Christmas Carols: A Musical History

Christmas Carols: A Musical History

Traditionally sung at Christmas itself or during the surrounding Christmas holiday season, it is thought that carols existed to keep up people’s spirits, along with dances, plays and feasts since before the fourteenth century. Whether religious or not, the singing of Christmas carols is a tradition enjoyed by many every year, but do we know why?


Author of ‘Christmas Carols: From Village Green to Church Choir,’ composer and choirmaster Andrew Gant joins Dan for this carol-filled episode of the podcast. Andrew and Dan discuss why we sing Christmas carols and how they came to hold the magic enjoyed by so many. Accompany Dan and Andrew in the festive spirit as delve into the history of one of our best-loved musical traditions and the surprising stories behind a handful of well-known seasonal songs.


Audio courtesy of Signum Records


Please vote for us! Dan Snow's History Hit has been nominated for a Podbible award in the 'informative' category: https://bit.ly/3pykkds


If you'd like to learn more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad-free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today! To download the History Hit app please go to the Android or Apple store.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jaksot(1492)

The Ancient Greek Computer: The Antikythera Mechanism

The Ancient Greek Computer: The Antikythera Mechanism

In the recent Indiana Jones: The Dial of Destiny movie, the Antikythera Mechanism is used for time travel but in reality it was actually more of a celestial calculator- to track and predict astronomic...

20 Elo 202328min

Battle of Gettysburg

Battle of Gettysburg

The first three days of July 1863 saw the bloodiest single battle of the American Civil War. This clash between the Unionist and Confederate armies quickly became the stuff of legend.But what actually...

16 Elo 202339min

The Rise of the Taliban

The Rise of the Taliban

Is it possible that the Taliban of today are more fanatical than before? American and Coalition troops recently fought a bitter, 20-year war against them following the seismic events of 9/11. On Augus...

15 Elo 202325min

Scottish Clans

Scottish Clans

It is believed clans started to emerge in Scotland around 1100AD and were originally the descendants of kings – if not of demigods from Irish mythology. As well as kinship and a sense of identity and ...

14 Elo 202326min

Archimedes and the Siege of Syracuse

Archimedes and the Siege of Syracuse

Dan tells the story of Archimedes, the ancient Greek inventor whose weapons of war protected the town of Syracuse from a Roman army. The Romans laid siege to Syracuse between 213 and 212 BC, attacking...

12 Elo 202344min

Surviving Hitler and Stalin

Surviving Hitler and Stalin

Lord Daniel Finkelstein recounts stories from his parents' remarkable lives. His mother Mirjam Wiener survived the Nazi concentration camps, and his father Ludwik Finkelstein lived through a Soviet gu...

9 Elo 202337min

Genghis Khan

Genghis Khan

Genghis Khan roughly translates to 'Universal Ruler', a fitting name for the most famous nomadic conqueror to have ever lived. He was born as Temüjin, outcast by his tribe as a young child and left to...

8 Elo 202334min

Attila The Hun

Attila The Hun

Known to the Romans as the 'Scourge of God', Attila the Hun brought chaos to the world around him. He and his armies plundered, pillaged and looted their way across vast swathes of Europe, ultimately ...

7 Elo 202330min

Suosittua kategoriassa Historia

olipa-kerran-otsikko
gogin-ja-janin-maailmanhistoria
mayday-fi
huijarit
mystista
konginkangas
rss-ikiuni
totuus-vai-salaliitto
tsunami
rss-subjektiivinen-todistaja
rouva-diktaattori
rss-kirkon-ihmeellisimmat-tarinat
historiaa-suomeksi
rss-i-dont-like-mondays-2
rss-sattuu-sita-suomessakin
sotaa-ja-historiaa-podi
rss-peter-peter
apinan-vuosi
rss-iltanuotiolla
rss-kalmakabinetti