A Christmas carol is a carol on the theme of Christmas, traditionally sung at Christmas itself or during the surrounding Christmas holiday season. The term noel has sometimes been used, especially for carols of French origin. Christmas carols may be regarded as a subset of the broader category of Christmas music.
"It Came Upon the Midnight Clear", sometimes rendered as "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear", is an 1849 poem and Christmas carol written by Edmund Sears, pastor of the Unitarian Church in Wayland, Massachusetts. In 1850, Sears' lyrics were set to "Carol", a tune written for the poem the same year at his request, by Richard Storrs Willis. This pairing remains the most popular in the United States, while in Commonwealth countries, the lyrics are set to "Noel", a later adaptation by Arthur Sullivan from an English melody.
Christmas is the first Christmas worship album of Christian Contemporary music composed of Christmas songs by the Hillsong Church. It was released, in Australia, for Christmas in 2001 and appeared in international markets by September 2001.
Merry Christmas from London is an album of Christmas music, released in 1993 by country music artist Lorrie Morgan. It features duets with guest stars Andy Williams, Johnny Mathis, and Tammy Wynette. The New World Philharmonic and Choir provide traditional orchestral and vocal backing throughout the album.
Ella Fitzgerald's Christmas is a 1967 studio album by Ella Fitzgerald. It was her second and last Christmas album. Unlike Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas, her previous Christmas album which was entirely secular, this album consists only of religious Christmas songs. It was her second album for Capitol Records. It charted at #27 on Billboard's Holiday Albums chart.
Dream a Dream is the third album by Welsh soprano Charlotte Church, released in 2000. The album is principally a collection of Christmas carols but also includes the non-Christmas title track "Dream a Dream", Church's first foray into a more pop-influenced genre, composed by James Shearman and Simon Greenaway based on the melody from Fauré's "Pavane" with lyrics by Sam Babenia.
Bradley Joseph is an American composer, arranger, and producer of contemporary instrumental music. His compositions include works for orchestra, quartet, and solo piano, while his musical style ranges from "quietly pensive mood music to a rich orchestration of classical depth and breadth".
Songs for Christmas is a box set of five separate EPs of Christmas-related songs and carols recorded by independent musician Sufjan Stevens between 2001 and 2006. The EPs had been given as gifts to friends and family of Stevens over the past six years, except for 2004 when he was too busy recording the Illinois album. Though the first three EPs had already been available on Sufjan Stevens-related fansites for several years, Songs for Christmas is the first official release of these EPs. Most of the tracks are versions of traditional Christmas songs, with a number of original compositions such as "Sister Winter" and "Star of Wonder". Sufjan Stevens has developed a reputation for being a devoted Christian and many of the songs he chose for inclusion on Songs for Christmas are religious in nature, including his original compositions.
Rapture is the second album by Bradley Joseph, and his debut album on the Narada label, released in March 1997. This is an instrumental album in which Joseph wrote and conducted all of the scores. In addition to incorporating a core band including violinist Charlie Bisharat and drummer Charlie Adams, he used a 50-piece orchestra. It is an "expression of a life's work and dreams", featuring intimate piano pieces, quartets and full orchestrations, "combining smooth jazz with contemporary instrumental themes". It reached New Age Voice (NAV)'s "Airwaves Top 30" at No. 15 in July 1997.
Solo Journey is Bradley Joseph's third album and first album on his own record label, Robbins Island Music.
One Deep Breath is Bradley Joseph's fifth album. It held a position on NAV's top 100 radio chart for over six months.
The Journey Continues is Bradley Joseph's sixth album. A sequel to Solo Journey, this album was written after sound checks during Yanni's Ethnicity World Tour. "Soft piano to calm, compose, and renew".
Bradley Ellingboe is an American composer, conductor, and bass-baritone singer.
Christmas with the Everly Brothers and the Boystown Choir is an album by The Everly Brothers, originally released in 1962. This Christmas album includes the 33-member Boys Town Choir and the Boys Town organ in Omaha, Nebraska.
Home for the Holidays is the fifty-second album by American singer/guitarist Glen Campbell, released in 1993.
Country Christmas is the fourth Christmas album and 78th overall album by American country singer Johnny Cash, released on Laserlight Digital in 1991, in-between Cash's contracts with Mercury Records and American Recordings.
Christmas 25th Anniversary Collection is a compilation album by Mannheim Steamroller. It is the group's eleventh Christmas album overall. It was released in 2009 as a double CD by American Gramaphone, and features 25 Christmas songs. It contains songs from their Mannheim Steamroller Christmas (1984), A Fresh Aire Christmas (1988), Christmas in the Aire (1995), My Little Christmas Tree (1997), The Christmas Angel: A Family Story (1998), Christmas Extraordinaire (2001), Christmas Song (2007) and Christmasville (2008).
Ríu Ríu Chíu, also known as Ríu Chíu, is a Spanish villancico that has attained some contemporary fame as a Christmas carol.
We Need a Little Christmas is the fifth Christmas album by American pop singer Andy Williams that was released by Unison Music in 1995. It gives an adult contemporary treatment to songs that Williams had previously recorded for 1963's The Andy Williams Christmas Album, 1965's Merry Christmas, 1974's Christmas Present, and 1990's I Still Believe in Santa Claus and includes three songs that Williams had not recorded before. In a brief note on the back of the jewel case Williams writes, "These all-new recordings feature fresh, innovative arrangements of some of my favorite carols. I felt like I was singing them for the very first time."
I Wish You a Merry Christmas was a long-playing vinyl album of Christmas themed songs recorded by Bing Crosby for his own company, Project Records, and issued by Warner Bros. (W-1484) in 1962.
