{"product_id":"the-carols-of-christmas-a-celebration-of-the-surprising-stories-behind-your-favorite-holiday-songs-9780718031527","title":"The Carols of Christmas: A Celebration of the Surprising Stories Behind Your Favorite Holiday Songs","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrom Andrew Gant, Oxford professor and renowned British composer, \u003cem\u003eThe Carols of Christmas \u003c\/em\u003eis a joyous account of the history behind our favorite carols--from Advent through Epiphany. \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEveryone loves a carol--in the end, even Ebenezer Scrooge had a soft spot for them! They have the power to evoke a special type of mid-winter joy, like the aroma of gingerbread or the twinkle of lights on a tree. It's a kind of magic.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut how did they get that magic? Gant--a choirmaster, church musician, university professor, and writer--tells the story of twenty carols, each accompanied by lyrics and music, unraveling a captivating, and often surprising, tale of great musicians and thinkers, saints and pagans, shepherds and choirboys.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAlong the way, Gant answers some of the biggest questions he's received about these beloved carols over the years, including: \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHow did the most beloved carols come to be?\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWhy do we sing the versions of carols that we do?\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHow did these carols stand the test of time?\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eReaders get to delve into the history of favorites like \"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.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA charming book that brims with anecdote, expert knowledge, and Christmas spirit, \u003cem\u003eThe Carols of Christmas\u003c\/em\u003e is a fittingly joyous account of one of the best-loved musical traditions.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Thomas Nelson","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50655764283666,"sku":"9780718031527","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_e6763193-ea5a-4249-b85b-3111edc3cf86.jpg?v=1733382431","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-carols-of-christmas-a-celebration-of-the-surprising-stories-behind-your-favorite-holiday-songs-9780718031527","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}