Old Christmas Songs
Christmas carols are widely believed to have originated as Latin
hymns. These religious hymns can be traced back to as early as the
fourth century in Rome. These songs include the lesser known "Veni
redemptor gentium", written by the Archbishop of Milan, and "Corde
natus ex Parentis" ("Of the Father's Love Begotten"),written by
Spanish poet, Prudentius. These Christmas hymns are not commonly
heard, but "Corde natus ex Parentis" can still be heard in churches
today.
Later, during the 13th century, Christmas carols started
emerging. However, it is not until much later that these carols
were sung in churches. The carols that are written around this time
are not commonly known in today's world, with the exception of
"Adeste Fidelis" ("O Come all ye faithful"), which is believed by
some to have been written in the 13th century. Others, however,
debate that this carol was written by a man named John Francis Wade
in the mid 18th century.
One of the oldest known Christmas carols in English history is
"The Boar's Head Carol", which was first seen in print in 1521.
This carol was sung during an old English tradition in which a
boar's head was carried into the room and displayed on the table as
a centre dish. Another Christmas carol that is very old is The
"Huron Carol". This hymn is a popular Christmas carol in Canada,
especially around Lake Huron, where it originated. It was written
in 1643 by a French missionary by the name of Jean de Brébeuf. This
old hymn was originally titled, "Jesous Ahatonhia" and tell the
story of the nativity.
The 19th century gave us many traditional Christmas carols that are
still heard today. The first printing of "The First Noel", "I Saw
Three Ships", "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen", and "Hark The Herald
Angels Sing", were in 1833 in William B. Sandys' work, Christmas
Carols Ancient and Modern. This work helped popularized Christmas
carols which caused many composers to write their own religious
hymns.
Christmas carols have been apart of many Christian's lives since
they were a small child. Many people have grown into adults
listening to these wonderful songs during the Christmas season. All
of us have our favourites, and new Christmas songs are being
incorporated into the holiday year after year. We can look forward
to singing these old Christmas songs, along with new holiday tunes,
as we grow old with our loving families.