Bob Mathews

A Celtic Christmas

A Celtic Christmas is a medley featuring The Holly Bears a Berry, A Night in Bethlehem and The Boar's Head Carol.á These three sacred carols are quite old, yet have worldwide appeal today.The traditional music of the Celtic peoples hails from Ireland, Scotland, western parts of Europe, Brittany (northern France), and Galicia (Spain).á The Celts were a group of people who originated in a modern-day Austria long before the Roman Empire.á Around 500 B.C. they began to arrive in Ireland and Scotland and created the foundation of Irish society but were exclusively rural.á Villages and towns were unknown.á The celts relied on oral tradition, therefore, songs and stories were passed from generation to generation without formal documentation.Must of the Celtic music we hear and play today, including the carols in this arrangement, comes from Ireland and Scotland.á The strong influences of more modern Irish and Scottish tradition such as fiddling are often woven into this type of music.