First Nowell.png
First Nowell.png

The First Noel

$500.00
sold out

Traditional, arranged by David Willcocks

The original author of the English carol “The First Noel” remains unknown—the song was first published in its current form in the 1823 collection Carols Ancient and Modern, but was in circulation for centuries beforehand. The melody features phrasing and repetition that is unusual for the time, and one working theory precludes that the tune may actually be a harmony part to another carol that morphed into its own song over centuries of cultural transmission. Whether that’s the case or not, this carol serves as a reminder of art’s power as an intergenerational unifier that can endure long after the artists who created it. 

Traditional, arranged by David Willcocks

The original author of the English carol “The First Noel” remains unknown—the song was first published in its current form in the 1823 collection Carols Ancient and Modern, but was in circulation for centuries beforehand. The melody features phrasing and repetition that is unusual for the time, and one working theory precludes that the tune may actually be a harmony part to another carol that morphed into its own song over centuries of cultural transmission. Whether that’s the case or not, this carol serves as a reminder of art’s power as an intergenerational unifier that can endure long after the artists who created it.