Yahoo Finance X'mas special: Interesting backstory of five famous Christmas carols
For a lot of people, Christmas is incomplete without listening to /singing atmospheric and angelic carols. There are some cult favorite songs and carols that are played every year. However, do you know the story behind these songs?
This Christmas season, Tanuja Gomes, CO- Founder and CO-CEO Furtados School of Music, shares the interesting history of the most famous Christmas carols and songs. From classics to up-beat Christmas songs that cheer the hearts of many, these carols have stories to tell. So, the next time when you’re listening to these songs, remember the stories behind them and share it with your friends and family.
1. Silent night - This song has an interesting back story. On Christmas Eve 1818, St. Nicholas church experienced an ill fortune. The organ stopped functioning and there was no possibility it could work again for the liturgy. Fr. Joseph Mohr did not just give up and sung out a poem he had penned down many years ago. It was then that the carol “Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht” (Silent Night! Holy Night) was heard for the first time in a village church in Oberndorf, Austria.
2. Rudolf the rednosed reindeer- This song sparks a lot of nostalgia as a childhood favorite. It invokes a feeling of hope that Santa Claus, with his team of reindeer, would be coming to place presents under the Christmas tree. Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer was composed by the department store chain Montgomery Ward as an option to save money on their annual Christmas promotions. And it definitely was a sell-out!
3. Jingle Bells- If you are a fan of Christmas songs, then you definitely love “Jingle Bells”. This song was originally named The One Horse Open Sleigh when it was written-composed by James Lord Pierpont an American composer, songwriter in 1857. Surprisingly, Jingle Bells was not very popular when it was first composed in 1857. It took many years to become one of the most popular songs at Christmas time but now ranks in the top 5 of the best Christmas songs.
4. Oh Holy Night- A small story that began in France has today made its way around the world, blessing us with soul filling words. Written by a poet as a hymn to grace the people filling the peus of the church, today is a Christmas song that is performed by great orchestras across the globe. The song was written by Placide Cappeau, with a vision in mind as to what would he feel if he was present at the birth of the “Savior”. It was earlier called “Cantique de Noel” before it came to be “Oh, Holy Night”
5. Feliz Navidad - The bilingual classic includes a simple English verse with a Spanish chorus, “Feliz Navidad, próspero año y felicidad” that translates as “Merry Christmas, a prosperous year and happiness”. Composed by Puerto Rican singer-songwriter José Feliciano, this song is one of the most downloaded and aired Christmas songs in the USA.
