By BBC Music Magazine

Published: Saturday, 01 October 2022 at 12:00 am


Who wrote ‘Jesus Christ the apple tree’?

The song ‘Jesus Christ the apple tree’ dates back to about the mid-18th century and its first known publishing date was 1761, when it was attributed to a RH – believed to be Rev. Richard Hutchins.

It has been set to a number of composers including Jeremiah Ingalls, Elizabeth Poston and John Rutter and is now a popular Christmas carol, particularly in the USA

What is ‘Jesus Christ the apple tree’ about?

One belief is that the song has been inspired by the apple tree in Song of Solomon 2:3  or perhaps it was the old English tradition of wassailing or the Christmas Eve custom of wishing health to apple trees .