What connects the popular Christmas carol ‘Once in Royal David’s City’ and the popular hymn ‘All Things Bright and Beautiful’? They both share an origin – but the origins of ‘Once in Royal David’s City’ are not as famous as the words. And the words themselves deserve closer analysis… Once […]
Tag: Christmas Carols
A Short Analysis of the Christmas Carol ‘While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks’
‘While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks’ is one of the most famous Christmas songs in the English language, and unlike many Christmas carols we know who wrote this one: a Poet Laureate, no less. So next time you’re singing ‘while shepherds watched their flocks by night’ (or, depending on company, washed […]
A Short Analysis of Christina Rossetti’s ‘In the Bleak Midwinter’
A reading of a classic Christmas poem by Dr Oliver Tearle ‘In the Bleak Midwinter’ is probably Christina Rossetti’s most famous poem, though not the one that’s most recognisable as being a Christina Rossetti poem. Indeed, many who are familiar with it perhaps don’t realise that it is a poem; […]
A Short Analysis of ‘I syng of a mayden’
A summary of the medieval Christmas carol ‘I sing of a maiden’ – or, to render it in its delightful original spelling, ‘I syng of a mayden’ – is one of the oldest surviving Christmas carols written in English. The words to this classic carol are included below, along with […]
10 of the Best Classic Christmas Carols and the Stories Behind Them
The ten best Christmas carols – and their interesting literary origins and meaning ‘Tis the season to the jolly, so let’s all sing a Christmas carol and enjoy a mince pie. No? Okay, how about you sit back with your mince pie and a glass of sherry, and we regale […]