What is a Carol

A “carol” which is also known as a “noel” is generally defined as a song or a hymn whose lyrics are on the subject of Christmas and all it denotes as well as about the winter season in general. Carols are traditionally sung by carolers a short time before and during Christmas.

No one seems to know beyond doubt whether the word “carol” came from the French “carole” or the Latin “carula” which means “a circular dance.” There is evidence, however, which indicates that early carols were accompanied by dancing but that practice was abandoned soon after it started.

Christmas carols have been intoned as far back as the thirteenth century and they were originated to be sung communally during various religious and secular celebrations which included Christmas but were certainly not limited to Christmas as they are today. It was not until quite a bit later in Christian history that carols were sung in churches and became exclusively associated with Christmas.

After the Protestant Reformation in Europe that began in 1517, carols lost their appeal although, ironically, well-known Reformers such as Martin Luther wrote many carols and repeatedly tried to persuade worshipers to sing them as well as to incorporate them into their religious practices. The survival of carols, however, was upheld by rural communities long enough to be picked up again by Christendom at large in the 19th century. In fact, the idea of singing carols in churches we introduced in 1880 and the carols that were chosen omitted the wassailing songs and the words “hymn” and “carol” were used interchangeably for a long time after that.

The revival of Christmas carols began when “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen,” “The First Noel,” “I Saw Three Ships” and “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” first appeared in printed form in Christmas Carols Ancient and Modern which was published in 1833. And world famous composers like Arthur Sullivan further popularized Christmas carols and introduced new ones such as “Good King Wenceslas” and “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear,” written by Edmund H. Sears and Richard S. Willis, of New England.

Some carols are clearly not religious in theme or nature but are still referred to as carols and are included in Christian religious services. “A Bone, God Wot!” is one such carol. It was originated in the sixteenth century and it happens to be a wassailing song which is sung during drinking or while requesting a drink. Nevertheless, it is described as a Christmas carol in the British Museum’s Cottonian Collection of over 500 other old world Christmas carols.

It is not always easy to differentiate between a Christmas carols and a Christmas songs. To the best of my understanding, Christmas carols need to be sung in churches and on the streets, it is therefore necessary that they have a fairly quick and regular beat that lends itself to choirs and amateur carolers. Christmas songs, on the other hand, have no such limitations. With this in mind, “White Christmas” is much too slow and sleepy to qualify as a Christmas carol although it is a beautiful song. “Blue Christmas” has country music lilt and can definitely quality as a carol if only it would adapt its vernacular. Most Christmas carols have been written before the 20th century but there are several very popular ones that have been added to the repertoire in more recent years such as those written by Alfred Burt.

Musically, many carols are based on medieval chord patterns that give them the distinct flavor and characteristic that they have. “Personent hodie” and “Angels from the Realm of Glory” have roots that are traceable to the Middle Ages and they are the oldest musical compositions that are still sung today on a regular basis.