‘O Come, O Come Emmanuel’: Tracing the religious origins of popular Christmas carols.
This Christmas, many of us will sing our favourite carols. But how often do we ask where they come from?
Very rarely, if ever.
Some of these songs trace back centuries, each with its own story to tell. Take “In the Bleak Midwinter,” for instance — Christina Rossetti’s 1872 masterpiece brings together winter’s chill, the arrival of Christ and a gentle portrayal of the nativity. It culminates in that poignant moment of quiet reflection: The poem-turned-carol invites a depth of contemplation that resonates long after the last note fades.
‘O Come, O Come Emmanuel’: Tracing the religious origins of popular Christmas carols.
This Christmas, many of us will sing our favourite carols. But how often do we ask where they come from?
Very rarely, if ever.
Some of these songs trace back centuries, each with its own story to tell. Take “In the Bleak Midwinter,” for instance — Christina Rossetti’s 1872 masterpiece brings together winter’s chill, the arrival of Christ and a gentle portrayal of the nativity. It culminates in that poignant moment of quiet reflection: The poem-turned-carol invites a depth of contemplation that resonates long after the last note fades.