 18th century Translated from Latin to English in 1853 by Fredrick Oakley

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - English Traditional

Oh, Holy Night - M. Placide Cappeau de Roquemaure - 1847

While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night - Nahum Tate - 1700

Silent Night, Holy Night - Joseph Mohr - 1818

I Heard Bells on Christmas Day - Henry W. Longfellow - Dec. 25, 1863

It Came Upon a Midnight Clear - 1851

We Three Kings of Orient Are - 1859

The One Horse Open Sleigh - Oliver Ditson 1857 Originally a Thanksgiving song but in 1859 the title was changed to Jingle Bells.

Deck the Halls - Traditional Welsh melody and works added in the mid-19th century

The First Noel - first appeared in print in English in 1833.

Twelve Days of Christmas - appeared in print in 1790

What Child is This - William Chatterton Dix - 1865 set to the tune of Greensleeves.

[cookiemom]

... although the carols might have been around, it would depend upon what church one belonged to or what region one came from as to whether or not a particular carol was sung...

My favorite has always been The Wexford Carol, which dates back to 12th century Ireland.

http://www.michaellondra.com/cdxmas/...ord_carol.html

http://www.of-ireland.info/holidays/carols.html


[carol -- v. 1. to celebrate in song, 2. to sing joyously; n. a song of joy (from 13th century Old French 'carole')]

Carole
who tries to live up to the name...