{"id":50142,"date":"2024-12-01T15:24:08","date_gmt":"2024-12-01T14:24:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/7313dce5-b79e-4ff7-b76a-3c573ad818a9"},"modified":"2024-12-01T17:09:20","modified_gmt":"2024-12-01T16:09:20","slug":"old-christmas-carols-nine-of-the-best-festive-songs-from-down-the-centuries","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/rss_feed\/old-christmas-carols-nine-of-the-best-festive-songs-from-down-the-centuries\/","title":{"rendered":"Old Christmas carols: nine of the best festive songs from down the centuries"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By <\/p>

Published: Sunday, 01 December 2024 at 14:24 PM<\/p>

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Christmas carols have been part of the festive period for centuries, with the first known Christmas carol<\/strong><\/a> dating back to the fourth century AD. We asked Harry Christophers, conductor of the much-loved British choir The Sixteen<\/a><\/strong>, to share his five favourite old carols, below. We’ve also added a few of our own favourite old Christmas carols at the end for good measure.<\/p>

You may also enjoy our rundowns of the best Christmas songs ever<\/strong><\/a>, and the best Christmas songs for children<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>

  • Carol singing: when did the Christmas tradition begin?<\/a><\/strong><\/li>
  • What’s the difference between a Christmas carol and a hymn?<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul> <\/div> <\/div>

    Best old Christmas carols<\/h2>

    1. Verbum caro<\/em> factum est<\/em> (Plainchant)<\/strong><\/h3>

    The unison sound of this florid chant, a respond for Mass on Christmas Day, is so evocative; plainsong is, after all, the basis for so much of the glorious music of the Renaissance<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>