Christmas carols

Christmas Carols are as much a part of the British Christmas as plum pudding and turkey, paper crowns and mistletoe. They are sung in all the great cathedrals and churches at Christmas time. The specific association with religious content or the Christmas festival, with which we associate the carol today, only developed over time. The earliest references to “caroles of Cristemas” are found in British sources around 1400. By 1600, the carol could also take the form of complex polyphonic choral works, such as Byrd’s six-part “Carroll for Christmas Day” (1611). A revival of Christmas carols began in the 19th century, as Christmas was promoted as a holiday and also commercialized. That the Christmas carol enjoyed renewed appreciation from contemporary composers such as Holst, Britten, Howells and others from the beginning of the 20th century is due in no small part to Vaughan Williams’ research and the wide dissemination of traditional carols through the Oxford Book of Carols.