Everyone has a favorite Christmas song, whether its traditional carols or more modern holiday hits. What makes these songs such staples in the holiday season?
Traditional Themes of Christmas Songs
Here are five common theme elements that Christmas songs can be classified with:
- Refers directly to the nativity of Jesus Christ
- Refers directly to the folklore surrounding Christmas
- Refers directly to the traditions surrounding Christmas
- Has been heard regularly around the holiday season
- Tends to elicit memories and puts people in the mood of the Christmas season
As a side note, certain songs not intended to be part of the Christmas genre have been adopted because of the time in which they were released, having a wintry theme, or contain a devotional or reverential essence.
Christmas Carols
In the Middle Ages, the English combined circle dances with singing and called them carols. Later, the word carol came to mean a song in which a religious topic is treated in a style that is familiar or festive. Many of the Christmas carols date back to the nineteenth century with the exception of a few traditional folk tunes like "The Holly and the Ivy."
Some examples of these carols include: "O Holy Night", "Away in a Manger", "Ding Dong Merrily on High", and "Deck the Halls."
Modern Christmas Music
Marilyn Bergman of The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers states that: "For Americans and many others around the world, these classic lyrics and melodies are inseparable from the celebration of the holiday season - brightening lives year after year." The intriguing thing about modern Christmas music is that many songs are variations of classic carols but can also be an original composition like John Lennon's "Happy Xmas (War is Over)."
Many modern songs became popular thanks in part to being featured in a movie. Two of the best examples are "White Christmas" by Irving Berlin in Holiday Inn (1942) and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" by Ralph Blane and Hugh Martin in Meet Me in St. Louis (1944).
Some artists such as Mariah Carey, Harry Connick Jr., and even Frank Sinatra to name a few have released entire albums devoted to holiday music or music of the winter season.
Music of the Season
Popular holiday songs such as "Sleigh Ride" and "Let it Snow" were not written specifically for Christmastime. But the correlation between wintry weather and the holiday season makes for a perfect fit. Perhaps the most common Christmas song that surprisingly isn't written about the holiday is "Jingle Bells" by James Lord Pierpont. This tune describes a fun spirited sleigh ride through the snow and also defines the idea of adopted holiday music.
Source: Wikipedia, the free enyclopedia Christmas music entry
Erin Yowell - I have always had a passion for writing and decided that a career in journalism would be the best fit. Obtaining a BA in Communication ...
