Christians, churchgoers, music lovers and people worldwide who celebrate Christmas, know that carols are the beloved musical backbone of the festive season. From ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem’ to ‘Silent night’, we have donned our Christmas hats and found the most enduring Christmas carols. Here are some of the most beautiful Christmas carols ever written:
1. O Holy Night
Placide Cappeau, a wine seller from southern France, was asked by the local parish priest to write a festive poem in 1847 to celebrate the church organ’s renovation. Cappeau felt it should be accompanied by music, so approached his friend Adolphe Charles Adams. Adams’ text reflects on the birth of Jesus and of humanity’s redemption.
2. Silent Night
Originally written in German, ‘Stille Nacht’ was composed in 1818 by Franz Xaver Gruber with lyrics by Joseph Mohr and was translated to English in 1859. During the Christmas truce of 1914 during World War I, the carol was sung simultaneously by English and German troops.
3. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
With lyrics written by Charles Wesley, and set to a tune by Mendelssohn, this carol was always going to be one of the most recognisable and popular ones on the list. It is also got a cracking descant.
4. O Come All Ye Faithful
It is unclear who first wrote the music or lyrics to this hymn. Possible candidates include King John IV of Portugal and John Francis Wade, while composers Handel and Gluck have been suggested as the brains behind the melody. The hymn also features in the 1992 film Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, when it is played by a symphony orchestra at Carnegie Hall.
5. O Come, O Come Emmanuel
Sung at both Advent and Christmas, this hymn originates from Latin but was translated into English in 1861. The music for the hymn was composed in such a way that both the English and Latin words can be used interchangeably.
6. O Little Town Of Bethlehem
Following a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, Rector Phillips Brooks wrote the text to this hymn after he was inspired by the view of Bethlehem from the hills of Palestine. Three years later in 1871, his church organist Lewis Redner wrote the melody for the local Sunday school children’s choir.
7. Once In Royal David City
Believed to have first been published in the early nineteenth century, this carol paints a vivid picture of the nativity. The words were first written by children’s poet Mrs Cecil Frances Alexander, who is remembered for her hymn ‘All Things Bright and Beautiful’. The carol was set to music a year later by organist H.J Gauntlett.
8. Joy To The World
Rather than celebrating the birth of Christ, the text of this hymn represents Christ’s triumphant return. The words, dreamed up by English writer Isaac Watts, are based on the second half of Psalm 98 in the Bible. In the late ’90s, it was named the most-published Christmas hymn in North America. You can just feel the merriness pouring out of it.
9. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
One of the oldest Christmas carols on the list, this dates back to at least the 16th century, possibly earlier. Although most people assume the first line is suggesting merry gentlemen should rest, in early English it actually means something closer to ‘remain bountiful, gentlemen’.
10. Away In A Manger
This late 19th-century carol is hugely popular with children. The melody was originally composed in 1837 by Jonathan E. Spilman, but was later adapted in 1895 by William J Kirkpatrick.
11. See Amid The Winter Snow
Also known as ‘Hymn for Christmas Day’, this 19th-century English carol was written by Edward Caswall with music by Sir John Goss, an organist at St Paul’s Cathedral and a professor at the Royal Academy of Music.
12. Ding Dong! Merrily On High
With celebratory bell-ringing and a cheery chorus of ‘Gloria’s’, it’s near impossible to dislike this wonderfully festive carol. The tune first appeared as a secular dance tune, in a book on dance written by Jehan Tabourot.
13. Angels From The Realms Of Glory
Written by Scottish poet James Montgomery and first printed on Christmas Eve 1816, this carol sounds just as beautiful today as it did almost 200 years ago.
14. The First Nowell
There’s a misconception that ‘The First Noel’ is French, because of the spelling of ‘Noël’. But it is actually of Cornish origin, with most hymn sheets opting for the old English Anglo-Saxon spelling, Nowell.
15. Good King Wenceslas
This hearty carol is based on the life of Wenceslas, Duke of Bohemia, who became a martyr after being killed by his wicked brother, Boleslaw the Bad. Wenceslas’s body lies in St Vitus’s Cathedral, Prague, and he was recently made a patron saint of the Czech Republic