He is come in peace in the winter's stillness, like a gentle snowfall in the gentle night. He is come in joy, like the sun at morning, filling all the world with radiance and with light. He is come in love as the child of Mary. In a simple stable we have seen his birth. Gloria in excelsis Deo! Gloria in excelsis Deo! Hear the angels singing 'Peace on earth'. words (Swedish) by Zachris Topelius (1859); Finnish translation by Konrad Alexis Hougberg; music by Otto Kotilainen (1913) The singing of carols was additionally popularised in the 20th century when Oxford University Press published one of the most beloved carol books, Carols for Choirs. The books in the Carols For Choirscompilation came to be viewed as standard choral texts throughout the English-speaking world and were profoundly influential; according to the composer John Rutter, they "changed the whole sound of Christmas for everybody who sings." Our 12 Favorite Christmas Carols

This carol tells of the Bohemian Duke and Martyr ‘Wenceslaus’ who was converted to Christianity in the 10th century. The tune is actually from a spring ‘carol’ originally found in the same medieval songbook as ‘Gaudete’. Hark the Herald Angels Sing” was originally written by Charles Wesley (who also authored over 6,000 more hymns!) in 1739 and was later adapted by evangelist George Whitfield. Beautiful expressions regarding the mystery of Jesus the God-Man abound in this song: “Veiled in flesh the Godhead see, hail the incarnate Deity!” We are urged to “Join the triumph of the skies, with the angelic host proclaim, “Christ is born in Bethlehem!” and “Glory to the newborn King!” (Source: Wikipedia) 5 Less Well-Known Songs: Photo credit: Unsplash/AaronBurden 1. In the Bleak Midwinter This uplifting Advent carol was a relatively recent addition to the canon of Christmas music, written by Roman Catholic composer Bernadette Farrell in the early 1990s. It describes the waiting for Christmas as a journey through darkness towards light. Arre Borriquito': letra e historia del villancico". Las Provincias (in European Spanish). 9 December 2015 . Retrieved 24 December 2022.James Montgomery wrote this text in 1816 and published it on Christmas Eve in the Sheffield Iris, a newspaper of which he was editor. He later published it in his hymn book The Christian Psalmist in 1825 under the title “Good tidings of great joy to all people.” El Noi de la Mare (Carol of the Gifts). Oxford University Press. 30 July 2009. ISBN 978-0-19-336553-7 . Retrieved 15 November 2017. John Rutter’s music is always popular at this time of year, and after hearing the soaring melodies of the Candlelight Carol, it’s easy to see why. Originally written with French words by Adolphe Adam in 1847, O Holy Night has become a timeless favourite covered by countless contemporary artists including Mariah Carey. Adam was actually an opera composer, and he wrote this lilting melody to be sung in his local church to celebrate the renovation of their organ. Angels from the realms of glory. J. Montgomery. [ Christmas.] This hymn, which ranks as one of the most popular of the author's compositions, first appeared in his Iris newspaper [Sheffield], Dec. 24, 1816, in 5 stanzas of 6 lines, and entitled "Nativity." In the 8th edition of Cotterill's Selection, 1819, it was repeated without alteration, and again in the 9th ed., 1820. On its republication by Montgomery in his Christian Psalmist, 1825, No. 487, the title was, "Good tidings of great joy to all people," and the following changes were introduced:—

The notion of groups of carollers assembling in public spaces was a 19th-century one, according to Oxford. Called ‘waits’, these collections of singers used to gather to perform for passers-by, who traditionally thanked them with tasty offerings of drinks or mince pies.In Britain, this hymn is better known with GLORIA, the French carol tune associated with “Angels We Have Heard on High.” It is often called IRIS, after the newspaper in which Montgomery first published the text. When/Why/How:

This reflective Christmas song describes an imaginary conversation between the singer and the Virgin Mary. It humanises the Christmas story, and marvels at the immense responsibility placed on the shoulders of the holy family. It was originally released by Michael English in 1991. Very popular in both Spain and LATAM, composed by a religious scholar (allegedly) of Castilian origin [26] Angels from the Realms of Glory,” penned by a Scottish poet named James Montgomery, proclaims a full picture of the Gospel: “Sinners, wrung with true repentance, doomed for guilt to endless pains, Justice now revokes the sentence, mercy calls you--break your chains.” Other verses are also filled with theological richness, leading carolers to joyful contemplation as they “Come and worship, come and worship, worship Christ the newborn King.” (Source: Wikipedia) 3. Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus A new work has been commissioned for the Christmas Eve service every year since 1983, and this year Cheryl Frances-Hoad has written ‘The Cradle’, a setting of an English translation by Robert Graves of an anonymous seventeenth century Austrian text. : Hear the angels singing, 'Christ is born'.The haunting melody accompanies even more haunting subject matter, taken from the gospel of Matthew, which recounts the ‘Massacre of the Innocents’ when King Herod set out to kill the infant Christ. The minor mode of the original melody still transfixes congregations and choirs alike. He will bring new light to a world in darkness, like a bright star shining in the skies above. He will bring new hope to the waiting nations, when he comes to reign in purity and love. Let the earth rejoice at the Saviour's coming. Let the heavens answer with a joyful morn: Gloria in excelsis Deo! Gloria in excelsis Deo! In the United States, this hymn is sung almost exclusively to REGENT SQUARE. That tune was composed in 1867 by Henry T. Smart for Horatius Bonar's doxology, “Glory be to God the Father.” The tune's name comes from Regent Square in London, the location of St. Philip's Presbyterian Church. Its minister, James Hamilton, was text editor of Psalms and Hymns for Divine Worship of 1867, where the tune was first published. The minister Philip Brooks wrote this carol after a visit to Bethlehem in 1865. He asked their church organist to compose the melody. The carol has since become of the most-performed Christmas songs the world over. The carol is actually sung to a different tune in the United Kingdom, by the iconic British composer Ralph Vaughan Williams.