Manti Messenger | 1939-12-22 | Page 2 | The Carols We Sing at Christmas Perpetuate a Custom Which Began Centuries Before Birth of Christ

I t I r tl I The Carols We Sing at Chri Christmas i Perpetuate a Custom Which Began I Ce Centuries tu i Be Before fore B Birth i rt h of C Christ Christ h r i sf t n r es Io t 1 t. t r I I By Katherine Ferguson Chalkley Released sed by Western Newspaper per Union J I y AROL singing in America Ameri- Ameri CAROL I ca at Christmas is the thet I t continuance e of a custom custom cus cus- tom which had its beginning many centuries before the birth of Christ when the Druids celebrated the festival of Gule in honor of the return of the sun at the winter solstice solstice solstice sol sol- stice and which clung to the rites of the Christmas feast that replaced the ancient pagan festival after the conversion conversion conversion con con- version of the Saxons Anglo-Saxons to Christianity J I Back in the ages when the Druids gathered about the oaks to cut the mistletoe and offer it to the gods the ancient ancient an an- dent Britons would join hands and dance in circles about their priests singing praises of the deities as they danced These dances came to be called Carols which means I Dancing Songs When Christianity came and the Christmas feast superseded the ancient feast of Gule these dancing songs along with other pagan rituals were brought into the Christian church Here fused with Christian hymns they became became became be be- came a substantial part of the ceremonies and customs surrounding surrounding surrounding sur sur- rounding the celebration of the Nativity i l As the he centuries passed however however however how how- ever the word Carol became more and more inclusive until from the M Middle ages down to the present day it has ceased to name only a part of a religious ritual and is the term applied to Christmas songs and poems convivial convivial convivial con con- vivial and sacred alike The First Christmas Carol To picture the beginning of the Christmas carols one must imagine imagine imagine im im- im- im agine a star-lit star plain where in inthe inthe inthe the half gloom are huddled the shepherds and their flocks Suddenly Suddenly Suddenly Sud Sud- denly the sky becomes brilliant the night is as bright as day The angels have come to announce announce announce an an- the birth of Christ From the clouds comes the sound of heavenly voices singing the first Christmas carol Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace good will toward toward to to- toward ward men Since music has always had a large part in the worship of all peoples it was only natural that the early Christians should compose compose compose com com- pose hymns That the writing of Christmas hymns had absorbed the attention of Latin churchmen early in the Christian era we learn from the Epistle Epistle Epistle Epis Epis- tle of In the second second second sec sec- ond century he wrote In the holy night of the Nativity of our Lord and Saviour they do celebrate cele ccle- brate church services and In them do sing the Angells AngeUs because also on that same night Be He was declared unto the Shepherds by byan byan byon an on Angell as ns the truth Itself doth Wit Wit- nesse By the Fourth century the singing singing singing sing sing- ing of Christmas hymns had become become become be be- come an established custom wherever Christianity existed The birthday of our Lord however however however how how- ever was not entirely given over to religious ceremonies It was an occasion for so much merriment and good cheer that Gregory who died in t th h f n t t f ut uJ men uc a ens I. I o othe Uj the Nativity cautioned against feasting to excess dancing crowning croWDing the doors with wreaths S and merry-making merry in general Origin in England In Bede introduced Christianity Christianity Christianity Chris Chris- into England and that date perhaps marks the origin of the Christmas songs and poems poems poems po po- ems we have ave today Sax Anglo ons Otis after their conversion showed a great fondness for religious religious re re- music at the same time L preserving their love for their old 1 customs Dearest to to them of t r these customs were their dances t Hymns were composed and Y when these hymns celebrated the best and gr greatest of all feasts the Nativity they were sung to dance tunes and danced about cribs that were set up in the churches It was during the Tenth century century century cen cen- tury that carols ceased to deal only with the Nativity the Holy Family and sacred subjects They came to include festive and drinking songs At this time also also also al al- so there came a curious intermingling intermingling intermingling inter inter- mingling of the sacred and profane profane pro pro- fane lane in songs that were one would suppose meant to be i f strictly sacre sacred in their praises The French Influence With William the Conqueror in 1066 there came a new influence into the English carol For centuries centuries centuries cen cen- in France it had been the custom to sing songs in honor of S the Christmas season These were called uND Noels ls and after f Ute the Norman invasion the word J D-J i. i 5 I t tI I i 1 E arc J s I 4 r 7 s r rl I t I l 7 rc sit tI tIt t 1 7 Novel Noel Nowell or was used again and again in Christmas songs By the Twelfth and Thirteenth centuries Christmas carols were flourishing in all parts of Eng Eng- land They were usually set to simple rhythmic melodies with catchy tunes characteristic of popular music One of the early writers mentions this carol which was sung to the tune of King Solomon Even Christ I meane that Virgins Virgin's childe In Bethlem born That lambe of God that prophet mild mUd Crowned with thorne Two Yuletide Customs Mystery and miracle plays pageants and masques had reached the height of their development development development de de- de- de by the Fifteenth century cen cen- tury Into these performances which sometimes lasted for several several several sev sev- eral days carols and drinking songs were frequently intro intro- It is to the Fifteenth century century century cen cen- tury also that several fine carols carols carols car car- celebrating two of the oldest English yuletide customs the bringing in of the boars boar's head to the Christmas feast and the drinking from the Wassail bowl are attributed Singing a toast to the boars boar's head as it was being carried into the Christmas feast is a tion that is probably almost as old as the celebration of Christmas Christmas Christmas Christ Christ- mas on English soil We know that by 1340 the custom had been established at Queens Queen's college Oxford and that it has continued ever since As trumpeters announced announced announced an an- the arrival of the boars boar's head the guests at the feast would rise and sing an appropriate ate song The legend of the wassail bowl dates back to the time when Rowena Rowena Row- Row ena daughter of the Saxon king Hengist presented a bowl of liquor liquor liquor to the British king gern with these words king Was king Was To which the king lung replied heile From that time on Was heil ing became an expression of hospitality and good fellowship During the Christmas season when conviviality was at its height groups of gay merrymakers merrymakers merrymakers merry merry- makers went from house to house and the streets of the towns echoed with Wassail Wassail I All over the town Our bread it is white our ale ate it is brown Our bowl is made of a tree To here my good fellow Ill I'll drink to thee The wassailing bowl with a toast within Come fill nil it up unto the brim Come fill rill It up so that we may all see With the wassailing bowl Ill I'll drink to thee Carols had their greatest vogue during the Sixteenth century So popular had they become by 1521 that de Worde one of the earliest printers in England was induced to print a collection in that year This undertaking had such a marked success that between the years 1546 and 1552 Rychard Kele got out an edition of Christmas songs which contained con tamed three volumes Directly after these followed a series of collections Ralph Newberry's appeared in 1559 John Tysdale 1562 Thom Chom 1563 Christopher Christopher Christopher Chris Chris- Payne 1569 Moses Powell Powell Powell Pow Pow- ell 1587 Abolished by Puritans Carol singing had reached its height heigh when the reformation attempted attempted attempted at at- tempted to sweep England clean of such a sa sacrilege as the festive 1 celebration of Christmas In the general onslaught of the Puritans carol singing was abolished and holly and ivy were made seditious seditious seditious sedi sedi- badges Neither wholesale decrees nor fines and imprisonments could stamp out a custom so popular as the singing of Christmas songs Men and women met secretly secretly secretly se se- se- se to observe the Yuletide and to keep alive its glorious tra tra- tra So when the restoration restoration restoration restora restora- tion came there was a general revival of carol singing throughout through through- out England Boys and troops of children would go through the streets on Christmas eve singing the old carols and making their songs pretexts for collecting money They went from house to house receiving welcomes and cakes wherever they stopped Wandering minstrels also belong belong belong be be- long to this period Up and down the land these songsters went At the great Christmas gatherings gatherings gatherings gather gather- ings of the squires and tenants their carols were an important part of the entertainment In 1661 appeared a new collection of songs called The UThe New Carols for the Merry Time of Christmas to Sundry Pleasant Tunes The custom of carol singing continued unabated until the end of the Eighteenth century when other interests and practices gradually absorbed it During this century however two of the finest carols that we have today were written Hark the herald angels sing Glory to the newborn new king Peace on earth and mercy mild God and sinners reconciled 1 I Etc And While shepherds watched their nocks flocks by night All seated on the ground The angel ngel of the Lord came down And glory shone around An artificial revival of carols brought many new and beautiful ful ones in the Nineteenth cen cen- tury Chambers Morris Morris Morris Mor Mor- ris and many other poets celebrated celebrated celebrated cele cele- the Christmas festival in inverse inverse inverse verse derived and patterned often often often of of- l ten after the old Latin songs Brought to America Naturally the carols of England England Eng Eng- land were brought to America along with other customs and ceremonies They never became so popular here as in the Mother Country However since the beginning beginning be be- ginning of the Twentieth century there have been endeavors to tomake tomake tomake make the singing of carols an American Christmas custom In the public schools children were taught hymns and carols In the churches it is often the custom to have a song service Sometimes the choirs go about the streets of the towns on Christmas Christmas Christmas Christ Christ- mas eve or morning singing carols carols carols car car- as they go Many schools and colleges make it traditional for one class to go about the campus and through the college buildings during the last day before be fore the Christmas recess caroling caroling carol carol- ing the other classes Whether or not carol singing will ever again have the vogue that it did during the Sixteenth Seventeenth and Eighteenth centuries centuries cen is entirely a matter of conjecture but it is safe to say that as long as there is hn Jn English Eng Eng- lish language there will be men and women who will che cherish ish the theold theold theold old Christmas carols even though they may express their own festive festive fes fes- fes tive spirits in new ones S 1 V it Robert Herrick the famous poet of the Seventeenth century wrote about 1650 one of the best- best known of all Christmas carols Come bring with noise My merrie merrie merrle boyes The Christmas log Jog to the firing While my mj good d dame me she Bids ye all be free And drink to your heal hearts heart's s 's desiring g. g With last brand Light the new block And For good success in his spending On your play That sweet luck may Come while the log is a Drink now the strong beere Cut the white loaf here The while the meat is a 1 shredding For Joor the rare mince And the plums st stand d by To fill the paste th that that's ts t's s a kneading Algernon Charles an English poet of the Nineteenth century wrote one of the loveliest loveliest loveliest loveli loveli- est of all Christmas poems and called it itA A CHRISTMAS CAROL Three damsels In the queens queen's chamber The queens queen's mouth was most f fair lr She a word of Gods God's mother As the combs went In to her hair Mary that Is of might Bring Brine us to thy Sons Son's sight They held the gold combs out from her A sp spans span's ns n's length off oCT her head She sang this song of Gods God's Mother And of her bearing bearing bed Mary most full of grace Bring us to thy Sons Son's face When she sat at Josephs Joseph's hand She looked against her side And either elthel w way y from the short silk band Her lIer girdle was all Mary that all good may Bring us to thy Sons Son's w way y Mary had three women for her bed The twain were maidens clean The first of them had white and md red The third had riven green Creen M Mary ry that Is so sweet Bring us to thy Sons Son's feet She had three women for her hair Two were gloved d and shod The third had feet and fingers lingers bare She was the God Mary that land Bring us to thy Sons Son's hand She had three women for lor her ease The twain were good women The first two were the two Maries Manes The t third w was s Magdalen Mary that perfect is Is Bring us to thy Sons Son's kiss Joseph had three workers In his stall To serve him well upon The first of them were Peter and Paul The third of them was John Mary Gods God's handmaiden Bring us to thy Sons Son's Sons ken If your child be none other mans But If it it be very mine The bedstead shall be gold two spans The silver sUver fine x Mary that m made de God mirth Bring us to thy Sons Son's birth If the child be some other mans man's And IT if it be none of mine The manager shall be straw two spans kine and kine Mary that m made de sin cease Bring us to thy Sons Son's peace Christ was born upon this wise It fell feU on such a night 4 Neither with sounds of psalteries Nor with fire for light Mary that Is Gods God's spouse Bring us to thy Sons Son's house The star came out upon the east With a great sound and sweet Kings gave gold to make him feast And myrrh for him to eat cat Mary of thy sweet mood Bring us to thy Sons Son's good He had two handmaids at his head One handmaid at his feet The twain of them were fair lair and red The third one was right sweet Mary Iary that was most wise Bring us to thy Sons Son's eyes Eleanor Farjeon an American has written this delightful carol carot called Six Green Singers that thatis is brimming with the old medieval medieval medieval medie medie- val spirit The frost of the moon fell feU over my floor And six green singers stood at my door Wh What t do ye here that music make Let us come In for Cor Christs Christ's sweet Sake Long have ye journeyed in coming here Our pilgrimage was the length of the year Where do ye make for Cor I asked of them Our Ow shrine is a stable In Bethlehem What will ye do as ye je go along Sing to the world In evergreen song What will ye e sing for the listening earth One will wUl sing of a brave Mirth One of the Holiest Mystery Th The Glory of glories shall one song be One of the Ule Memory of things One of the Childs Child's imaginings One of our songs sones is the fadeless Faith And all nIl are the Life UCe more mighty than death Ere ye be gone that music make Give me an alms for Christs Christ's sweet Sake Six green branches we leave with you See they be scattered your our place house through The