Martin Luther, a key figure in the Reformation, created many new Christmas carols or translated existing ones into German, sometimes adapting secular tunes for his purposes.
Cultural Impact
St. Francis of Assisi created the first living nativity scene in 1223, re-enacting the Christmas story with people and live animals instead of a sermon.
Composition History
The melody for 'Hark! The Herald Angels Sing' was composed by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy for his 1840 Gutenberg Cantata, celebrating the 400th anniversary of the invention of printing.
Historical Context
Christmas was first mentioned in 354 AD by the Roman chronicler Furius Dionysius Filocalus, but December 25th was already a popular pagan holiday celebrating 'Sol Invictus', the invincible sun-god.
Historical Context
The earliest mention of a Christmas hymn dates back to 129 AD, when a Roman bishop ordered a chant called 'The Angelic Hymn' to be sung at Christmas Mass.
Cultural Impact
The original lyrics for 'Hark! The Herald Angels Sing' by Charles Wesley, co-founder of Methodism, spoke of the firmament singing, with angels only appearing in George Whitefield's later adaptation.
Composition History
The popular German Christmas carol 'O Tannenbaum' (O Christmas Tree) was originally a melancholic love song by August Zarnack, with its second stanza beginning 'O Mägdelein, o Mägdelein, wie falsch ist dein Gemüte' (O maiden mine, O maiden mine, how faithless are your feelings).
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