This merry and seemingly pleasant Christmas carol still stirs controversy today regarding its origins. It may date to the late sixteenth or early seventeenth century, a time when Catholics were persecuted in England and were said to have written this so-called catechism song as a teaching aid to young members, its seemingly harmless words being symbols of some secret element of faith. But the song may have come much later and while its words are religiously symbolic (turtle doves representing the Old and New Testaments; three French hens symbolizing Faith, Hope, and Charity or Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh, etc.), it may not be connected with religious persecution at all. In any event, in the past two centuries this carol, with its jolly, repetitious melody and equally repetitious text, has become one of the more popular Christmas songs. The tune is spirited in its jaunty stride, as the vocalist specifies a gift given by "my true love" for each one of the 12 days of Christmas (the span between Christmas and the Epiphany). As the song proceeds, a five-note motif is repeated as each gift in meticulously recounted, deftly imparting a both breathless quality to the music and a sense of humor.

© Robert Cummings, Rovi