Off We Go A-Caroling, A-Caroling, A-Caroling….

Having trained to sing while I was growing up, I have never lost the love of singing!  No, unfortunately, I did not pursue voice in a professional way but, nonetheless, I always have had it to enjoy!  And enjoy I did and do!

There is nothing more wonderful than singing  with a choir or with any impromptu group.  Of course, the Christmas season is filled to the brim with music and the singing of carols – singing with the love of Christmas in your heart and every little wonderful thing that the season holds….the joy and peace which the Christ teaches us are ours.

Carols have been enjoyed for many hundreds of years.  It is not clear whether the word carol derives from the French “carole” or the Latin “carula” meaning a circular dance. In any case the “dancing” part seems to have been abandoned quite early on and the “singing” carries on.

Traditionally, carols have often been based on medieval chord patterns, and it is this that gives them their uniquely characteristic musical sound. Some carols like “Good King Wenceslas”, and “The Holly and The Ivy” can be traced directly back to the Middle Ages, and are among the oldest musical compositions still regularly sung.

Many Christmas carols have been written in the United States.  Some of the most popular ones are  “Jingle Bells”, “O Little Town of Bethlehem”, “Away in a Manger” ,”Jolly Old Saint Nicholas” and numerous others of varying genres. The origins of many are detailed in the book “Christmas Songs Made in America: Favorite Holiday Melodies and the Stories of Their Origins” by Albert J. Menendez which you can find here on Amazon.

In England, where I spent a lot of my growing up years, one’s doorbell would often be rung in the weeks leading up to Christmas and, as the door was opened, the voices of Christmas carolers filled the air.  These singers, young and old, male and female, traveled from house to house, singing carols, for which they were rewarded with gifts, money, mince pies, or a glass of  “fizzy lemon” or champagne!

Singing is such a joyous pastime!  Sing, sing, sing, whether you think you can or not, during this Christmas season!