Holidays in the Valley : Facts About Carols, From Mozart to Elvis

Christmas music is sweet, soothing and familiar, whether it’s performed by a world-class orchestra, a budding violinist, a famous country-Western singer or an opera diva.

It’s also widely available. Recordings can be found of favorite holiday carols, pop tunes and classical pieces interpreted by symphonies, choirs, soloists, rock and country-Western artists and even in electronically synthesized mixes.

And that’s not even mentioning the barking dog rendition of “Jingle Bells.”

Aspiring musicians can find the sounds of Christmas in sheet form, so they’re easily equipped with all the notes and words needed for an evening of caroling, a performance in church or a solo in front of the relatives.

The following are some interesting facts about a few Christmas selections from “The Christmas Almanack” by Gerard and Patricia Del Re (Doubleday & Co.):

CAROLS

“Angels We Have Heard on High”: Although its author is unknown, musicologists have determined that this French tune was probably created around the 18th Century.

“Deck the Halls With Boughs of Holly”: A purely secular song, this Welsh carol was well-known enough by the 18th Century to appear in a composition by Mozart.

“I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day”: Great American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow would probably be surprised that his poem is now one of our most popular carols.

“What Child Is This?”: The first reference to the haunting folk song “Greensleeves” was made in the 1500s, and it has since been used for many purposes.

CLASSICAL

“The Messiah”: During the weeks when he was writing this three-hour oratorio, George Friedrich Handel behaved like a madman. He shut himself into his room and barely ate or slept for three weeks. When he did eat, he continued to write with the hand that wasn’t holding the bread. The masterpiece was completed in 24 days.

“Hansel and Gretel”: Engelbert Humperdinck began this well-known, full-length Christmas opera when he created some songs to accompany a little play his sister had written for her children to perform at home, which was based on the familiar story by the Brothers Grimm. He then expanded his simple tunes into an opera that was first performed a few days before Christmas in 1893 in Weimar, Germany .

POPULAR

“Frosty the Snowman”: Written by Steve Nelson and Jack Rollins in 1950, this story of a song was recorded by Gene Autry, and was the best-selling Christmas record of 1951.

“Blue Christmas”: This Christmas tune was written in 1945 and recorded several times. But it was Elvis Presley who made it a big hit in the 1950s.

“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”: Like “White Christmas” and “Silver Bells,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” was performed by Judy Garland in the 1944 feature film “Meet Me in St. Louis.”