The Music of Christmas

Written by: Amber Baldwin

What is the best way to get in the spirit of Christmas? According to Elf, “The best way to spread Christma cheer is singing loud for all to hear!” There are many types of Christmas music you should check out to help get in the spirit of the holiday season!

Carols
Carols can be traced back to the 12th century in Europe. They also began as folk songs and hymns that observed winter and were not religious pieces.

In the 1400s, Jon Audelay created a list of 25 Christmas carols, and this list would be sung by people who would go around and sing to others, also known as carolers. Eventually, these songs were published, and the music became more accessible to everyone.

Classical Music
Some examples of classical Christmas music songs are “While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night” and “Joy to the Word.” Many classical Christmas music songs were commissioned by the church to be used for their services. The songs were also written by many classical music composers like Bach, Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky, and Vivaldi.

Contemporary
During the 1800s, carols and classical music were still very well-liked. Then, from the 1930s to the 1950s, Christmas music went through its kind of revival or rebirth. Songs began to shift from a religious point of view to other holiday themes. These themes included Christmas trees, Santa Clause, snowmen, and more. Christmas music during this time also started to be performed by well-liked musicians like Bing Crosby and Judy Garland. This led many musicians like Bob Dylan, Frank Sinatra, The Beach Boys, The Jackson Five, The Supremes, and Wham! to record Christmas songs after the 1950s.

Check out this recent list of the 70 best Christmas songs of all time
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/holidays/christmas-ideas/g2680/christmas-songs/?slide=1