Christmas songs have the ability to instantly conjure holiday spirit. When they echo off of the walls of a holly-filled mall, I feel like I am in a Norman Rockwell painting. When carolers come to our door or we see them in a town square it takes me back to my girl scout days when we used to belt out those same tunes to our neighbors. But how did those tunes originate? What was going through the composer’s mind when they wrote these cherished classics? Here is a little background on a few holiday favorites.
White Christmas
The music and lyrics for “White Christmas” were written by Irving Berlin in 1942 and originally featured in the movie “Holiday Inn” starring Bing Crosby. The lyrics of “White Christmas” struck a chord with the soldiers fighting in the Second World War and their families who were waiting for them back home. The song and recording of “White Christmas” by Bing Crosby with John Scott Trotter’s orchestra and the Ken Darby Singers was so popular that it was later reprised in the movie called after its name – “White Christmas.” The film “White Christmas” starred Bing Crosby together with Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen.’
Jingle Bells
Believe it or not this popular Christmas song was originally written for Thanksgiving! The author and composer of “Jingle Bells” was a church musical director in Savannah, Georgia named James Pierpoint. He composed “One Horse Open Sleigh” for a Sunday school concert on Thanksgiving. The song was copyrighted on September 16, 1857. It was re-released in 1859 under the title “Jingle Bells”. The song was not a hit either time. But the popularity of the song grew with the passage of time to the point where it became one of the most popular and recognizable songs of the Christmas holiday. The essence of a traditional Christmas is captured in the lyrics of “Jingle Bell”s and the sound effects using the bells have become synonymous with the arrival of Santa Claus.
Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer
The famous Christmas song “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” started as a poem written by a father to his little girl in 1939. Robert May worked as a copywriter for Montgomery Ward department stores. May’s wife, Evelyn, was dying of cancer and his 4-year-old daughter, Barbara, wanted to know why her mommy wasn’t like all of the other mommies. All of their money had been eaten away by medical bills, so Mr. May decided to write a story to cheer up his daughter and give it to here as a Christmas gift. When his manager heard about this little story, he paid Bob May a small fee for the rights to print it and have it handed out to children by the Santa Claus employed by Montgomery Ward Department Stores at Christmas time. This marketing ploy was a massive success and approximately 2.5 million “Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer” poems were given away in the first year of its publication. After Evelyn died Bob remarried. His new brother-in-law, Johnny Marks, made a song adaptation to Rudolph. The song was turned down by popular vocalists such as Bing Crosby and Dinah Shore and was recorded by the singing cowboy, Gene Autry. “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” was released in 1949 and became a phenomenal success, selling more records than any other Christmas song, with the exception of “White Christmas.”
We Wish You Merry Christmas
The author and composer of “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” cannot be traced however it is believed to date back to England in the sixteenth century. The tradition of carolers being given Christmas treats for singing to wealthy members of the community is reflected in this Christmas song. Over the years the tradition of making the “figgy pudding” dish mentioned in “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” has faded. But if you are curious, the recipe consisted of the most important ingredient which was of course figs together with butter, sugar, eggs ,milk, rum, apple, lemon and orange peel, nuts, cinnamon, cloves and ginger.
Twelve Days of Christmas
To most this song is a delightful nonsense rhyme set to music. But it had a quite serious purpose when it was written. Catholics in England during the period 1558 to 1829 were prohibited from ANY practice of their faith by law – public or private. It was a crime to be Catholic. “The Twelve Days of Christmas” was written to help young Catholics learn the tenets of their faith. The song’s gifts are hidden meanings to the teachings of the faith. The “true love” mentioned in the song doesn’t refer to an earthly suitor, it refers to God Himself. The “me” who receives the presents refers to every baptized person . The partridge in a pear tree is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. In the song, Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge which feigns injury to decoy predators from her helpless nestlings. The other symbols mean the following:
2 Turtle Doves = The Old and New Testaments
3 French Hens = Faith, Hope and Charity, the Theological Virtues
4 Calling Birds = the Four Gospels and/or the Four Evangelists
5 Golden Rings = The first Five Books of the Old Testament, the “Pentateuch”, which gives the history of man’s fall from grace.
6 Geese A-laying = the six days of creation
7 Swans A-swimming = the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the seven sacraments
8 Maids A-milking = the eight beatitudes
9 Ladies Dancing = the nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit
10 Lords A-leaping = the ten commandments
11 Pipers Piping = the eleven faithful apostles
12 Drummers Drumming = the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostle’s Creed
Comments
lagan wadhwa
December 29th, 2009 - 1:41:35 AM
nice !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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