[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 202 (Thursday, December 7, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H6737-H6739]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   SHARING CHRISTMAS CAROL HISTORIES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 9, 2023, the Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas (Mr. 
Carter) for 30 minutes.
  Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, as Christmas approaches, I rise to 
share the histories behind the most beloved Christmas carols.
  My wife found a book, and I started reading it at breakfast one 
morning. I thought it was really interesting to know where Christmas 
carols came from. I thought I would come up here and share this with my 
colleagues and with the rest of the country that cares.
  I have done three of these now, and I have 30 minutes to do a bunch 
more. Today, we are going to talk about a lot of them.
  The first one is ``It Came Upon the Midnight Clear.'' It was written 
and composed by two men from similar backgrounds who never met.
  Edmund Hamilton Sears was a Unitarian minister and graduate of 
Harvard Divinity School. Sears, who preferred a quiet life among his 
New England congregation, emphasized Jesus' message of peace on Earth, 
good will towards men. The words to ``It Came Upon the Midnight Clear'' 
first appeared in print in 1850 in the Christian Registry.
  By contrast, composer Richard S. Willis led a very public life as an 
editor

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and critic with the New York Tribune. Willis composed carols while 
acting as a vestryman at The Little Church Around the Corner in New 
York City.
  The music of the carol was matched with Sears' words years later, and 
here are the results. I can't sing, so don't ask me to sing. I am going 
to read them, although I sing them in church.

     It came upon the midnight clear,
     that glorious song of old,
     from angels bending near the Earth
     to touch their harps of gold:
     ``Peace on the Earth, good will to men,
     from Heaven's all-gracious king.''
     The world in solemn stillness lay,
     to hear the angels sing.
     Still through the cloven skies they come
     with peaceful wings unfurled,
     and still their heavenly music floats
     o'er all the weary world;
     above its sad and lowly plains,
     they bend on hovering wing,
     and ever o'er its Babel sounds
     the blessed angel sing.
     For lo! the days are hastening on,
     by prophet seen of old,
     when with the ever-circling years
     shall come the time foretold
     when peace shall over all the Earth
     its ancient splendors fling,
     and the whole world send back the song
     which now the angels sing.

  The lyrics of ``Joy to the World'' are based on Psalm 98, which 
reads:

     Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the Earth
     Make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise
     Make a joyful noise to the Lord, the king.

  In 1719, English minister Isaac Watts wrote more than 600 hymns for 
children and adults, many of which are still sung today. Among his many 
admirers was Benjamin Franklin.
  The music's composer was Lowell Mason, the father of American church 
music. He devoted his life to music education, eventually composing 
more than 1,600 religious works. Mason called his composition 
``Antioch,'' a reference to the Syrian city where Jesus' Disciples 
first came to be called Christians. Here are the words of the song:

     Joy to the world, the Lord is come
     Let Earth receive her king
     Let every heart prepare Him room
     And Heaven and nature sing
     And Heaven and nature sing
     And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing
     Joy to the Earth, the Savior reigns
     Let all their songs employ
     While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
     Repeat the sounding joy
     Repeat the sounding joy
     Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy
     He rules the world with truth and grace
     And makes the nations prove
     The glories of His righteousness
     And wonders of His love
     And wonders of His love
     And wonders, wonders, of His love

  There is a great deal of myth and conjecture around ``O Come, All Ye 
Faithful.'' Until about 1900, people believed that this hymn could be 
traced back to the 13th century and that St. Bonaventure possibly 
composed the original Latin words.
  A clergyman named Dom John Stephan researched the original manuscript 
and discovered that John Francis Wade wrote it. Wade, a Roman Catholic, 
lived in Douai, France, where he earned his living copying and teaching 
music. Composed between 1740 and 1744, the hymn became quite well known 
locally.
  Here are the words to the song:

     O come, all ye faithful,
     Joyful and triumphant,
     O come ye, o come ye to Bethlehem.
     Come and behold Him, born the
     King of angels.
     O come, let us adore Him,
     O come, let us adore Him,
     O come, let us adore Him,
     Christ, the Lord.
     Sing, choirs of angels,
     Sing in exultation;
     Sing all ye citizens of Heaven above:
     Glory to God in the highest.
     O come, let us adore Him,
     O come, let us adore Him,
     O come, let us adore Him,
     Christ, the Lord.
     Yea, Lord, we greet Thee,
     Born this happy morning;
     Jesus, to Thee be glory given;
     Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing.
     O come, let us adore Him,
     O come, let us adore Him,
     O come, let us adore Him,
     Christ, the Lord.

  The next one is one I like a lot. As Phillips Brooks approached the 
village of Bethlehem on Christmas Eve, 1866, he imagined the holy 
family on their journey nearly 2,000 years before. The holy land was 
still singing in his soul when he wrote ``O Little Town of Bethlehem'' 
for a children's Sunday school class 2 years later.

     O little town of Bethlehem
     How still we see Thee lie
     Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
     The silent stars go by
     Yet in thy dark streets shineth
     The everlasting light
     The hopes and fears of all the years
     Are met in Thee tonight
     For Christ was born of Mary
     And gathered all above
     While mortals sleep, the angels keep
     Their watch of wondering love
     O morning stars together
     Proclaim Thy holy birth
     And praises sing to God the king
     And peace to men on Earth
     O holy child of Bethlehem,
     descend to us, we pray;
     cast out our sin and enter in;
     be born in us today.
     We hear the Christmas angels,
     the great glad tidings tell;
     O come to us, abide with us,
     our Lord Emmanuel!

                              {time}  1315

  My wife is Dutch, and she learned this song in German where it was 
originally written. When we sing it in church, she throws me off a 
little by singing in German, but it is still the same song.
  ``Silent Night'' possesses a simple dignity and power like the alpine 
setting where it was written. Popular legend states that Joseph Mohr, 
the carol's composer, a village priest in the little Austrian town of 
Oberndorf, penned the words to ``Silent Night'' on Christmas Eve. He 
became distraught when the organ in his church broke down and couldn't 
be repaired in time for Christmas services. He enlisted a friend, a 
musician, Franz Gruber, to compose a guitar accompaniment for the song.
  The image of a starry night, the little church, and the lone guitar 
is one of enduring humility and quiet beauty. Mohr wrote several 
arrangements for ``Silent Night.''

     Silent night, holy night,
     All is calm, all is bright.
     Round yon virgin, Mother and Child,
     Holy infant so tender and mild,
     Sleep in heavenly peace,
     Sleep in heavenly peace.
     Silent night, holy night,
     Shepherds quake at the sight.
     Glories stream from Heaven afar,
     Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia;
     Christ the Savior is born;
     Christ the Savior is born.
     Silent night, holy night,
     Son of God, love's pure light,
     Radiant beams from Thy holy face,
     With the dawn of redeeming grace,
     Jesus, Lord at Thy birth;
     Jesus, Lord at Thy birth.

  The first written record of ``The First Noel'' appeared in William 
Sandys' 1833 edition of ``Christmas Carols, Ancient and Modern.'' Folk 
songs enjoyed a revival in 19th century England, and there are several 
collections like Sandys that include this carol.

     The first noel, the angel did say,
     Was to certain poor shepherds in fields where they lay;
     In fields where they lay keeping their sheep,
     On a cold winter's night that was so deep.
     Noel, noel, noel, noel,
     Born is the king of Israel.
     They looked up and saw a star,
     Shining in the east beyond them far;
     And to the Earth it gave great light,
     And so it continued day and night.
     Noel, noel, noel, noel,
     Born is the king of Israel.
     And by the light of that same star
     Three wise men came from country far;
     To seek for a king was their intent,
     And to follow the star wherever it went.
     Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,
     Born is the king of Israel.
     This star drew nigh to the northwest;
     O'er Bethlehem it took its rest,
     And there it did stop and stay
     Right over the place where Jesus lay.
     Noel, noel, noel, noel,
     Born is the king of Israel.

  The melody of ``Greensleeves'' is so old that it is impossible to 
date. We know that Queen Elizabeth I danced to the melody and that 
Shakespeare mentioned it in ``The Merry Wives of Windsor.''
  As with other carols, traditional music made a late marriage to 
sacred words. The English hymn writer William Dix composed these words 
under the title ``The Manger Throne.''

     What child is this, who, laid to rest
     On Mary's lap is sleeping?
     Whom angels greet with voices sweet,
     While shepherds watch are keeping?
     This, this is Christ the king
     Whom shepherds guard and angels sing.
     Haste, haste, to bring Him praise,
     The babe, the Son of Mary.
     Why lies He in such mean estate
     Where ox and ass are feeding?
     Good Christian, fear for the sinners here,
     The silent Word is pleading.

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     This, this is Christ the king,
     Whom shepherds guard and angels sing.
     Haste, haste to bring him praise,
     The babe, the Son of Mary.
     So bring him incense, gold, and myrrh,
     Come peasant king to own Him.
     The king of kings, salvation brings,
     Let loving hearts enthrone Him.
     This, this is Christ the king
     Whom shepherds guard and angels sing.
     Haste, haste, to bring him laud,
     The babe, the Son of Mary.

  It is my hope that you will enjoy these histories and think about 
them as you celebrate the holiday season.
  On behalf of the people of my district in central Texas, I wish each 
of you a merry Christmas and a happy Hanukkah.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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