Another Carol of the Day post for Blogmas! While I do not celebrate the religious holiday of Christmas currently (there is a separate secular holiday), I still adore Christmas carols. They are an intrinsic part of the holiday season for me, and I could not give them up! Today we are moving on to another one of my favourites: “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”. I’ve always loved this carol but it was cemented for me when it was featured in the 2018 Grinch!
Christmas Carols: What Are They?
This may be old hat for anyone who has read the previous Carol of the Day posts, but in case you are new… Christmas carols are specifically songs that are about the Nativity and/or those who were involved with it. If it does not feature either of those subjects, it is a Christmas or holiday song, not a carol. (That does not mean that it isn’t a great song, though.)
History of “God Rest”
It’s thought that “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” dates back to the sixteenth century, but its first recorded publishing was in the nineteenth century. (The World Encyclopedia of Christmas, 94) This is one of those carols that actually was sung to several different tunes until we landed on the permanent choice we have now.
It has a particular place of prominence in holiday history as a group of carolers in A Christmas Carol were singing “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”, at least until Scrooge scared them away…
“God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” Lyrics
Is “God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman” on your holiday playlist?
Cheers,
The Historian
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