The First Noel — A Carol Born From Cornwall’s Medieval Miracle Plays
- larees24
- Dec 7, 2025
- 2 min read
Updated: Dec 13, 2025
🎄 Welcome, to ‘Christmas around the Piano’…a nostalgic musical journey!🎄
Day 7 - December 7, 2025 :
"The First Noel” (originally spelled “The First Nowell”) is a traditional English carol with Cornish roots, likely emerging during the early modern period.
Some scholars believe it may be even older, possibly dating back to the 13th–14th century, when Miracle Plays—dramatic retellings of Bible stories—were popular across Europe. These plays often depicted the Nativity, and the carol is thought to have been written for or inspired by one of these performances.
The carol wasn’t written down until the 19th century, when it appeared in Carols Ancient and Modern (1823) and Gilbert and Sandys Carols (1833). Both collections were edited by folklorist William Sandys, who helped preserve many English folk carols. This is why the carol is often described as “old but newly rediscovered” during the Victorian era.
Quick Facts!
✨The word “Nowell” is an Early Modern English term for Christmas, borrowed from the French Noël, which comes from the Latin natalis (“birth”).
✨Although sung at Christmas, “The First Noel” is an Epiphany Carol, focusing on the shepherds who first heard the angels’ message, and the Magi, who followed the star to Jesus.
✨ It’s a Folk Carol, with no credited writer or composer, reflecting its folk origins.
✨It uses extended, flowing melodic phrase lines, repeated refrains, giving it a storytelling, almost ballad‑like quality.
✨Before Sandys published it in 1823, the carol existed only in oral tradition. Without his work, it might have disappeared entirely.
✨The harmonized version most people know today was arranged by John Stainer in his 1871 collection Christmas Carols New and Old. He added harmonies, smoothed out the melody, standardized the lyrics, and helped popularize the carol internationally. This Victorian arrangement makes the carol feel both ancient and polished.
I do hope you have enjoyed reading about this carol, as much as I have enjoyed presenting this to you.
Thank you for joining me on this festive journey! Wishing you and your loved ones, a season filled with light, laughter, love, and of course, MUSIC! 🌟🎄
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Christmas cheer and good tidings to you!
Larissa
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🎼About the Carol:
...https://www.onemoresong.in/post/the-first-noel-a-carol-born-from-cornwall-s-medieval-miracle-plays
🎼Youtube PLAYLIST...https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZLDOKsY4JIQydNkapkXk6zxip9yeKHKv&si=pi_Lnvrzkd4B6qQg
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