The Carols of Christmas: A Celebration of the Surprising Stories Behind Your Favorite Holiday Songs

Description

From Oxford professor and renowned British composer, a joyous account of the history behind our favorite carols. Everyone loves a carol—in the end, even Ebenezer Scrooge. They have the power to summon up a special kind of mid-winter mood, like the aroma of gingerbread or the twinkle of lights on a tree. It’s a kind of magic. But how did they get that magic? Andrew Gant—choirmaster, church musician, university professor, and writer—tells the story of some twenty carols, each accompanied by lyrics and music, unraveling a captivating, and often surprising, tale of great musicians and thinkers, saints and pagans, shepherd boys and choirboys. Readers get to delve into the history such favorites as “Good King Wenceslas,” “Away in a Manger,” and “O, Tannenbaum,” discovering along the way how “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing” came to replace “Hark, how all the welkin’ ring” and how Ralph Vaughan Williams applied the tune of an English folk song about a dead ox to a poem by a nineteenth century American pilgrim to make “O Little Town of Bethlehem.” A charming book that brims with anecdote, expert knowledge, and Christmas spirit, this is a fittingly joyous account of one of the best-loved musical traditions.

Get the book

Amazon.com

Search the book

eBay.com

Search the book

Similar books

• 

  Stories Behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas

  By Ace Collins

  Taking you inside the nativity of over thirty favorite songs and carols, Ace Collins introduces you to people you’ve never met, stories you’ve never heard, and meanings you’d never have imagined.

• 

  A Christmas Carol

  By Charles Dickens

  In both crowded urban scenes and intimate portraits of familiar characters, we gain a sense of the timeless humanity of the tale and perhaps catch a glimpse of ourselves.

• 

  Sing-Along Christmas Carols

  Sing along and share the magic and music of Christmas with the Sing-Along Christmas Carols book and audio CD. The fun book is beautifully illustrated and contains classic Christmas carols and stories for everyone to enjoy.

• 

  Spirit of Christmas: A History of Our Best-Loved Carols

  By Virginia Reynolds

  Spirit of Christmas: A History of Our Best-Loved Carols

• 

  The First Songs of Christmas: An Advent Devotional

  By Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth

  Let this book be your companion as you spend the days surrounding Christmas the way these men, women, and angels did, your gaze fixed on our great God and Savior.

• 

  Sing-along Christmas Carols

  By Roger Priddy

  We Wish You a Merry Christmas We wish you a merry Christmas , We wish you a merry Christmas , We wish you a merry Christmas , And a happy New Year ! Glad tidings we bring to you and your kin Glad tidings for Christmas and a happy New ...

• 

  A Child's Book of Christmas Carols

  By Inez Bertail McClintock

  This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations.

• 

  Stories Behind the Great Traditions of Christmas

  By Ace Collins

  Examines the people, places, events, stories, and legends that have shaped Christmas traditions in celebration of the birth of Christ.

• 

  Christmas Carols: From Village Green to Church Choir

  By Andrew Gant

  In Christmas Carols Andrew Gant tells the story of some twenty carols, each accompanied by lyrics and music, unravelling a captivating - and often surprising - tale of great musicians and thinkers, saints and pagans, shepherd boys, ...

• 

  The Carols of Christmas Volume 2 (Large Print Edition): Daily Advent Devotions on Classic Christmas Carols (28-Day Devotional for Christmas...

  By Alan Vermilye

  The book is divided into four weeks of daily devotions, perfect for celebrating Advent or Christmas.