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Deck the Hall: The Stories of Our Favourite Christmas Carols
'Christmas carols are sung in church, therefore Christmas carols have always been sung in church. Christmas carols have these words and this tune, therefore Christmas carols have always had these words and this tune.
Well, not really. Our carol tradition, like us, is a rich and dynamic mixture. An ecosystem, not a still life.'
Written with effervescent charm and professional knowledge, composer and conductor Andrew Gant reveals the fascinating musical and social history behind our favourite Christmas carols.
From the Annunciation to Epiphany, the episodes of the Christmas story link the tales and anecdotes behind twenty-seven carols from a variety of traditions and places of those that come from folk song; those we owe to Victorian moralists, and those that are, in fact, French. As Andrew says, 'Some carols were born to Christmas, some have achieved Christmas, and some have had Christmas thrust upon them.'
This wonderful, rich musical treat gives us a unique insight into our Yuletide traditions and customs. A delightful gift for anyone who loves to sing, or who just loves Christmas trivia, this is the ideal companion with which to while away those lazy days between Christmas and New Year.
Well, not really. Our carol tradition, like us, is a rich and dynamic mixture. An ecosystem, not a still life.'
Written with effervescent charm and professional knowledge, composer and conductor Andrew Gant reveals the fascinating musical and social history behind our favourite Christmas carols.
From the Annunciation to Epiphany, the episodes of the Christmas story link the tales and anecdotes behind twenty-seven carols from a variety of traditions and places of those that come from folk song; those we owe to Victorian moralists, and those that are, in fact, French. As Andrew says, 'Some carols were born to Christmas, some have achieved Christmas, and some have had Christmas thrust upon them.'
This wonderful, rich musical treat gives us a unique insight into our Yuletide traditions and customs. A delightful gift for anyone who loves to sing, or who just loves Christmas trivia, this is the ideal companion with which to while away those lazy days between Christmas and New Year.
312 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 12, 2023
8 people are currently reading
36 people want to read
About the author
Andrew Gant
15 books5 followersAndrew Gant (1963-) is a composer, choirmaster, church musician, university teacher and writer. He has directed many leading choirs including The Guards' Chapel, Worcester College Oxford, and Her Majesty's Chapel Royal. He lectures in Music at St Peter's College in Oxford, where he lives with his wife and their three children. His books for Profile are Christmas Carols and Sing Unto the Lord.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 21, 2024
I thought I would try this book as a Christmas read, and because I generally have an appetite for trivia. It turned out though that it wasn’t the right book for me – you could say I was the wrong sort of audience for it. The rating reflects my personal enjoyment rather than an attempt at an objective assessment.
Part of my problem was that I was unfamiliar with a lot of the carols. Some were medieval or early modern carols in Latin, or examples from other parts of Europe. Others were folk-carols or wassailing songs that I didn’t know. Where I wasn’t familiar with the song, I wasn’t that interested in its origin story.
Speaking of folk-carols, almost all the songs featured started in this form. Up until the 19th century carols were only sung outside of church. Within churches, singing was generally limited to the Psalms of David, as set down in the Bible. (The Free Church of Scotland, which has more than 100 congregations, maintained this position until 2010, when it voted to allow the singing of hymns it considers biblically authentic). Carols often have limited references to Scripture, and some, such as the one featured in the book’s title, have no Christian content at all. Folk-carols were an oral tradition and tended to have numerous regional variations. Basically it’s impossible to say which is a “definitive” version, and the originals are lost in the mists of time.
Some of the chapters discuss changes in the meanings and interpretations of words over time. Today, the song Jingle Bells is generally sung as if it were referring to a type of bell, but originally “Jingle” was used in the song as an imperative verb, so “Jingle, bells” would be closer to that in meaning. Then there is the reasonably well known debate about God Rest You Merry Gentlemen. Today it is mostly assumed to be a salutation addressed to “Merry Gentlemen”, but some argue that the title should be “God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen”. Apparently “God Rest You Merry” was once an expression equating approximately to “God Grant You Happiness”. This book tells me that in Shakespeare’s play As You Like It, one character, a shepherd, greets an acquaintance with the phrase, “God rest you merry, sir!” However the author puts all this in perspective with the comment that once again, there is no definitive answer:
“Many [carols] are simply transcriptions of what their compilers heard in the field, where the singers wouldn’t have cared two puffs of baccy where the comma went, or even if there was one. They had almost certainly never seen the words written down, and may not have been able to read them if they did.”
I noticed one error. The author refers to “The Church of England’s curious status as the established church in the UK”. The C of E is the established church in England only. The Church of Scotland is the established church in that country (so that, for example, when members of the Royal Family are in Scotland, they attend Presbyterian worship in the Church of Scotland rather than the Anglican services they attend in England). There is no established church in either Wales or Northern Ireland. This reference made me wonder whether the author was better on the history of music rather than history more generally.
A book that had its moments, but taken as a whole I wasn’t greatly engaged with it.
Happy Christmas everyone! Goodwill to all!
Part of my problem was that I was unfamiliar with a lot of the carols. Some were medieval or early modern carols in Latin, or examples from other parts of Europe. Others were folk-carols or wassailing songs that I didn’t know. Where I wasn’t familiar with the song, I wasn’t that interested in its origin story.
Speaking of folk-carols, almost all the songs featured started in this form. Up until the 19th century carols were only sung outside of church. Within churches, singing was generally limited to the Psalms of David, as set down in the Bible. (The Free Church of Scotland, which has more than 100 congregations, maintained this position until 2010, when it voted to allow the singing of hymns it considers biblically authentic). Carols often have limited references to Scripture, and some, such as the one featured in the book’s title, have no Christian content at all. Folk-carols were an oral tradition and tended to have numerous regional variations. Basically it’s impossible to say which is a “definitive” version, and the originals are lost in the mists of time.
Some of the chapters discuss changes in the meanings and interpretations of words over time. Today, the song Jingle Bells is generally sung as if it were referring to a type of bell, but originally “Jingle” was used in the song as an imperative verb, so “Jingle, bells” would be closer to that in meaning. Then there is the reasonably well known debate about God Rest You Merry Gentlemen. Today it is mostly assumed to be a salutation addressed to “Merry Gentlemen”, but some argue that the title should be “God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen”. Apparently “God Rest You Merry” was once an expression equating approximately to “God Grant You Happiness”. This book tells me that in Shakespeare’s play As You Like It, one character, a shepherd, greets an acquaintance with the phrase, “God rest you merry, sir!” However the author puts all this in perspective with the comment that once again, there is no definitive answer:
“Many [carols] are simply transcriptions of what their compilers heard in the field, where the singers wouldn’t have cared two puffs of baccy where the comma went, or even if there was one. They had almost certainly never seen the words written down, and may not have been able to read them if they did.”
I noticed one error. The author refers to “The Church of England’s curious status as the established church in the UK”. The C of E is the established church in England only. The Church of Scotland is the established church in that country (so that, for example, when members of the Royal Family are in Scotland, they attend Presbyterian worship in the Church of Scotland rather than the Anglican services they attend in England). There is no established church in either Wales or Northern Ireland. This reference made me wonder whether the author was better on the history of music rather than history more generally.
A book that had its moments, but taken as a whole I wasn’t greatly engaged with it.
Happy Christmas everyone! Goodwill to all!
December 21, 2024
*3.5*
If I knew and understood musical jargon and terminology this would have been a 5 star book. Gant is passionate, knowledgable, and humorous with his delivery. I felt that I was sitting in his lecture at Oxford. He writes in a way that makes me want to be his friend and talk about Christmas carols while drinking hot cocoa. I have learned so much from this book and have a deeper appreciation for how Christmas carols bring people together.
“Collectively, no other group of songs appears to have as much influence on western civilization as do Christmas carols… Carols are not limited by age, education, lifestyle, beliefs, nationality, or taste…”
For about one month a year we are all united in our love for Merry Gentlemen, jingling bells, and figgy pudding.
If I knew and understood musical jargon and terminology this would have been a 5 star book. Gant is passionate, knowledgable, and humorous with his delivery. I felt that I was sitting in his lecture at Oxford. He writes in a way that makes me want to be his friend and talk about Christmas carols while drinking hot cocoa. I have learned so much from this book and have a deeper appreciation for how Christmas carols bring people together.
“Collectively, no other group of songs appears to have as much influence on western civilization as do Christmas carols… Carols are not limited by age, education, lifestyle, beliefs, nationality, or taste…”
For about one month a year we are all united in our love for Merry Gentlemen, jingling bells, and figgy pudding.
December 7, 2025
I. dont think I am the target audience for this book , it would was very detailed well researched and scholarly.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews