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 The
Origins Of Christmas Music
Does
anyone remember when there were three network channels,
a PBS station and then the voided wasteland of UHF? Yes,
in the days before cable television there was more
emphasis on big “event” television particularly
around the holiday season. During Christmas there were a
great variety of specials that were holiday themed and
one of the most memorable was a Bing Crosby special that
featured a duet between him and David Bowie where they
sang and incredibly moving version of The Little Drummer
Boy. Even though three decades have past since that
famous episode aired, it still remains an incredibly
memorable and moving duet. In fact, there are a number
of moving and interesting versions of Christmas songs
and Christmas music because it more than just a way of
emoting lyrics indicative of the time of the year, they
are passionate moving songs that truly reflect the
spirit of the Christmas season. While most people are
familiar with Christmas songs (how can you not miss
hearing them on the radio during December?) most people
are not familiar with their origins. Where did Christmas
songs originate and how did they start?
Christmas
songs are commonly called Christmas carols and the word
“carols” originates from a ancient Greek dance known
as choraulein. Over time, the dance would be kept alive
through cultural tradition and eventually spread to
Europe where the dances were commonly accompanied by
flutes. For many centuries, these songs (whose
pronunciation had been anglicized from choraulein to
carols) had no particular holiday theme to them, but in
the 17th century they had become almost
exclusively associated with Christmas although the
origins for this are unknown.
In
the 18th and 19th century, the
composition of some of the most famous Christmas Carols
of all time where first written such as O Little Town of
Bethlehem and the landmark Silent Night. Most of these
songs were intended to be sung in church during the
holiday season, but the popularity of these songs would
later lead to people singing them in environments
outside of church. When this occurred, Christmas songs
took on a different phase.
While
virtually all Christmas carols had a religious theme,
but in time many of the songs such as Frosty the Snowman
and Jingle Bells would emerge as songs that had a
non-religious theme. This was not the result of a
rejection of the religious themes of Christmas as much
as it was a response to the public’s enjoyment of
Christmas songs that were more whimsical in nature and
more oriented for children. With the addition of a
number of commercial records recorded by singers such as
Bing Crosby and Burl Ives, Christmas songs began to get
tremendous radio airplay which in further solidified
their popularity in the public consciousness and allowed
the centuries old tradition to continue for many more
years with no signs of abating.
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