What was the very first Christmas carol ever composed?

guitargoddess

This source does not name a particular carol, but says that Christmastime music began with litanies, or musical prayers, that were intended to celebrate the birthday of Jesus. http://www.novareinna.com/festive/xmascarols.html This one says that the first North American Christmas carol was "The Huron Carol", composed by Saint John de Brebeuf. http://www.adoremus.org/1299-100-Huron.html Dec 24 08, 3:27 PM

star_gazer

On the first Christmas night the Bible tells us that angels of God appeared to shepherds singing: "Glory to God in the highest Heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests." (Luke 2:14) Dec 24 08, 4:00 PM

edmund80

Also, legend tells of the angels singing to announce the birth of Jesus. "Legend tells that in Bethlehem, people heard the Angels sing one time in unison to announce the birth of the Christ Child. The words thought to ring out at that moment were: Gloria in exelsis Deo, et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis. Therefore, this is considered to be the first Christmas carol." http://www.novareinna.com/festive/xmascarols.html As for a Christmas carol that was actually in use and published, the earliest one I could find was "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen." Some sources say that it dates as far back as the 1500s, but was published only in 1833. "Like so many early Christmas songs, this carol was written as a direct reaction to the music of the fifteenth century church," writes Ace Collins, in Stories Behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas. It was the most popular of the early carols, sung for centuries before being published in Britain in 1833, when it appeared in Christmas Carols Ancient and Modern, a collection of seasonal carols gathered by William B. Sandys, though its incipit was in William Hone's "List of Christmas carols now annually printed" in Ancient Mysteries Described, 1823. The author is unknown." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_Rest_Ye_Merry,_Gentlemen "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" is an old English rhyme and dates at least as far back as the 1500s. It is a carol of which the British people are particularly fond." http://www.novareinna.com/festive/xmascarols.html Dec 24 08, 5:06 PM