Classical Music

littlemissmartypants

(25,123 posts) Sat Dec 23, 2023, 12:26 AM Dec 2023

The 30 greatest Christmas carols of all time

19 December 2023, 14:35

From ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem’ to ‘Gaudete’, here are some of the most beautiful Christmas carols ever written.

From music lovers and churchgoers, to people all around the world who celebrate Christmas, carols are the beloved musical backbone of the festive season.

But what are the best carols ever written?

We’ve donned our Christmas hats and found the most enduring Christmas carols, and the most beautiful performances of them.

1. O Holy Night
Placide Cappeau, a wine seller from southern France, was asked by the local parish priest to write a festive poem in 1847 to celebrate the church organ’s renovation. Cappeau felt it should be accompanied by music, so approached his friend Adolphe Charles Adams. Adams’ text reflects on the birth of Jesus and of humanity’s redemption.
Snip...performance at the link.
https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/occasions/christmas/nations-top-30-christmas-carols/

2. Silent Night
Originally written in German, ‘Stille Nacht’ was composed in 1818 by Franz Xaver Gruber with lyrics by Joseph Mohr, and was translated to English in 1859. During the Christmas truce of 1914 during World War I, the carol was sung simultaneously by English and German troops.
Snip...
Performance at the link.
https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/occasions/christmas/nations-top-30-christmas-carols/

3. In the Bleak Mid-Winter – Gustav Holst version
Based on a poem by the English poet Christina Rossetti, this carol was written sometime before 1872 in response to a magazine request for a Christmas poem. The poem became recognised as a carol after it appeared in The English Hymnal in 1906, with music by Gustav Holst.

Snip...

4. In the Bleak Mid-Winter – Harold Darke version
Nothing says ‘Christmas’ like a choral arrangement of ‘In The Bleak Midwinter’. But which one should you choose? There’s the popular version by Holst, or an arrangement by choral whizz Bob Chilcott – but you’re probably most likely to hear Harold Edward Darke’s setting. The choir of King’s College, Cambridge use it every year at Christmas.