Are we singing Christmas carols wrong?

Have you ever noticed that the Christmas carols you sing from memory don't always perfectly match the original sheet music? In this post, we'll explore some of the small but meaningful changes that have crept into our most beloved holiday tunes.

Let's start with "O Come All Ye Faithful." Many churches and choirs include a passing note on the word "angels" in the first verse and beyond. However, the general consensus seems to be that this passing note is not technically part of the original score. Yet prestigious choirs like King's College, Cambridge incorporate it. So who's right?

Another example is "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel." The final "Emmanuel" in the refrain is sometimes extended and sometimes kept brief - both interpretations are valid and represent the evolution of the carol over time.

With "Hark the Herald Angels Sing," the rhythm of the lines before the final "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" refrain is often performed with a dotted rhythm, even though it's not written that way in hymnals. This seems to only occur in more contemporary arrangements, not in traditional church versions.

And in "Joy to the World," some versions extend the word "King" for an extra bar or two, while others cut it short. Again, both approaches appear in reputable recordings.

So what's the takeaway here? There's often no single "right" way to sing these carols. The key is to be on the same page as your congregation, choir, or accompanist. If you're a lone organist, go with what you know your community will be singing.

The goal at Christmas should be creating beautiful, unified music to celebrate the season - not rigidly enforcing personal preferences. A little flexibility and cooperation can go a long way towards an edifying, joyful performance of these timeless Christmas carols.