Transcript and Videos
Ray Notgrass: On today’s Exploring History podcast, we’ll explore the history of some of the best-known hymns of Christmas. As a bonus, we have included links to special performances of these hymns. You can listen to today's podcast the same way you normally do. However, either now or at some other time during this Christmas season, you might enjoy setting aside some time to listen to the podcast either by yourself or with your family, pausing to listen to each hymn link after I tell its story.
Titus Anderson: [music in background] Welcome to Exploring History with Ray Notgrass, a production of Notgrass History.
Ray Notgrass: I’m Ray Notgrass. Thanks for listening, and Merry Christmas. Christmas is a time of celebration of the birth of Christ, a time of festive decorations and gatherings, a time of traditions that people have enjoyed often for decades and centuries, and a time to hear the songs we hear only once a year, both secular and spiritual. Somehow we enjoy hearing and singing these same songs, even though we have heard them year after year. Perhaps it is the memories that these songs bring to mind, the beautiful music these songs contain, or perhaps it is the thrilling message these songs convey.
On today’s podcast, I’ll tell the historical background of some of our most beloved hymns, and we’ll give you the chance to hear those songs again through performances that we have specially chosen. Because of copyright laws, which we fully respect, we must direct you to the links in the show notes for this podcast. There you can find links that will enable you to listen to our selections. My thanks to our son, John, who found these performances and prepared the links. I will introduce the songs and then pause so you can pause the podcast and listen to these performances, some of which almost moved me to tears. The performances come from different parts of the world, and some present the songs a little differently from the way you might be used to, but I encourage you to give them a chance and see if they move you also.
Let’s start with “Silent Night.” Many traditions have developed about the first performance of this beautiful hymn on Christmas eve, traditions which might or might not be true, but this much we know. As Christmas approached in the year 1818 in a small town in Austria, a priest named Joseph Mohr asked a church organist, Franz Gruber, to compose a tune for a new Christmas hymn that would be played on a guitar. The links in the show notes will let you listen to a performance of the original German, “Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht,” by the Clare College Singers and also to a classic performance of the English translation, “Silent Night,” by Bing Crosby.
Let’s go back about a century earlier to learn about the hymn “Joy to the World.” The prolific English hymnwriter Isaac Watts, who wrote over 750 hymns, wrote this poem in 1719 as a paraphrase of part of Psalm 98. An American adapted a tune composed by George Frederic Handel to the words, and this tune has become the standard tune all over the world. Follow the link in the show notes to hear Christians in Israel sing “Joy to the World” in a unique performance in Arabic, Hebrew, and English.
Let’s go back even further into history for “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” The lyrics have been traced at least as far back as the 12th century and the melody to the 15th century. This 15th century melody was put to the words when the hymn was translated into English. The following link will take you to a recording of “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” by Chris Tomlin.
“O Come, All Ye Faithful” began as a Latin hymn known by the first two words: “Adeste Fideles.” If you have studied or are studying Latin, the original lyrics make for a good translation exercise. The earliest printed English lyrics have been traced to 1751. Follow the links to listen to the sibling group Harpa Dei sing the song in Latin and to a performance of the English version by Nosa and the Lagos Community Gospel Choir in Nigeria.
Charles Wesley wrote the first version of the lyrics for “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” in 1739. It was adapted to a tune by Felix Mendelsson in 1754. Let’s listen to this classic Christmas hymn performed by Take 6.
In 1866 the American minister Phillips Brooks visited the real village of Bethlehem in Israel at Christmas time. As he participated in a Christmas Eve service in Bethlehem, his heart and mind were filled with wonder at the incarnation of Christ that took place there almost 2,000 years earlier. After Brooks came home, he wrote the words to this hymn for the Sunday School in the church where he ministered. The church organist supplied the tune. The line in the hymn that says, “The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight,” is one of the most profound statements I know of the meaning of the coming of Christ. Listen to The Living Stones Quartet from India sing “O Little Town of Bethlehem.”
One of the most popular recent songs of Christmas is “Mary, Did You Know?” Mark Lowry wrote the words in 1984, and Buddy Greene supplied the music in 1991. The lyrics ask Mary if she really understands the significance of the Child to whom she gave birth in that Bethlehem stable. Many artists have recorded the song. Here’s the link for a performance of “Mary, Did You Know?” by the U.S. Army Orchestra, featuring Sgt. Major Christal Rheams.
We close with a performance of a beautiful hymn and one of my favorites, “Once in Royal David’s City.” The composer of the lyrics of this song was Cecil Frances Humphreys Alexander. Cecil was an Englishwoman who wrote many songs for children, including “All Things Bright and Beautiful.” She wrote “Once in Royal David’s City” in 1848. Henry John Gauntlett supplied the music. The song is best-known as the opening song for “Nine Lessons and Carols,” an annual performance by the King’s College Chapel Choir of Cambridge University in Cambridge, England. This annual performance includes brief lessons from Scripture interspersed with Christmas hymns. This performance first took place in 1918 to celebrate the end of the Great War the previous month. It was first broadcast on radio in 1928, and it continues to be broadcast live by the BBC every year on Christmas Eve, with a replay on Christmas Day. The live performance takes place before an audience in the chapel of King’s College, Cambridge.
We have provided a link to a past performance of this hymn, but since you might not catch all the lyrics of this hymn because of the choral arrangement of this performance, I want to read them before you listen to the choir perform the hymn. Notice especially the admonition to children at the end of the third verse, “Christian children all must be / Mild, obedient, good as He.”
1. Once in royal David's city
Stood a lowly cattle shed,
Where a mother laid her Baby
In a manger for His bed:
Mary was that mother mild,
Jesus Christ her little Child.
2. He came down to earth from heaven,
Who is God and Lord of all,
And His shelter was a stable,
And His cradle was a stall;
With the poor, and mean, and lowly,
Lived on earth our Savior holy.
3. And through all His wondrous childhood
He would honor and obey,
Love and watch the lowly maiden,
In whose gentle arms He lay:
Christian children all must be
Mild, obedient, good as He.
4. For he is our childhood's pattern;
Day by day, like us He grew;
He was little, weak and helpless,
Tears and smiles like us He knew;
And He feeleth for our sadness,
And He shareth in our gladness.
5. And our eyes at last shall see Him,
Through His own redeeming love;
For that Child so dear and gentle
Is our Lord in heaven above,
And He leads His children on
To the place where He is gone.
6. Not in that poor lowly stable,
With the oxen standing by,
We shall see Him; but in heaven,
Set at God's right hand on high;
Where like stars His children crowned
All in white shall wait around.
And now listen to a performance of “Once in Royal David’s City” by the King’s College Chapel Choir, Cambridge University, Cambridge, England.
All of us at Notgrass History want to thank you for your continuing support and encouragement. I want to thank you for listening to this podcast series, and we look forward, Lord willing, to serving you in 2025. I’m Ray Notgrass. May you and your family have a Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year.
Titus Anderson: This has been Exploring History with Ray Notgrass, a production of Notgrass History. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast in your favorite podcast app. And please leave a rating and review so that we can reach more people with our episodes. If you want to learn about new homeschool resources and opportunities from Notgrass History, you can sign up for our email newsletter at ExploringHistoryPodcast.com. This program was produced by me, Titus Anderson. Thanks for listening!
Visit Homeschool History to explore resources related to this episode.