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...
Category: Biography of Hymns
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....
Biography of Hymns: ‘How Great Thou Art’
Sweden’s gifts to the world of music include pop giants ABBA, the great soprano Birgit Nilson, the classical composer Carl Michael Bellman and one of the world’s...
Biography of Hymns: It Is Well With My Soul
GUNTHER SIMMERMACHERlooks at the history of the hymn It Is Well With My Soul. The hymns we sing in church, one would think, were written in a...
More biographies of Christmas carols
GUNTHER SIMMERMACHER explores the history of some more popular Christmas hymns and songs. O Little Town Of Bethlehem In 1865, the 29-year-old American Episcopalian (US Anglican) minister Phillips...
