Carol

Carol, originally a term for a dance, or for songs intermingled with dancing, came afterwards to signify festive songs, particularly such as were sung at Christmas. In England the practice of singing Christmas carols was widely spread as early as the 15th century, to which date belong many of the carols printed in the collections of Ritson, Wright, and Sandys. Some of these ancient carols—'Cherry Tree Carol,' the 'Carol of St Stephen,' and others—preserve curious legends that have descended from a remote past. Unfortunately many of the traditional carols are not extant in early manuscript copies, and were greatly corrupted when they found their way into print. In the second half of the 18th century, a Birmingham publisher, T. Bloomer, did good service by issuing (in broadside form) all the carols that came to his notice. The first printed collection of carols came from the press of Wynkyn de Worde in 1521. A unique fragment of it is extant, containing the famous 'Boar's Head Carol,' which is still sung at Queen's College, Oxford, on Christmas-day. Another collection (of which only a fragment has come down), printed by Richard Kele, appeared about 1550. In Ravenscroft's Melismata (1611) is found the carol 'Remember, O thou Man,' with musical accompaniment; and there are well-known carols, of a somewhat later date, among the Rox-burghie Ballads. Besides the sacred carols that were sung in the open air, there were jovial carols that were sung at Christmas feasts. A small black-letter collection of these pieces was published in 1642, another in 1661, another is undated, and a fourth appeared in 1688. These collections, which are of the highest rarity, contain curious specimens of the songs that were sung by shepherds and ploughmen at Christmas entertainments in farmhouses. The Puritans did their best to discourage carol-singing; but the practice revived at the Restoration, and continued throughout the 18th century. None, writing early in the 19th century, predicted that in the course of a few years Christmas carols would be heard no more. His prediction has not been fulfilled; but for some time past it has been a growing practice to sing carols in churches instead of in the open air, and the quaint fantastic carols of old days are in consequence falling out of remembrance. William Sandys' Christmas Carols, Ancient and Modern (1833), is the most complete collection that has yet appeared of English carols. In France the singing of Christmas carols, called noëls, was common at an early date. Collections of noëls were published early in the 16th century. In 1701 a collection was published at Dijon, in the dialect of the country. Another edition, with the title, Noël Borquignon de Gui Barbzai, containing thirty-four noëls and two chansons, with music and glossary, appeared in 1720. Russian literature is very rich in carols, and religious songs generally. The best collection of them is by Bezsonov, under the title, Kalicki Perekhozhie, or 'The Wandering Cripples,' the singers being beggars and lame people who go about for charity. Many of the legends preserved in the Russian carols are of great antiquity. There is a large store of Manx carols, or caroal, but only a very few have been printed. The Liffyr Carolan, or 'Book of Carols' (Shrewsbury, 1740), contains sixty-six Welsh Christmas carols.