Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-02-03
CHRISTMAS CAROLS.
They Originated Way Back in the Mid
die Ages and Are Popular Now.

They Originated Way Back in the Mid
die Ages and Are Popular Now.
There used to be carols OF various kinds,
such as Welsh summer carols and winter
carols, and we even yet have what are
called Easter carols. Generally speaking,
however, the carol is a Christmas hymn,
for carol is q song concerning the birth
of Christ. The word itself is of old French
origin. A carole was orig naIly kind of
dance, accompanied by sing ing. The name
was transferred to the song and so became
the title of vocal performance.
In the good old days of Queen Elizabeth
the simple melodious carols of our time
would have been regarded as unworthy of
consideration, for all music had to be con-
structed according to the ii tricate laws of
counterpoint, and to compose a carol prop
erly required all the skill of some such
learned pundit as Dr. William Byrd gen.
tleman of the chapel royal, or his teacher
Thomas Tails, who once wrote compost
ton in thirty voice parts. Now most of
our carols are the Christmas hymns of the
Sunday school, and Sunday school carol
is in simple four part harmony, and may
be sung by those who have little skill in
music. In the service of the Episcopal
church the Christmas carol is usually a
Christmas anthem, and as it's execution is
confided to the trained singers of the choir,
it may be, and generally is. an elaborate
composition.
The Christmas carols originated prob
ably in the songs sung between the scenes
of the mystery or miracle p avs of the Mid
die Ages. These plays were the popular
form of religious entertainments and be-
tween the scenes it was customary to in
troduce songs dealing with the redemption
of mankind. These songs naturally enough
became fixed in the popular memory, and
served rs kind of religious folk song to
those who had learned them. In all prob
ability Though this is a conjecture of the
writer's) the first waits were simple
country folk who had learned nativity
songs at the mystery play, and repeated
them at home at Christmas slide. Waits"
the reader will remember, are bands of
rustic singers who sing carols at night in
English country towns in the Christmas
season.
In King Henry WIS time and subse-
quently the choir of the Chapel Royal was
required to sing Christmas carols for the
sovereign. That was prol ably the royal
idea of improving on the waits" custom
There are several carols by William Byrd
still extant. The French nave a form Of
Christmas carol called Noel, which re-
sembles the carol of Byrd's time in its ar
tistic elaboration. The most famous of all
carols is that which begins with the fami.
lar lines:
God rest you, merrie gentlemen,
May nothing you dismay.
This is set with a noble old fashioned
hymn tune that bids fair to live forever in
England. Oxford men have another old
favorite, "Caput apri defero," known as
the Bears Head carol which has long
been preserved as one of the choice songs
of the great university.
The merrymaking of the Christmas sea-
son has for centuries been national insti-
tuition in England, and it is for that reason
that we Americans find more interest in
English Christmas carols than in those of
nations with whose customs we are less
familiar. But in both Germany and France
the popular festivities at Christmas time
are worthy of study, and among them the
singing of songs appropriate to the occa-
sion is salient feature. After all the
practice of singing carols is simply an out
come of the ancient custom of iatoniDg
poems to Bacchus and Ceres at the feasls
in their honor.-W. !. Henderson in Har-
pers Bazaar.