Publication Sept. 6 Shadow Mountain Publishing
Savor this one. I deliberately only allowed myself to read one carol's story per day so as to create the spirit of the title. It not only allowed me to fully take in the background and history shared but time to think about what I'd learned, too, in the midst of my everyday life. It was a complete delight.
Although some of the songs were unfamiliar to me, it didn't matter. Not only are the lyrics and background provided but there was a link to a performance of each song provided in the digital copy I read. (It's my understanding there will be a QR code available to access this in print versions.) In the process, I learned a great deal such as that "Angels We Have Heard On High" is considered a "macaronic" hymn in that the lyrics alternate between Latin and another language, and that "Carol of the Bells" origins are Ukrainian. Beginning life as a folk song basically celebrating winter, it was first performed at Kiev University in 1916 and seems to have made its first American appearance at Carnegie Hall in 1921. "Silent Night" was one of the songs performed by the Von Trapp Family of "Sound of Music" fame when they performed across Europe.
And, oh, so much more. These little details, connecting time periods and people of the times pop up throughout. There's sure to be something for everyone. Even the carols that weren't familiar to me had intriguing back stories, so I thoroughly enjoyed my read and listening to the songs via the links provided. For the more scholarly among us, there is an extensive bibliography provided at the end. Enjoy! I know I did.
Thanks to #NetGalley and #ShadowMountainPublishing for allowing me to tune into this celebration of Christmas. The ties to history and events were fascinating and, of course, what is Christmas without Christmas carols?
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