The Advent period starts on the fourth Sunday before Christmas and ends on Christmas Eve and marks the lead up to Christmas. The tradition of celebrating Advent is believed to have been started by the Bishop Perpetuus in the Fifth Century, when he directed people should fast three times a week from St. Martin\u2019s Day on 11 November until Christmas.^<\/p>\n

The word Advent comes from the \u00a0the Latin adventus<\/i> meaning \u2018coming; arrival\u2019<\/p>\n

Five of the best ancient Christmas carols<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n
Five of the best modern Christmas carols<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n
The composers behind your favourite carols\u2026<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n
When was the first Christmas carol?<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n
How did Christmas music start?<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>
<\/p><\/div> <\/section>
Best Advent songs<\/h2>\n
John Joubert: There is no rose<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Arguably the most perfect Advent carol of the 20th-century. Exquisitely crafted, with charming simplicity.<\/p>\n
How did Christmas music start?<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n
The best Christmas classical music CDs and recordings released in 2020<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>Herbert Howells: A spotless rose<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>An iconic early Advent work, written some 25 years before his most famous canticle settings. One of the gems of the season!<\/p>\n<p>We named \u2018<strong><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/spotless-rose-lyrics\/"\">A Spotless Rose<\/a><\/strong>\u2018 one of the <strong><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/25-greatest-christmas-carols-all-time\/"\">best Christmas carols ever<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<ul><li><strong><a class=\""standard-card-new__article-title"\" href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/carol-singing-when-did-the-tradition-begin\/"\">Carol singing: When did the Christmas tradition begin?<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul><iframe title=\""Spotify\" embed:=\"\" a=\"\" spotless=\"\" rose=\"\" width=\""100%"\" height=\""80"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allowfullscreen=\"\" allow=\""autoplay;\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" fullscreen=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" src=\""https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/track\/1u6VAnvVZu6KKmVQKGTjAQ?si=ncbDGplMRDGqy23KkH81EA&utm_source=oembed"\"\/>\n<h3><strong>James Burton: <a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/tomorrow-shall-be-my-dancing-day-gardner\/"\">Tomorrow shall be my dancing day<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>When St John\u2019s College, Cambridge commissioned this piece for Advent, I asked the composer for \u2018something fun, wacky, quirky, catchy, fast\u2026\u2019 and he certainly ticked those boxes! This is a favourite with our choir, using a well-known text which describes much of Jesus\u2019s life.<\/p>\n<p>* St John\u2019s College, Cambridge Advent commission<\/p>\n<iframe title=\""Spotify\" embed:=\"\" tomorrow=\"\" shall=\"\" be=\"\" my=\"\" dancing=\"\" day=\"\" width=\""100%"\" height=\""80"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allowfullscreen=\"\" allow=\""autoplay;\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" fullscreen=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" src=\""https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/track\/1V73EISgLpfTr3spSzXUXk?si=m1k0fbeAQ52M8G9bDDpXeQ&utm_source=oembed"\"\/>\n<h3><strong>Orlando Gibbons: This is the record of John<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>John the Baptist plays an important role in the Advent season. This elegant 17th-century verse anthem is a model of compelling storytelling.<\/p>\n<p>* Will be featured in the St John\u2019s College, Cambridge 2020 Advent broadcast on BBC Radio 3<\/p>\n<iframe title=\""Spotify\" embed:=\"\" this=\"\" is=\"\" the=\"\" record=\"\" of=\"\" john=\"\" width=\""100%"\" height=\""80"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allowfullscreen=\"\" allow=\""autoplay;\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" fullscreen=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" src=\""https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/track\/75ar2d2lk71kqdWKwwNHl9?si=yL-cf52xRmOmUQBn75ynug&utm_source=oembed"\"\/>\n<h3><strong>Cecilia McDowall: A Prayer to St John the Baptist<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>An attractive new Advent work combining two texts from the 8th and 20th centuries, over a rippling organ accompaniment depicting the water of baptism.<\/p>\n<p>* St John\u2019s College, Cambridge Advent commission<br\/>\n* Will be featured in the St John\u2019s College, Cambridge 2020 Advent broadcast on BBC Radio 3<\/p>\n<ul><li><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/five-best-modern-christmas-carols\/"\"><strong>Five of the best modern Christmas carols<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><h3><strong>Elizabeth Poston: Jesus Christ, the Apple Tree<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>A traditional American text set to\u00a0music of\u00a0sublime\u00a0simplicity, by a composer who loved folk-song.<\/p>\n<iframe title=\""Spotify\" embed:=\"\" jesus=\"\" christ=\"\" the=\"\" apple=\"\" tree=\"\" width=\""100%"\" height=\""80"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allowfullscreen=\"\" allow=\""autoplay;\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" fullscreen=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" src=\""https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/track\/0ZzKS2VIlXXpWuojLOvjng?si=7Tk8iCeNTD6l8ueJRDbROw&utm_source=oembed"\"\/>\n<h3><strong>Jonathan Harvey: The Annunciation<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>A profound, spiritual work: one of Harvey\u2019s final compositions, in which he returned to the Edwin Muir poem he had first set over 40 years earlier.<\/p>\n<p>* St John\u2019s College, Cambridge Advent commission<\/p>\n<iframe title=\""Spotify\" embed:=\"\" the=\"\" annunciation=\"\" width=\""100%"\" height=\""80"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allowfullscreen=\"\" allow=\""autoplay;\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" fullscreen=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" src=\""https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/track\/2LGJGNNVDolqtVKXSgzXBF?si=dBY-dgCmTGS-_Bwpjo5HHg&utm_source=oembed"\"\/>\n<ul><li><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/six-best-pieces-christmas-choral-music\/"\"><strong>Six of the best pieces of Christmas choral music<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><h3><strong>Giles Swayne: Adam lay ybounden<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>A virtuosic, compelling and highly original\u00a0setting for double choir and cello. A whole world seems to be contained in just five minutes!<\/p>\n<p>* St John\u2019s College, Cambridge Advent commission<\/p>\n<iframe title=\""Spotify\" embed:=\"\" adam=\"\" lay=\"\" ibounden=\"\" width=\""100%"\" height=\""80"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allowfullscreen=\"\" allow=\""autoplay;\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" fullscreen=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" src=\""https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/track\/5SyCyoyccrq33KyoCW5ppH?si=Djue1Tu-R4-LYtbXX8TjGQ&utm_source=oembed"\"\/>\n<ul><li><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/five-best-ancient-christmas-carols\/"\"><strong>Five of the best ancient Christmas carols<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><h3><strong>Roxanna Panufnik: The Call<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>An evocative setting of George Herbert\u2019s famous poem, scored for choir and harp.<\/p>\n<p>* St John\u2019s College, Cambridge Advent commission<\/p>\n<iframe title=\""Spotify\" embed:=\"\" the=\"\" call=\"\" width=\""100%"\" height=\""80"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allowfullscreen=\"\" allow=\""autoplay;\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" fullscreen=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" src=\""https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/track\/0FtooLynWMH3rohwtVAfZI?si=yqFPZosgQumnmR31uFwgcg&utm_source=oembed"\"\/>\n<h3><strong>Otto Goldschmidt: A tender shoot<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Another perfect miniature, composed by the founder of the Bach Choir in London. It was\u00a0included on the\u00a0first St John\u2019s LP back in 1958.<\/p>\n<iframe title=\""Spotify\" embed:=\"\" a=\"\" tender=\"\" shoot=\"\" width=\""100%"\" height=\""380"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allowfullscreen=\"\" allow=\""autoplay;\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" fullscreen=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" src=\""https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/album\/76cDAs7PfNYbk3vdzP87yq?si=p_7dRcy6RwKgU0PYtNDTAQ&utm_source=oembed"\"\/>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3><b>O come, O come, Emmanuel<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>The <strong><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/what-carol\/"\">carol <\/a>\u2018<a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/search\/?q=O+come%2C+O+come%2C+Emmanuel"\">O come, O come, Emmanuel\u2019<\/a><\/strong> is particularly poignant to the Advent period as it owes its origins to monastic life in 8th and 9th centuries when monks used to chant <strong><a href=\""https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/O_Antiphons"\">Great Advent Antiphons<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0in the lead up to, and in anticipation, of Christmas Eve.<\/p>\n<iframe title=\""O\" come=\"\" o=\"\" emmanuel=\"\" traditional=\"\" choir=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""150"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/7xtpJ4Q_Q-4?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/><\/body><\/html>\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Freya Parr Published: Wednesday, 03 November 2021 at 12:00 am The Advent period starts on the fourth Sunday before Christmas and ends on Christmas Eve and marks the lead up to Christmas. The tradition of celebrating Advent is believed to have been started by the Bishop Perpetuus in the Fifth Century, when he directed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":7204,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"3"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2021\/11\/best-advent-hymns-and-music-scaled.jpg",2560,1707,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2021\/11\/best-advent-hymns-and-music-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2021\/11\/best-advent-hymns-and-music-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2021\/11\/best-advent-hymns-and-music-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2021\/11\/best-advent-hymns-and-music-1024x683.jpg",800,534,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2021\/11\/best-advent-hymns-and-music-1536x1024.jpg",1536,1024,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2021\/11\/best-advent-hymns-and-music-2048x1366.jpg",2048,1366,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Freya Parr Published: Wednesday, 03 November 2021 at 12:00 am The Advent period starts on the fourth Sunday before Christmas and ends on Christmas Eve and marks the lead up to Christmas. 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