The origins and evolution of Christmas carols – Hometown Focus

What is a carol? It is a song especially of joy. It is a Christmas song or hymn. And, it is a kind of circular dance. It is this third point that piques our interest. The circular dance was a feature of religious drama of the medieval period, specifically the miracle and mystery plays that were performed as part of religious ceremonies. They were a dramatization of an Old or New Testament stories and were occasions of tremendous enthusiasm. They not only promoted professed Christian beliefs but were also the highest form of entertainment. It is sometimes claimed that the mystery drama (a play with a sacred theme) dates back as far as the fourth century. Although found in France at an early date, its first appearance in England was in 1110. The carol was used as a round dance when it was performed and sung as a part of the religious play. At first the carols were used as incidental music and as entertainment in and around the drama. Gradually, the singers took stage and marched back and forth much to the crowds pleasure. For centuries the people had clamored for something less severe than plainsong melodies and in the twelfth century their dramatic spirit was in revolt. Enthusiasm was at a high pitch and carolers would leave the stage and parade around the townvoila!the processional use of the carol. So by the end of the fifteenth century the carol had found its place in the Mystery Play and was sung as part of the drama.

Besides performance usage, the carol was used earlier by the Greeks where the choros referred to a dance performed within the play. Lastly, the carol text is a metrical form of poetry on which the dance operates. In other words, the text of the song is rhythmical, able to be set to music and able to be danced.

Ballad carols, a second type of carol, were pieces that were not written in manuscript but were preserved by oral tradition. Minstrels, troubadours, minnesingers and jongleurs are the sources for this form. This type of carol went underground during Puritan purging of religious practice in England. The ballad carol is closely related to folk song. It is a graphically narrated popular story in rhyme and short stanzas. Often the verses of the ballad carol cover several time periods such as nativity, passion and resurrection and carry the label of legendary. Lullabies are included in this group. Ballads are written down only when there seems to be a danger that text will be forgotten. Greensleeves, otherwise known as What Child is This? is an excellent example of this form. The text of this carol tells the entire story of Jesus from Christmas through Easter although today we sing only the Christmas verses.

It would be remiss to omit the mention of motet carols. Besides the music of the common people, there was a level of professionalism that presented itself in the genius of such composers as William Byrd, Thomas Tallis, and Orlando Gibbons, to name three. The motet and madrigal were sacred and secular songs in four, five or six parts, melodious with a light texture and cool climate. This means that beauty of song line and text (usually from the Bible), presented a carol which was sung by vocalists who could maintain part-singing without accompaniment while staying on pitch and without metric error. Listeners simply enjoyed hearing the beautiful music which was sung in churches and places of indoor gathering.

After 1800, the Industrial Revolution fostered a new beginning for music in general and vocal and instrumental music in particular. Because mass production was now possible, good quality instruments were available. The middle class was now a valid part of the social structure. This social class demanded and required worship and entertainment with expectant criteria of energy and celebratory spirit. (Note: Fezziwigs Christmas party in Dickens A Christmas Carol.) Carols from before the Puritan movements were revived in what was called the Oxford Movement. In addition to these ancient carols, a new wave of song was launched based on Christmas customs such as the Christmas tree and greeting cards. It is from this period that the imagery of deep snow and cold come. The winter emphasis comes from Germany where geographically December means snow, cold, evergreens and sleigh bells.

In 1880, the dynamic Service of Nine Lessons and Carols was begun in Truro, England near Cornwall. It was important that the carols used could be sung by everybody present so a common collection of carols was used. In 1918, the revised rite was presented for the first time from Kings College Chapel in Cambridge, England. And today, in an era which some have labeled post-Christian, this event serves to witness to the world-side faith life of Christians.

The carol in the modern era focuses on believers imagery of the region in which they dwell. This accounts for many renditions which include snow, cold and darkness. As an example, the Christmas poetry of Boris Pasternak at the end of his novel, Dr. Zhivago has vivid nativity imagery set in the Russian steppe. And in warm climates near the equator, desert regions and territories in tropical and subtropical zones, the carols reflect celebration with an emphasis on flowers, delicious drinks made from tropical fruit, and a variety of customs which include wrapping the child in the mothers shawl and bouncing Him on her hip!

The historical development of Christmas carols focus on two elements: music and text. Although people have remained doubtful about the Virgin Birth and Annunciation (reserving them to a place well away from the center of their faith), there are very few if any who are not willing at Christmastime to sing the praises of Mary and the story of Gabriel in carols. Why? The answer is simple. Carols are a survival of a religious tradition that has in other ways been superseded. In other words, carols present a picture not only of what is written in its verses but of goodwill and hospitality upon which Christmas insists. Hence, we sing and listen to both sacred and secular carols.

Besides revived carols from the past, new carols were written, patterned after the old but without the spirit of faith that was present in the medieval period. Hence, we have wassail toasts, decking of hallways, and Christian men rejoicing. Carols of the 20th and 21st centuries are infused with regional elements of tune and text owing to the influence of the global community. This idea gives one pause to consider how a Christmas carol draws a person to emotions of reverence, awe, joy, hope, peace and love. This happens when a person actively or passively encounters this music either on social media or in person.

Today, there is movement away from the sacred origin of the carol and movement toward a gala party with no thought of the message of salvation. Where dogma becomes remote and a celebratory texture of life takes over, the carol still remains to express the inexpressible. The expression is like a dance that reflects the decades of custom, climate and geography, and always invites the listener to reflect upon the reason for the season.

Christine Moroni lives in Ely. Sources for this article include The Random House College Dictionary Revised Edition (Random House 1980), The English Carol (Herbert Jenkins 1958), The Folk Carol of England (Herbert Jenkins 1967), and The Folk Carol in The Month (November 1959).

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The origins and evolution of Christmas carols - Hometown Focus