Book: The Carols of Christmas
Author: Andrew Gant
Pages: 224
This is my 236th read for the year
What Amazon says:
Everyone loves a carol. In the end, even Ebenezer Scrooge had a soft spot for them! They have the power to evoke a special type of mid-winter joy, like the aroma of gingerbread of the twinkle of lights on a tree. It's a kind of magic. But how did they get that magic? The author tells the story of twenty carols, each accompanied by lyrics and music, unraveling a captivating and often surprsing tale of great musicians and thinkers, saints and pagans, shepherds and choirboys. Along the way, Gant answers some of the biggest questions he's received about these beloved carols over the years, including: How did the most beloved carols come to be? Why do we sing the versions of carols that we do? How do these carols stand the test of time? You get to delve into the history of favorites discovering how "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" came to replace "Hark how all the welkin ring" and how an English folk song about a dead ox and a poem by an American pilgrim became "O Little Town of Bethlehem".
This was a pretty interesting book. I grew up like most people singing Christmas songs in church and school and in the car while shopping. Learning where a lot of them originated from was quite surprising. Told with good research and a bit of humor, and at times can get a little technical with musical information. Overall a good read and I learned that a lot of these songs have nothing to do with Christmas at all (from their origins). Good read.
Stars: 4
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