Christmas music often is categorized into three types: carols, classical music, and modern songs.
Carols are the oldest type of Christmas music, dating back as far as the 12th century in Europe. Classics we all know, such as “Silent Night” and “O Christmas Tree”, have German origins.
Also, although it might seem that carols have religious origins, in reality, it is a misconception. Instead, they were folk songs and hymns, which celebrated the winter season. Some of them had dances meant for them. Even the word “carol” actually means to dance in a ring.
Additionally, back in the 17th and 18th centuries, some folklorists collected all of the carols being sung around England and published them in songbooks. And that popularized carols even more, to the extent that they reached our days.
Some examples of the most popular Christmas carols that a lot of people know today are “Deck The Halls”, “The First Noel” and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.”
The second type of Christmas music we mentioned was classical music. Just as its name suggests, these are musical pieces that were produced by classical composers, for example, Vivaldi, Bach, and Mendelssohn, to name a few.
Like the carols, some classical Christmas music is also rooted in local traditions. For example, Mykola Leontovych took quite a lot of inspiration from a Ukrainian folk chant while writing “Carol of the Bells.”
Listening to classical Christmas music has even become a tradition in certain countries, where they go to listen to symphony orchestras playing these songs.
Between the 1930s and 1950s, Christmas music experienced its own renaissance. During this period, songs started focusing on more commercial or just non-religious aspects of Christmas, like Santa, the Christmas tree, and snowmen. And that's how modern Christmas music came to be.
From then on, most of the Christmas songs were sung by popular musicians instead of carolers in the street or church choirs.
Nearly 100 years after the Christmas music renaissance started, these songs remain extremely popular. For example, the song written back in 1934 and called “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” is the most played song of the past 50 years.
Various names in the music industry covered a variety of modern Christmas songs and released their own Christmas albums. The list of names includes The Jackson Five, Frank Sinatra, Bob Dylan, Bing Crosby, and so on; the list is nearly endless.
Of course, the topic of modern Christmas music wouldn't be complete without mentioning such iconic songs as "All I Want For Christmas Is You" by Mariah Carey; "Last Christmas" by Wham!; and "Feliz Navidad" by José Feliciano, which have become sort of holiday spirit staples. And just like the list of artists above, the list of Christmas songs that are beloved by many is also nearly endless.
Do you love Christmas music? If yes, what is your favorite song? If not, what has made you not fond of it? Share all your answers with us in the comments!
