| This holiday season, the Web will have an | | | | and mirthfulness. Music in itself has become one |
| abundance of free Christmas music available for | | | | of the greatest tributes to Christmas, and includes |
| downloading. This includes many different types of | | | | some of the noblest compositions of the great |
| songs written for the mid-winter celebration. | | | | musicians. �Interestingly enough,� |
| Christmas songs that are traditional, but do not | | | | reports Petro, �during the British |
| have religious content, are called carols. Some of | | | | Commonwealth government under Cromwell, the |
| the more popular Christmas carols include | | | | British Parliament prohibited the practice of singing |
| �Deck the Halls� and. | | | | Christmas carols as pagan and sinful. Its pagan |
| �We Wish You a Merry | | | | roots in the 13th century and its overly |
| Christmas.� Songs like �O Come | | | | "democratic" 14th century influences made it an |
| All Ye Faithful� that do express religious | | | | unsuitable activity for the general public and it was |
| sentiments are known as hymns. There are also | | | | to be mandated so, by the Commonwealth |
| songs written for movies that do not have | | | | government of 1647.� Puritans at this |
| specific Christmas themes, but are thought of as | | | | time disapproved as well of the celebration of |
| Christmas songs because they are associated | | | | Christmas, according to Petro, and did not close |
| with the mid-winter festivities. These include songs | | | | shop on that day, but continued to work through |
| like �White Christmas� and | | | | December 25. During this brief interlude in English |
| Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer.� Of late, | | | | history, during which there was no monarch, this |
| there are even songs that parody the traditional | | | | activity by the populace was to remain illegal. But |
| Christmas music that has become so well-known | | | | this activity was prohibited only as long as the |
| to all of us. Music has been a major feature of | | | | Commonwealth survived, and in 1660, when |
| the Christmas holiday since ancient times. | | | | Charles II restored the Stuarts to the throne, the |
| According to Christmas song historian Bill Petro, | | | | public was once again able to practice the singing |
| the first chants, litanies, and hymns were in Latin | | | | of Christmas carols. Today, many people wonder |
| and too theological for popular use. The 13th | | | | whether "Christmas" is truly a religious celebration |
| century found the rise of the carol written in the | | | | honoring the birth of Christ or a commercial |
| vernacular under the influence of Francis of Assisi. | | | | celebration of winter. In truth, it is a mixture of |
| The word carol comes from the Greek word | | | | both. Clearly, new technology allows more people |
| choraulein. A choraulein was an ancient circle dance | | | | than ever before to enjoy the Christmas season. |
| performed to flute music. In the Middle Ages, the | | | | If Christ and the Apostles were alive today, they |
| English combined circle dances with singing and | | | | probably would be downloading Christmas |
| called them carols. Later, the word carol came to | | | | MP3�s. |
| mean a song in which a religious topic was treated | | | | Download Christmas Music for free on our site. |
| in a style that was familiar or festive. From Italy, | | | | You can also download and listen to Top |
| it passed to France and Germany, and later to | | | | Christmas Songs on our site. |
| England, everywhere retaining its simplicity, fervor, | | | | |