Christmas Songs Initially Trivia Quiz

Answer: While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks

There is no exact date to the penning of the words of this carol, but it is generally ascribed to the English Poet Laureate (1692-1715), Nahum Tate, an Irish hymn writer and lyricist.
The most common melody that the carol is set to is a tune known as 'Winchester Old', probably taken from Christopher Tye's 'Acts of the Apostles' (1553).

Answer: O Come O Come Immanuel

This is thought to come, possibly, from a 12th century Latin text (Ecclesiastical) 'Veni Veni Emmanuel' which is used in the fourth week of Advent.
It was translated by Henry Sloane Coffin and John Mason Neale in the 19th century.
The words are an adaptation from Isaiah 7:14 which tells of God's promise to send a sign to Israel, whose name will be Emmanuel.

Answer: It Came Upon The Midnight Clear

The song was originally a poem written by Edmund Sears in 1849. The poem was set to a melody entitled 'Carol', composed by Richard Storrs Willis a year later, which is the most usual melody for the carol in the USA.
In the UK it was set to music entitled 'Noel' by Sir Arthur Sullivan, the tune best known in the UK.

Answer: Joy To The World

This is a very popular Christmas song, originally written by the English hymn writer and theologian, Isaac Watts, and based on Psalm 98 of the Old Testament.
Part of the melody is taken from Handel's 'Messiah' and arranged by Lowell Mason in 1839.
Versions have been recorded by Percy Faith in 1954, Boney M in 1984 and Whitney Houston in 1996 as part of the soundtrack of 'The Preacher's Wife'.

Answer: As With Gladness Men Of Old

The words of this carol were written by William Chatterton Dix, an English hymn writer, on 6th January 1859, for Epiphany.
At the time Dix was suffering from a life threatening illness and was confined to bed for many months, later suffering from depression.

Answer: You

The three popular versions of this song were produced by Carla Thomas in 1966 (reached #11 on the Billbord); Vince Vance and the Valiants in 1989, which peaked at #31 on Billboard's Hot Country chart, but not until 1994, and Mariah Carey's version which peaked at #12 on Billboard's Hot 100 in 1994.

Answer: Is My Two Front Teeth

This quirky little song was brought out in 1948 by Spike Jones and His City Slickers and it spent three weeks on Billboard's Records Most Played by Disc Jockeys chart.
It also reached #18 on Billboard's Best Selling Singles chart in 1950.
The song was composed by Donald Yetter Gardner in 1944 during a period when he taught music in schools in New York, and it took him 30 minutes to write!
Other versions have been done by The Platters, Nat King Cole, The Andrews Sisters and of course, the Sesame Street gang!

Answer: Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

The song was written in 1933 by J Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie and was first recorded by George Hall and the Hotel Taft Orchestra in 1934.
It is another song which has been covered many times, notably by The Jackson 5 in December 1970, when it reached #1 on Billboards Christmas chart and again in 1971.
It has also been covered by Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters in 1947, The Four Seasons in 1962, The Carpenters in 1975 and Michael Buble in 2011, all of which were excellent versions.

Answer: When A Child Is Born

Michael Holm did a version in 1974 where it reached #53 on the Billboard hot 100 and #7 on Billboard's Easy Listening chart, but the best and most noted version was by Johnny Mathis in 1976 which stayed at #1 on the UK singles chart.

Answer: White Christmas

The version which is best known and loved, by Bing Crosby, reached #1 on Billboard's National Best Selling Retail Records chart where it remained for 11 weeks.
It was written by Irving Berlin and was first heard in the film 'Holiday Inn'.