Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-12-24
ORIGIN OF CHRISTMAS CAROLS
TOLD BY MRS. J. NJ SYLVESTER
Member of Oreanists Guild Relates Inter-
estine History of Yuletide Music
Refers to Legend

Christmas carols have never been
3" widely sung in this country as they
VIII he sung tonight and tomorrow,
according TO indications. An unusually
we'll prepared paper on the subject of
the origin of these carols was read
recently at a meeting Of tho OrCaniStS'
Guild of Washington by Mrs. John
Milton Sylvester. a member of that
organiZa ton. AS result Of tho in.
terest aroused. there have been many
requests for the publication of the pa
per. Mrs. Sylvester began her article
with the legend Of the first perform /
ance, reproducing the Christ Child :
birthplace. as presented by St Fran |
els of Assist. She continued, regard |
Ing the carols proper;
From this simple performance"
came the srowth not only Of the
Christmas carol. hut also of the
Christmas mystery plays. In many
churches at ChriStmastide TN" manager /
or crib Of st. Francis can vet I've seen. I
while the singing Of carols still goes
on. The only break in the making /
and singing Of carols occurred during
the period Of the Reformation. when I
all such manifestations of JOY were
suppressed. But during the four
teenth, fifteenth and sixteenth and
first part Of the seventeenth. centuries
carol making and singing continued.
From then on the art of carol writ
ing declined. and only in recent years
has been revived. except for rare IN
stances
Originally the word carol implied
not only singing but dancing as We'll.
and the combination nj dancing ana
singing existed from time immemoriai.
the Romans having their religious
dances like the DruidS. and there /
seems no doubt that il found its WAY
from pagan ritual into the Christian
church. Poets have used the word
carol to denote both singing and
dancing. and in the paintings of Fra
Angelica the Christmas angels not
only sing but also dance. while Eotu'
celli's angels i'm the nativity picture
are most graceful examples OF poetry
in motion.
But having been once established.
dancing in connection with religious
ceremonial became immensely popu-
lar-indeed. ii became SO oNerworked
that presently it was discouraged and
AT first carols were merely sung
As~7ntermezzi between the scenes of
the mysteries, exactly in the same way
as music is played between the acts
Of a modern drama. But after time
the carol interludes became so popular
with the audience that there was often
great rivalry between the actors and
the carol singers. and the audience.
having taken a great liking 10 the
carols, were always asking dixie oiNef
Twistl for more. and II is recorded ina,
at Chester the audience once wrecked
the stage and properties and beat the
players because they did not get
enough carols 10 please them. BY the
thirteenth or fourteenth century. how
ever. these difficulties were overcome
md. the singers and players becoming
incorporated. the music was performed
on the stage as part OF the pay
itself Henceforth the musicians led
the players. The orcanist was FUR
nished with a little portable organ,
which he carried fastened To his shout
ders by a strap. Blowing the bellows
with his left hand and playing IN"
KEYS with his right VERY much IKE
street singer playing an accordion', ne /
led the procession 10 and iro across |
the stage, followed hv the singers. |
Sometimes the enthusiasm of the audi |
ence Was so great that the procession /
marched into the street and. joined 1
nv the audience. marched round me
roads with the players, singing the
carols.
Prom this custom il was an easy
step to the singing Of the carols apart
from the mystery plays, and by the
fifteenth century il had become a com.
mon practice to sing the carols alone.
without histrionic representation.
THE music of the carols. Many OF
the oldest tunes were written in the
old model scales. Mhich by their pecui-
lar tonality and the absence OF chro'
matte intervals, give a distinctly re-
Yreshing sense OF strangeness which ~
fascinating 10 modern ears.
These modes were scales Of eight
nofes, as are Our present ms jor and
minor scales. Each mode began on "a
different white" key Of our piano.
starting with the first mode on ID. the
next on r and 80 on. but as no acci.
seniaIs were used. except an occas.
fonal J: fiat. the xemi-tones fell in each
mode I'm different places:
- IF 6 4 Bc D--Dorian mode.
IF 9 A Bc ID E-Phrycian mode.
-; A b ID EF-Lydian rnod"
GA T3C d EF G-Mlxo-I.ydia mode.
A Be ID EF g A--AeoIian mode.
RI - IF q A P-IIocrian mode.
e. ID IF G A Bt.--Ionian mode.
Mort Of The old tunes were II the
folk song order. They were popular
melodies Of the times and we're used
Unfortunately for both religious ana
secular words. which IN no new or lsn-
msual thing; authorities assure "a that
since earliest times this has been done
Mira ms Song Of TRIUMPH achirt.
ed its enthusiastic first perfoytnan nee
largely from the fact that il MAS
doubtless sung Ia one II the pr.t,ll.r
melodies of the day
IAN example 81 carol sung "a ,.pt,,
lar tune - that of What child r.
TnisT' sung 10 The tune ~ nv Lady
GreeDsieeyes. = charming old Enpi'sh
love SONG, while The old English
Furry day Song Was sung 10 various
se's of words relating - fhrinin3r.
May day f@asis and ot her occasions
The Infection II The iIlt Of this old
tune iA SUCH that on" rs1n easily lfoae.
fns IL played rs ihe village fiddler
while tie yIllR"r. d4nccd on NJ
green"
Phillips, in his bDpk on caf,ir. u
slGes them into II diYirl"up
~ Uf th+ Virgin Mary.
''PractiraiIy aiI pte f.efpftuatinp
works. HIaHY of them being ~ gIpsi
beauty. ranking With the bert st4rg.
mems III old English lytlcs Most ~
them are ro.nposiae having IInos ~
English and iatin alternately oT sha.
ing their stAnzas Win u Latin frti!,iu.
=. dt,es the very old c3fpi Whom
Christ HaE E'5fn 81 MARY Ffe.
where every N"ss" "uds With Ia tsrei-
Els Glofia. ~ many II thos- futni-
the Virgin H. often llteUod - lij~e
Hud roses. in o'bers 50 = bird 5lsnt
were sung ~ the music - ne,tilai
Eongs.
81 Narrative ~ A'or, Telling Carols
~ saw Three ships "JIe Fjtst