A carol is a festive song, generally religious but not necessarily connected with church worship, and often with a dance-like or popular character.

Today the carol is represented almost exclusively by the Christmas carol, and to a much lesser extent by the Easter carol, however despite their present association with religion, this has not always been the case. Singing carols: John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together A Christmas carol is a carol (song or hymn) whose lyrics are on the theme of Christmas, or the winter season in general. ... Easter is the most important religious holiday of the Christian liturgical year, observed in March, April, or May to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, which Christians believe occurred after his death by crucifixion in AD 30-33 (see Good Friday). ...

History

The word carol is thought to have been derived from the French word caroller, a circle dance accompanied by singers (in turn derived from the Latin choraula). The carol was very popular as a dance song from the 1150s to the 1350s, after which its use expanded as a processional song sung during festivals, while others were written to accompany religious mystery plays (such as the Coventry Carol, written in 1591). Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... Centuries: 11th century - 12th century - 13th century Decades: 1100s 1110s 1120s 1130s 1140s - 1150s - 1160s 1170s 1180s 1190s 1200s Years: 1150 1151 1152 1153 1154 1155 1156 1157 1158 1159 Events and Trends Peter Lombard writes his Sentences Eric the Saint, king of Sweden led the first Christian crusade to... Centuries: 13th century - 14th century - 15th century Decades: 1300s 1310s 1320s 1330s 1340s - 1350s - 1360s 1370s 1380s 1390s 1400s Years: 1350 1351 1352 1353 1354 1355 1356 1357 1358 1359 Events and Trends Categories: 1350s ... A festival or fest is an event, usually staged by a local community, which centers on some theme, sometimes on some unique aspect of the community. ... Mystery plays or miracle plays are one of the earliest formally developed plays in medieval Europe. ... Events June - Capture of Zutphen by the Dutch under Maurice of Nassau. ...

Following the Protestant Reformation (and the banning of many religious festivities during the British Puritan Interregnum), the carol went into a decline due to Calvinist aversian to things "pope-ish". However, composers such as William Byrd composed motet-like works for Christmas which they termed carols; and folk-carols continued to be sung in rural areas. Nonetheless, carols did not regain their former popularity until a revival in the 19th century when many surviving non-religious carols were re-discovered and arranged for church use with new Christian lyrics. The Protestant Reformation was a movement which emerged in the 16th century as a series of attempts to reform the Roman Catholic Church in Western Europe. ... An interregnum is a period between kings, between popes of the Roman Catholic Church, or between consuls of the Roman Republic. ... William Byrd William Byrd (1540? – July 4, 1623) was one of the most celebrated English composers in the Renaissance. ... In Western music, motet is a word that is applied to a number of highly varied choral musical compositions. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In modern times, songs that may once have been regarded as carols are now classified as songs (especially Christmas songs), even those that retain the traditional attributes of a carol - celebrating a seasonal topic, alternating verses and chorus, and danceable music. The 1995 re-release album cover of White Christmas A Christmas song is a song which is normally sung during the Christmas period, and usually has lyrical content addressing the holiday, the winter season, or both. ...

Bibliography

Important anthologies of carols include:

• Christmas Carols New and Old ed. H. R. Bramley and John Stainer (1871)
• The Oxford Book of Carols ed. Percy Dearmer, Martin Shaw and Ralph Vaughan Williams (1928)
• The University Carol Book ed. Erik Routley (1961}
• Carols for Choirs ed. David Willcocks, Reginald Jacques and John Rutter (1961-1988)
• The New Oxford Book of Carols ed. Hugh Keyte and Andrew Parrott (1992)
• The Penguin Book of Carols ed. Ian Bradley (1999)

John Stainer (6 June 1840 – 31 March 1901) was an English composer and organist. ... 1871 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... The Revd Dr Percy Dearmer MA (Oxon), DD, in 1911. ... Ralph Vaughan Williams, OM (October 12, 1872 – August 26, 1958) was an influential British composer. ... 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Erik Routley ( October 31, 1917– October 8, 1982) was an English Congregational minister, composer and musicologist. ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Sir David Willcocks (b. ... John Rutter is also the name of a photographer. ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on a Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Andrew Parrott is a British conductor, founder and director of Taverner Consort and Players, a period instrument ensemble, choir and orchestra based in London. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ...

See also

• Medieval dance
• Piae Cantiones
• Moosburg graduale
• Noël
• Villancico
• Lauda spirituale
• Cantiones natalitae
• Weihnachts lieder

The first detailed descriptions of dancing in Europe date from 1450 in Italy, which is after the start of the Renaissance. ... Piae Cantiones ecclesiasticae et scholasticae veterum episcoporum (in English Devout ecclesiastical and scholastic songs of the old bishops) is a collection of late medieval Latin songs compiled by Jacobus Finno and published in 1582 by Theodoricus Petri Nylandensis. ... Christmas (literally, the Mass of Christ) is a holiday in the Christian calendar, usually observed on December 25, which celebrates the birth of Jesus. ... Villancico (or Vilancete, in Portuguese) was a common lyric form of the Iberian Peninsula, in the Renaissance period. ...

External links

• "Hymns and Carols of Christmas" - A large site with much information about many carols.