The season’s musical tradition is immortalised in English writer Charles Dickens’ 1834 classic, A Christmas Carol. It tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a mean old miser, who is transformed into a kind, generous man in the days before Christmas. One of the oldest carols still popular today, God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen, figures in Dickens’ novella too.
What are the main themes in carols?
Religious carols relate to the birth of Jesus. The Bible story is that he was born in a manger when his mother, Mary, and her husband Joseph, arrived in Bethlehem and could not find a room at an inn. This is the focus of several carols, including O Holy Night, Silent Night, The First Noel, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, Away in a Manger, and O Little Town of Bethlehem.
The Bible account also describes three wise men from the East, the Magi, who travelled a long distance following a star to Bethlehem, looking for the baby Jesus. They, too, are immortalised in the carols Star of the East and We Three Kings, both composed in the 1800s.
Hong Kong bankers from Morgan Stanley join pupils for carols
Where do the most popular carols come from?
Joy to the World, composed by English writer Isaac Watt in 1719, remains timeless. It was the most-published Christmas hymn in North America as of the late 20th century.
O Holy Night originated in the southern French town of Roquemaure in 1847. The local priest wanted to celebrate the renovation of the church’s organ, and asked wine merchant and poet Placide Cappeau to write a poem. Cappeau’s “Minuit, chrétiens” – “Midnight, Christians” – was set to music by composer Adolphe Adam. It was translated into English in 1855 by American music critic John Sullivan Dwight.
O Little Town of Bethlehem was written by American clergyman Phillips Brooks, who was inspired by his visit to Bethlehem in 1865. He wrote the poem for his church in 1868 and asked his organist, Lewis Redner, to set it to music.
Silent Night was composed in 1818 by Austrian schoolmaster and church organist Franz Xaver Gruber, with lyrics by Catholic priest and writer Joseph Mohr. In the early stages of World War I, German and British troops on the Western Front laid down arms during the Christmas truce of 1914, celebrated together and sang Silent Night. Originally in German, it has been translated into more than 300 languages and dialects. In 2011, it was added to the Unesco Intangible Cultural Heritage list.
A Hong Kong Christmas Carol: O Tannenbaum (O Christmas Tree)
Are there non-religious Christmas songs?
Yes, there are many, with themes related to winter, celebrations, and even sadness and romance. They include It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas, I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree, and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. American songwriters produced several enduring songs, made popular by famous singers.
Jingle Bells was written by American songwriter James Lord Pierpont as “One Horse Open Sleigh” in 1857. It has no mention of Christmas, leading some to say it was actually meant for Thanksgiving. Jingle Bell Rock, first released by singer Bobby Helms in 1957, is considered an extension of Jingle Bells.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is about the reindeer who is ridiculed for his luminous red nose before he becomes the hero guiding Santa Claus and the sleigh team on a foggy Christmas Eve. Singer Gene Autry’s 1949 recording became No 1 on the Billboard pop singles chart for the Christmas week.
Crooner Bing Crosby’s 1943 hit I’ll Be Home for Christmas was a poignant song honouring soldiers serving overseas during World War II, and has endured since. In 1957, rock ‘n’ roll legend Elvis Presley scored with Blue Christmas, a sad song of unrequited love that became a perennial favourite.
Why do people sing carols?
Reverend Wilson Fong, 45, of the Kowloon City Baptist Church, sums it up like this: “For Christians, carol singing is a joyful way to share the Christmas story. I believe people love singing carols to share the joy of the festive season regardless of their religious affiliations, especially in Hong Kong where East and West meet.”
His church at Argyle Street has held annual carol singing events since 1981. Fong will conduct this year’s event on December 23 and 24, featuring the combined sanctuary choir, children’s choir, handbell choir, and orchestral groups.
“Singing is one of the best-kept traditions of the churches, and carolling is definitely one of the highlights at Christmas,” he says.
Businessman Nicholas Wong, 58, has been singing carols all his life. “When I was younger, Christmas carols reminded me of presents, but now that I’m older, they mean a lot more,” says the father of two sons. “Christmas is also about family, friends and festive cheer, things that are universal.”
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The 1984 hit Last Christmas, by disbanded English pop duo Wham!, is about a failed relationship. It is featured in the 2019 year-end romantic comedy of the same name, starring Emilia Clarke, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeoh and Emma Thompson. To mark the song’s 35th anniversary, a new, high-definition 4K version of the music video, featuring Wham! members George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley, was released on YouTube last week. It attracted more than six million views in days.
The most controversial seasonal hit is Baby, It’s Cold Outside, written by Frank Loesser in 1944 as a playful duet and winner of the 1949 Oscar for best song. It features a woman trying to leave, while the man with her keeps trying to make her stay. Controversial from the start for lyrics some considered risque, it came under renewed attack from 2009 for depicting sexual harassment. In the wake of the #MeToo movement, some American and Canadian radio stations banned the song in 2018. This year, singers John Legend and Kelly Clarkson released a more politically-correct version, only to be criticised for messing with a classic.
American singer and songwriter Mariah Carey’s 1994 hit All I Want for Christmas Is You is the bestselling modern day Christmas song. Although it has been popular for 25 years, it only hit No 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 list this year.
What Christmas songs are popular in Hong Kong?
Hongkongers sing and listen to Christmas classics with Cantonese lyrics, but the city has also produced its own hits.
Lonely Christmas is a Cantonese hit released by pop star Eason Chan Yik-shun in 2002, about being single during the holiday. In 2011, he released another holiday tune in English, My Private Christmas Song. Canto-pop star Jacky Cheung Hok-yau’s 1994 hit Merry Christmas I Love You is a Cantonese classic of the season.
The girl group Cookies may have disbanded, but their 2002 Cookies Christmas Song lives on. It strings together eight classic melodies, including Jingle Bells and Joy to the World, with Cantonese lyrics by Wyman Wong Wai-man about local habits at Christmas.
One of the most popular Cantonese Christmas songs of all time is Canto-pop band RubberBand’s 2009 hit Zero Degree Christmas. It tells of a man who does not have the courage to confess his love to the girl, and ends up staying by her side every Christmas only as a friend.
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