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The History of Christmas Music
Music has always been a part of the Christmas Season. Chants, Litanies, and hymns were written in Latin and used during the church liturgy. In the 13th Century carols were written in the vernacular. There were influenced by Francis of Assisi.
The word carol comes from the Greek word 'choraulein', meaning a circle dance performed to flute music. In the Middle Ages, the English combined circle dances with singing and called them carols. The word carol soon came to mean a song in which a religious topic is treated in a style that is familiar or festive.
In England the Puritans looked at the singing of Christmas carols as pagan. They had it banned. After the Restoration began the tradition of singing Christmas carols in return for alms or charity. This was in the seventeenth century. Town musicians were licensed to collect money in the streets in the weeks preceeding Christmas. Also started in the seventeenth century was the taking of a 'wassail bowl' round their neighbors to solicit gifts, accompanied by carols.
Christmas music has been a combination of sacred and secular.
The most performed Christmas songs are:
1. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire) - Mel Torme, Robert Wells.
2. Santa Claus is Coming To Town - Fred Coots, Haven Gillespie.
3. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Ralph Blane, Hugh Martin.
4. Winter Wonderland - Feliz Bernard, Richard B. Smith.
5. White Christmas - Irving Berlin.
The word carol comes from the Greek word 'choraulein', meaning a circle dance performed to flute music. In the Middle Ages, the English combined circle dances with singing and called them carols. The word carol soon came to mean a song in which a religious topic is treated in a style that is familiar or festive.
In England the Puritans looked at the singing of Christmas carols as pagan. They had it banned. After the Restoration began the tradition of singing Christmas carols in return for alms or charity. This was in the seventeenth century. Town musicians were licensed to collect money in the streets in the weeks preceeding Christmas. Also started in the seventeenth century was the taking of a 'wassail bowl' round their neighbors to solicit gifts, accompanied by carols.
Christmas music has been a combination of sacred and secular.
The most performed Christmas songs are:
1. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire) - Mel Torme, Robert Wells.
2. Santa Claus is Coming To Town - Fred Coots, Haven Gillespie.
3. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Ralph Blane, Hugh Martin.
4. Winter Wonderland - Feliz Bernard, Richard B. Smith.
5. White Christmas - Irving Berlin.
Please listen and watch two of my students as they play on the keyboards "We Three Kings".
If you have a question you would like me to answer about learning music please email me at Catherines.Music.Notes@gmail.com
Have a Musical and Merry Christmas!!! *smiles*
Catherine
"Music lessons should be about the student. Each student learns in different ways, and at different speeds. Music is a journey, and on that journey, we will work and learn together." - Catherine
Books with CDs include:
Impressions Volume One, Two, and Three
Marches The Frog Prince
CDs include:
Wedding Bells
Lullabies
http://sites.google.com/site/musicbycatherine www.ShoutLife.com/ClassyKeys
http://catherinesmusicnotes.blogspot.com/
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