The Story behind ‘Away in a Manger’
Günther Simmermacher’s biography of a Christmas carol – Everybody knows the carol “Away In A Manger”, but nobody knows who wrote the words. One tradition has it that...
Biography of Hymns
The Story Behind ‘O Come All Ye Faithful’
One of the most beloved — and most Catholic — Christmas carols in the English language is also well-known by its Latin title. Where some may sing...
The Story of ‘While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks’
One might say that the much-loved “While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks” was the first Anglican Christmas carol: before its appearance in 1700, only the Psalms of David...
The Story of ‘We Three Kings’
Günther Simmermacher’s annual Biography of a Christmas carol Many of our beloved Christmas carols have come from the United States, and “We Three Kings” was the first...
The History of ‘Silent Night’
Translated into 140 languages, it may be the most famous Christmas hymn in the world. Günther Simmermacher looks at the history of ‘Silent Night’.
The History of a Famous Christmas Carol
‘Once In Royal David’s City’ was written as a catechism for children; today it is one of the most beloved Christmas carols. Günther Simmermacher looks at its...
The history of ‘God Rest You, Merry Gentlemen’
Once a folk carol sneered at by purists, ‘God Rest You, Merry Gentlemen’ has a profound Christian message. Günther Simmermacher looks at the carol’s history.
The story behind ‘Hark! The Herald Angels Sing’
The composer of the melody of one of the most popular Christmas carols didn’t want it used for sacred purposes, and the man who wrote the text...
The story behind ‘Joy to the World’ carol
At Christmas we sing ‘Joy To The World’, an accidental Christmas carol written over two centuries in two continents by two pioneers of Christian hymns. GUNTHER SIMMERMACHER...
Biographies of Christmas Carols
Christmas carols: we sing them in church, we hear them piped in the shops, we may have CDs of Josh Groban or Nat King Cole crooning them....
