Music was sung in churches long before Thomas Edison invented the first talking machine. Edison's talking machine, or gramophone, brought Christmas music into homes all around the world. Those early record players developed into the compact disc players we have today. William Billings wrote the first Christmas Carol in the United States. It was called, "A Virgin Unspotted". It isn't a very popular carol. Another song you won't hear in church is, "O Little Town of St. Louis". It was written in 1868 by a pastor in Philadelphia. He soon changed the name, and today we all sing "O Little Town of Bethlehem.' "Silent Night" was a hit from the moment it was written. Joseph Mohr quickly wrote the song on Christmas Eve in 1818. It was first played using a guitar. How many times have you sung "Deck the Halls" while hanging mistletoe or trimming the tree? The song sounds like it might have been written a short time ago. In fact, "Deck the Halls" is almost 300 years old. Another song that doesn't sound too old is "Jingle Bells". However, "Jingle Bells" is nearly 250 years old. It wasn't even a Christmas song when it was written. "Jingle Bells" was first called "One Horse Open Sleigh". It had been written for Thanksgiving. "Good King Wenceslaus" is also an old song. Wenceslaus wasn't a king. He was a Duke of Bohemia, who lived in the tenth century. Thousands of Christmas carols have been written. Many people think that Roy Orbison wrote the song "Pretty Paper". They are surprised to learn that it was written by country singer Willie Nelson. Elvis Presley never wrote any of his own songs. His version of Blue Christmas was recorded in 1957. Gene Autry wrote "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer". He also wrote "Here Comes Santa Claus". Autry got the idea for the song when he heard some children say, 'Here Comes Santa Claus.' One of the most popular Christmas songs is "White Christmas". It was written by Irving Berlin. Bing Crosby sang it in the movie Holiday Inn. The song remained a hit for 20 years. Another popular tune is "The Christmas Song". Most people may say they have never heard of it. Another name for the song is "Chestnuts Roasting On an Open Fire". It was written by Mel Torme. People call Torme the Velvet Fog because of his soft voice.

By Reg Hamilton We hope you enjoyed the story on Christmas music. Test your memory by humming through the trivia teaser below. See how much you remember from the story as you go carolling. You can choose one of two answers. A correct answer will deliver you to the next question. A wrong answer will send you back. Good Luck! 1 Bing Crosby sang "White Christmas" in what movie? Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer Go to 8 Holiday Inn Go to 10 2 We didn't fool you with that one! The original name of "Jingle Bells" was "One Horse Open Sleigh." Dash on over to 9 3 You must have gotten lost in the fog. Gene Autry wrote about our favourite Reindeer named Rudolph. He also wrote the song "Santa Claus is Coming to Town". Back to 13 4 Hum along to "Jingle Bells" while you try to remember its original name? Dashing Through the Snow Go to 11 One Horse Open Sleigh Go to 2 5 It didn't take you long to unwrap this one. Roy Orbison had a hit with the song "Pretty Paper," but it was written by Willie Nelson. Nelson recorded the song in 1979. Take a bow. Go to 13 6 The song "O Little Town of Bethlehem" was written by a pastor from Philadelphia. You are close, but it was never called "O Little Town of Philadelphia". Back to 12 7 You sure hit that note! Mel Torme wrote "The Christmas Song." His voice is so soft that people call him The Velvet Fog. Go to 12 8 You hit the wrong note on that one! That was kind of "Ruff". Back to 1 9 The late Roy Orbison sang the song Pretty Paper, but do you remember who wrote it? Willie Nelson Go to 5 Elvis Presley Go to 14 10 You checked into the right answer with this one. Bing Crosby sang White Christmas in the movie Holiday Inn. Check out 4 11 Oops! You lost the beat of that song. Dashing through the snow is part of the song, but it wasn't the original name. You'd better dash back to 4 12 The song "O Little Town of Bethlehem" captures the spirit of Jesus' birth. What town was the song first written about? St. Louis Go to 15 Philadelphia Go to 6 13 "The Christmas Song" is also called "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire." It was sung by a man with a voice so soft that people call him the Velvet Fog. Who is he? Mel Torme Go to 7 Gene Autry Go to 3 14 You got all shook up on that one. Elvis Presley may be the King of Rock and Roll, but he didn't know too much about writing music. Elvis never wrote any of his own music. Thank You Very Much. Back to 9 15 Home for Christmas. When the song "O Little Town of Bethlehem" was written in 1868, it was called "O Little Town of St. Louis." Can you imagine singing it that way? You should have returned home for the holidays in ten steps if you didn't make any mistakes. The correct route is 1 - 10 - 4 - 2 - 9 - 5 - 13 - 7 - 12 - 15