O Come, O Come / Joy to the World

The well-known English Christian hymn O come, O come, Emmanuel is in fact a translation of the original Latin, Veni, Veni, Emmanuel, and translations into other modern languages (particularly German) are also in widespread use. The 1861 translation is by far, the most prominent in the English-speaking world, but other English translations also exist.

The great hymn writer, Isaac Watts (1674-1748) introduced…

O Holy Night

Adolphe Adam (1803-1856) was a French composer of several stage and ballet productions. He took this melody to his close friend, poet Cappeau de Roquemaure, who wrote the lyrics. They titled their collaboration Cantique de Noel. The English words we sing today were written by American clergyman and musical scholar John Sullivan Dwight. At first, French church officials denounced Adam’s…

The Wexford Carol

The Wexford Carol is a traditional Irish Christmas carol dating back to the 12th century. One of the oldest carols in the European tradition, it has been covered by many artists, including Julie Andrews in 1966, Loreena McKennitt in 1987, and Michael McDonald in 2009.

Click to [listen to this track].
 

Once in Royal David’s City / O Come All Ye Shepherds

Once in Royal David’s City is a Christmas carol originally written as poem by Miss Cecil Frances Alexander. The carol was first published in 1848 in Miss Cecil Humphreys’ hymnbook Hymns for little Children. A year later, the English organist Henry John Gauntlett discovered the poem and set it to music. Miss Cecil married the Anglican clergyman William Alexander in 1848…

We Three Kings

We Three Kings is also known as We Three Kings of Orient Are or The Quest of the Magi. This carol sings of the wise men who are led by a star to Bethlehem, where they visit Jesus with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh (Matthew 2:1–12). The Bible does not say how many wise men there were, nor does it say…