Best Loved Carols

Behind the Christmas songs we love to sing lie fascinating stories that will enrich your holiday celebration. Taking you inside the nativity of over thirty favorite songs and carols, Ace Collins introduces you to people you’ve never met, stories you’ve never heard, and meanings you’d never have imagined. The next time you and your family sing "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," you’ll have a new understanding of its message and popular roots. You’ll discover how "Angels from the Realms of Glory," with its sublime lyrics and profound theology, helped usher in a quiet revolution in worship. You’ll learn the strange history of the haunting and powerful "O Holy Night," including the song’s surprising place in the history of modern communications. And you’ll step inside the life of Mark Lowry and find out how he came to pen the words to the contemporary classic "Mary, Did You Know?"Still other songs such as "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" trace back to mysterious origins--to ninth-century monks, nameless clergy, and unknown commoners of ages past. Joining hands with such modern favorites as "White Christmas" and "The Christmas Song," they are part of the legacy of inspiration, faith, tears, love, and spiritual joy that is Christmas. From the rollicking appeal of "Jingle Bells" to the tranquil beauty of "Silent Night," the great songs of Christmas contain messages of peace, hope, and truth. Each in its own way expresses a facet of God’s heart and celebrates the birth of his greatest gift to the world--Jesus, the most wonderful Christmas Song of all.

Includes sound disc "Best-loved Christmas carols."

Ace Collins has dug deep to uncover the true stories behind your favorite Christmas songs. Explore how these songs came into being, and discover a deeper appreciation for these melodic messages of peace, hope, and joy that celebrate the birth of Jesus.

A creative gift package of 25 Favorite Carols that includes fascinating history, timeless art, carol lyrics, and a glorious music CD. Highly Educational and Entertaining. Increase your knowledge about Christmas music with this lavishly illustrated history about our the origin of carols from the 13th to 19th period and the fascinating stories behind 25 favorite carols.Beautiful Treasury of Art. Experience the color of magnificent works of art by Rembrandt, Bottecelli, Peter Paul Rubens, Edward Burne-Jones, Fra Angelico, Jan Steen and other famous artists. Traditional Favorites. Enjoy the classical sounds of Joy to the World, Silent Night, Adeste Fideles, O Tannenbaum, Hark! The Herald Angels, Deck the Halls with Boughs of Holly, and other best-loved carols performed by world renowned choirs and orchestras, such as the Vienna Boys Choir, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra & Chorus.Family Heirloom. Part of the planned ground-breaking series of Christmas music products titled THE MILLENNIA COLLECTION, this first volume helps to explain in part the development of Christmas music since the early centuries of Christianity.Holiday Customs. Learn about the evolution of the Christmas tree from the days of the Roman Empire, the significance of the holly and the ivy, the remarkable tale of Silent Night, and more interesting facts about Christmas. Bonus Songbook. Participate in a favorite holiday pastime of caro singing with an easy-to-use Songbook and its stylishly designed music scores. A nice touch for home enjoyment. Sumptuous Gift Package. Here's an opportunity to own one of the most important collection of Christmas carols, one which combines History, Art, Carol and Song Lyrics, and Music CDs in a creative package.

(Piano/Vocal/Guitar Songbook). This collection features over 20 popular modern Christmas songs by today's top artists arranged for piano and voice with guitar chord frames. Includes: Christmas Lights (Coldplay) * Christmas Saves the Year (Twenty One Pilots) * Christmas Tree Farm (Taylor Swift) * Cozy Little Christmas (Katy Perry) * Everyday Is Christmas (Sia) * Glittery (Kacey Musgraves) * Hallelujah (Carrie Underwood & John Legend) * He Shall Reign Forevermore (Chris Tomlin) * I Need You Christmas (Jonas Brothers) * Light of the World (Lauren Daigle) * Mistletoe (Justin Bieber) * Santa Tell Me (Ariana Grande) * Underneath the Tree (Kelly Clarkson) * and more.

From Andrew Gant, Oxford professor and renowned British composer, The Carols of Christmas is a joyous account of the history behind our favorite carols--from Advent through Epiphany. Everyone loves a carol--in the end, even Ebenezer Scrooge had a soft spot for them! They have the power to evoke a special type of mid-winter joy, like the aroma of gingerbread or the twinkle of lights on a tree. It's a kind of magic. But how did they get that magic? Gant--a choirmaster, church musician, university professor, and writer--tells the story of twenty carols, each accompanied by lyrics and music, unraveling a captivating, and often surprising, tale of great musicians and thinkers, saints and pagans, shepherds and choirboys. Along the way, Gant answers some of the biggest questions he's received about these beloved carols over the years, including: How did the most beloved carols come to be? Why do we sing the versions of carols that we do? How did these carols stand the test of time? Readers get to delve into the history of favorites like "Good King Wenceslas," "Away in a Manger," and "O, Tannenbaum," discovering along the way how "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing" came to replace "Hark, how all the welkin' ring" and how Ralph Vaughan Williams applied the tune of an English folk song about a dead ox to a poem by a nineteenth-century American pilgrim to make "O Little Town of Bethlehem." A charming book that brims with anecdote, expert knowledge, and Christmas spirit, The Carols of Christmas is a fittingly joyous account of one of the best-loved musical traditions.

A collection of favourite Christmas carols, poetry and readings – a perfect Christmas gift.