The Best Christmas Carols Album In The World...Ever!

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John Rutter’s music is always popular at this time of year, and after hearing the soaring melodies of the Candlelight Carol, it’s easy to see why.

The Choir of King’s College, Cambridge, who were founded in the 15th century, is undoubtedly one of the world’s best known choral groups – and their festive concerts have become internationally famous. One of the carols on which they excel is “Ding Dong Merrily on High,” which originated as a French dance tune. The lyrics, which include the stirring Latin line “Gloria, Hosanna in excelsis,” were written by English composer George Ratcliffe Woodward. It’s a gorgeous traditional carol. Choir Of King’s College, Cambridge: O Come All Ye Faithful Written by Scottish poet James Montgomery and first printed on Christmas Eve 1816, this carol sounds just as beautiful today as it did almost 200 years ago. The merriment here is rather sober, but not without its charms. There’s some welcome sparkle in Bednall’s brass writing and Chilcott’s entry has a wistfully sweet innocence. O Holy Night Your bleak Christmas starts here. Based on Icelandic folklore, this musical poem is dark, brooding and often eerily atmospheric. Beautiful, yes, but ‘ Jingle Bells’ it most certainly isn’t.

30. What Sweeter Music

All the words from your favourite carols, but unexpected music galore – thanks to interesting new settings by a varied quartet of composers. Well sung, though the sound is quite close. Nothing says ‘Christmas’ like a choral arrangement of ‘In The Bleak Midwinter’. But which one should you choose? There’s the popular version by Holst, or an arrangement by choral whizz Bob Chilcott – but you’re probably most likely to hear Harold Edward Darke’s setting. The choir of King’s College, Cambridge use it every year at Christmas. I grew up exposed to multiple religions. My dad’s side of the family were foot-washing Italian Catholics, while my mom’s side were Jews from New York. In college, my mom was reborn as a Christian, and for me as a kid, Easter with Nonno Giuseppe was as big of a deal as going to seder at temple with my Popi Mel. Now on every Christmas morning, my mom and I listen to A Christmas Album by Barbra Streisand, a collection of spectacular renditions of yule-time classics by not just a Jewish woman, but one of the most notable and beloved Jews in show business. Moments like Babs’ broadway pizzaz on “Jingle Bells?” to her church choir-worthy range on “Sleep In Heavenly Peace (Silent Night)” to her impeccable singing in Latin on “Gounod’s Ave Maria,” have made A Christmas Album one of the top 10 Christmas albums of all time, selling over 5.3 million copies. And for my mom and I, the juxtaposition of faiths across each of the album’s splendid 33 minutes is a constant reminder of accepting and respecting every person’s God-given right to believe and worship whatever and however they’d like. Nothing is more fitting over the holidays than that. —Adrian Spinelli This carol represents the moment in the Bible when Angel Gabriel visits Mary, and declares she is to bear the son of God. The text quotes the Gospel of Luke, while the melody is taken from Basque tradition. There's a misconception that ‘The First Noel’ is French, because of the spelling of ‘Noël’. But it is actually of Cornish origin, with most hymn sheets opting for the old English Anglo-Saxon spelling, Nowell.

In which the cream of A&M Records’ easy listening artists – Herb Alpert, Burt Bacharach and Sérgio Mendez among them – offer up a Christmas album as velvety-smooth as eggnog. The highlight: Claudine Longet’s delicate confection of strings, acoustic guitar and breathy vocals, Snow. 18. Various artists – Ghosts of Christmas Past (1981)Right after World War II, when Muddy Waters was roughing up the blues in Chicago, Charles Brown was smoothing them out in Los Angeles. In 1947, he wrote and sang the most enduring R&B Christmas song ever penned, “Merry Christmas, Baby,” (though the credit went to his bandleader Johnny Moore), later the basis for one of Elvis Presley’s greatest performances. He also sang and wrote “Please Come Home for Christmas,” another timeless standard. Never has an artist been better served by the December holiday. —Geoffrey Himes With celebratory bell-ringing and a cheery chorus of ‘Gloria’s’, it’s near impossible to dislike thiswonderfully festive carol. The tune first appeared as a secular dance tune, in a book on dance written by Jehan Tabourot. Nelson wrote his enduring Christmas classic, “Pretty Paper,” inspired by a memory of a legless man in Fort Worth who pushed himself down the sidewalk on rollers and sold gift wrap. Roy Orbison turned it into a Top 20 single in 1963, and Nelson re-recorded it for this 1979 album produced by Booker T. Jones of the MGs. A country singer with a Texas twang and jazz phrasing, Nelson can make the most familiar songs sound new, especially slow numbers such as “White Christmas” and “Blue Christmas.” —Geoffrey Himes Rather than celebrating the birth of Christ, the text of this hymn represents Christ’s triumphant return. The words, dreamed up by English writer Isaac Watts, are based on the second half of Psalm 98 in the Bible. In the late ’90s, it was named the most-published Christmas hymn in North America. You can just feel the merriness pouring out of it.