Origins of Carols

Public Domain Pictures Public Domain Pictures Origins of Christmas Carols

Discover the behind-the-story of Christmas carols just in time for the holidays

by Tiara Bigelow

Original Song Title and Meaning: According to Rice University’s website, originally the song was not meant to be a Christmas song but written as a “winter well-wishing song.” This song was written in 1916 by the composer Mykola Leontovich and was titled “Shchedryk” which means “bountiful.” Original Song Story: “The song tells the tale of a swallow flying into a household to proclaim the plentiful year that the family will have,” according to Anothony Potoczniak, who is studying the song’s history. As said, the song goes back to one of the many original folk melody well-wishing tunes sung in many Ukrainian villages. In the villages, young adolescent girls would go house to house, singing good fortune to all. By doing this, they were rewarded with baked goods and other treats. Current Title and Story: Now known as “Carol of the Bells,” the song has been associated with Christmas. While using the original lyrics, the song also used references from silver bells like the line “merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas,” to give in more of a holly tune.

Morgan Reams, senior, loves ‘Carol of the Bells’ out of the three.

Carol of the Bells

Pixaby

O Holy Night

Max Pixel Original Song Title and Meaning: According to Benjamin Ivry from America Jesuit Review’s website, the origins of “O Holy Night” originated in the mid-1800s in France. The song was initially titled, “ Cantique de Noel.” While asked to compose a pen poem for his parish’s Mass that Christmas, composer Placide Cappeau thought about the birth of Jesus and converted the story into lyrics of a song. Cappeau also enlisted the help of his Jewish friend Adolphe Charles Adams to aid in the composition of the music. Somehow the music made its way to America through abolitionist John Sullivan Dwight, who slightly changed the lyrics of the song. Original Song Story: The song reflects on the night of Jesus’s birth. As said, ‘O Holy Night’ elaborates that Jesus was born in a manger and through his humble beginnings, he shares his knowledge of God to us as a reminder to follow his leadership. Current Title and Story: The same star that shined Jesus’s birth is the star that pointed to the Savior of the world on that beautiful, holy night. Resulting in its name ‘O Holy Night.’

Original Song Title and Meaning: According to Penelope Hart from Holidappy’s website, originally, the song was a form of a lullaby from Czech by Miss Jacubickova. Another name that goes by in Czech was the words ‘Hajej, nynjei’. Later on, it was given an English word by Percy Dearmer for the Oxford Book of Carols in 1928. The new title that it was given was the “Rocking Lullaby.” Original Song Story: The story in the song is about a little boy who hasn’t got a present for baby Jesus but he plays his drums instead for him and for this he gets Mary’s approval. The transform from a small lullaby into a Christmas Carols all thanks to a composer from St. Joseph, Missouri named Katherine Kennicott Davis. She is the one who composed ‘The Carol of The Drum.’Although the drum tune made the song feel special, it was not intended to be in there on purpose. The drum turn was only there to help the chorus harmonize between a soprano tune and tenor and bass parts--for their rehearsals only. Somehow the tune made it into the song. Current Title and Story: Later in 1914, the song ‘The Carol of the Drum’ turned into the song that we all know now as “ The Little Drummer Boy.”

Both Delaney Bartlett, junior, and Ashton Barb, senior, think that the ‘Little Drummer Boy’ is the best Christmas song.