Welcome to Litsy!

From Oxford professor and renowned British composer, a joyous account of the history behind our favorite carols. Everyone loves a carol�in the end, even Ebenezer Scrooge. They have the power to summon up a special kind of mid-winter mood, 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? Andrew Gant�choirmaster, church musician, university professor, and writer�tells the story of some twenty carols, each accompanied by lyrics and music, unraveling a captivating, and often surprising, tale of great musicians and thinkers, saints and pagans, shepherd boys and choirboys. Readers get to delve into the history such favorites as �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, this is a fittingly joyous account of one of the best-loved musical traditions.