Hosted by Unknown Host · 🇺🇸 US · EN · 24 episodes
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It’s the most wonderful time of the year! The cookies, the mistletoe, the lights...oh, and the music! For Christians, Christmas carols mark a season of hope and the celebration of Jesus’ birth. Even in popular culture, these iconic jingles capture a warmth, a cheer and a nostalgia that transcends religious belonging. But where do these beloved yuletide songs come from? What inspired the people who composed them? How did they become popular and even mainstream? And what impact do their ancient Christian messages have on an increasingly post-Christian culture? America Media presents “Hark!” a podcast on the meaning and the making of our most beloved Christmas carols and their time-honored traditions.
Unknown Host hosts Hark! The stories behind our favorite Christmas carols, a music show with 24 episodes published.
“O Little Town of Bethlehem” has shaped how millions of English speakers imagine the Palestinian town where Jesus was born: a small place, still and peaceful, resting under the stars. The wars and struggles of recent dec
Did you know that when a ewe rejects her newborn lamb, the shepherd has only hours to convince her to nurse it—or the lamb will die? This is the work of shepherds—staying awake through the night when lambs are being born
We often imagine angels as gentle and serene. But in Scripture they arrive in blinding light and overwhelming sound—so much so that their first words are almost always “Do not be afraid.” These are the messengers who bur
Most Christmas carols celebrate the birth of Jesus. But not “The Coventry Carol,” the premiere episode of “Hark!” season five. This song centers on a biblical horror: the “massacre of the innocents,” King Herod’s order t
On the final episode of Hark! this season, prepare yourselves for a wee bit of scandal because we’re looking at a tune that began as a bawdy love song and has long been associated with an evil monarch, but which, over th
If you’re in search of an ancient, theologically rich carol this season, look no further than “Of the Father’s Love Begotten.” Long before it became a Christmas carol in the 19th century, this hymn was first penned as a
On this episode of “Hark!”, we follow the beat of a modern carol that has gained worldwide fame, yet was composed almost while napping. It is a tale about a figure the Bible never mentions, but whose bold gift leads us s
To kick off the fourth season of “Hark! The stories behind our favorite Christmas carols” we’re embarking on an adventure to learn about an American-born carol that features some classic nativity characters—figures that,
Our final episode of Hark! this season departs from the usual nativity of Christ in a manger, surrounded by shepherds and angels on high. Instead, our carol centers on the singular icon of a rose. “Lo, How a Rose E’er Bl
We’re looking at a song that is indisputably a Christmas carol but with a reach that extends to every season – “Go Tell It on the Mountain.” It belongs to a collection of historic Negro Spirituals, which likely started o
“The Wexford Carol” is heralded as Ireland’s oldest recorded Christmas carol. It’s been performed by world class cellist Yo-Yo Ma and American country music star Allison Krauss. Yet, the history of this carol is difficul
Hark! Season 3 debuts with a crowd favorite- “O Holy Night.” Born as a French poem in 1843, and set to music a few years later, this carol was banned for two decades from the Catholic Mass. It resurfaced in the hands of
Hark! Season 3 debuts November 26 with new episodes dropping every Sunday leading up to Christmas. Be sure to follow Hark! on your favorite podcast app and never miss a beat. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megap
For our last episode of the season, we’re blasting “Joy to the World” a carol that for many is synonymous with Christmas, but which has almost nothing to do with the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. The prolific hymn writer,
“In the Bleak Midwinter” is the greatest carol of all time! Or, that’s what choir directors and choral experts across the U.S. and the U.K. told BBC Magazine in the 2008 poll that earned it this fame. This haunting carol
The Huron Carol may not be especially well-known by Americans, but in Canada, this song is a national treasure! It has been performed by some of Canada’s biggest recording artists, from Sarah McLachlan to Toronto Childre
We’re traveling to bitter-cold Bohemia to dig deep into the story of a 10th-century duke turned king turned saint: Good King Wenceslas. The legend of Wenceslas’ generosity and faith has reverberated throughout time, but
We’re ringing in the second season of Hark! with “Carol of the Bells,” or “Shchedryk.” Originally derived from a Ukrainian folk song, this Christmas classic crossed the Atlantic to become a major sensation, debuting at C
It is hard to imagine a midnight Mass on Christmas Eve without Silent Night. Musicians may treat it differently—singing it a cappella, with spare chords on the organ in the background, or to the gentle picking of a guita
O Come, All Ye Faithful is a rousing, controversial and some might even say, miraculous Christmas carol! And it’s believed to have a subversive Jacobite rallying call hidden in the text. To peal back the layers of histor
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Hark! The stories behind our favorite Christmas carols is hosted by Unknown Host. The show is categorised under music (religion) and has published 24 episodes.
Hark! The stories behind our favorite Christmas carols has published 24 episodes.
Hark! The stories behind our favorite Christmas carols regularly covers music, religion, spirituality. It sits in the music category, with a religion focus.
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Episodes of Hark! The stories behind our favorite Christmas carols average 47 minutes. a focused format where a clear narrative arc and tight preparation matter most.
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