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New England Song Series No. 3:
ONE HORSE OPEN SLEIGH:
The Story of "Jingle Bells"
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One of the most popular songs heard during the Christmas season began not for that holiday but as a winter song with the title,"The One Horse Open Sleigh" (original sheet music cover shown above, published in 1857 by Oliver Ditson in Boston).According to the book, Boston Curioisities (page 173), this information is provided:
"Jingle Bells" was written by Medford [Massachusetts] resident James Pierpont in 1850, inspired by the annual one-horse open-sleigh races on Salem and Pleasant Streets between Medford Square and Malden Square. Pierpont penned the racy little ditty in Simpson's Tavern, a boardinghouse that had only one piano in town.
This is fasciating details about how the song was written but unfortuanetly the two authors (Bruce Gellerman and Erik Sherman) don't provide any source for this information.
Two years later, in 1859, the title was changed when it was reprinted with the title:
"Jingle Bells, or The One Horse Open Sleigh"
James Lord Pierpont was born in Medford, Massachusetts in 1822 and died in Winter Haven, Florida in 1893. He had a rather unusual life, coming from a strict New England Unitarian family who were against slavery. He moved to the South and was an organist in a church in Savannah, Georgia.
Against his family's wishes, he supported the Confederate cause, writing several songs in support, including "Strike for the South" and "We Conquer or Die."
It has been reported, though not proven, that he wrote his popular winter song for his father's Sunday School class for Thanksgiving and it proved so popular that it was sung again at Christmas time. One of Pierpont's friends called the song --
"a merry little jingle."These are the original lyrics and spellings for the first two of the four verses:
1. Dashing thro' the snow,
In a one horse open sleigh,
O'er the hills we go,
Laughing all the way;
Bells on bob tail ring,Making spirits bright,
Oh what sport to ride and sing
A sleighing song tonight.Chorus:
Jingle bells, Jingle bells,
Jingle all the way;
Oh! what joy it is to ride
In a one horse open sleigh. [repeat four lines]2. A day or two ago
I thought I take a ride
And soon Miss Fannie Bright
Was seated by my side,
The horse was lean and lank
Misfortune seem'd his lot
He got into a drifted bank
And we, we got up sot.Chorus:
Jingle bells, Jingle bells,
Jingle all the way;
Oh! what joy it is to ride
In a one horse open sleigh. [repeat all four lines]
After he wrote the song Pierpont paid little attention to it until the Salem Evening News printed a story about it in 1864. Then he accepted credit for writing "Jingle Bells." There has been speculation that Pierpont borrowed lines from a Stephen Foster minstrel song but that has remained unproven.
James Pierpont's uncle was the famous wealthy New York financier, John Pierpont Morgan, founder of the famed Pierpont Morgan Library.
Though he died in Florida (ironically in the same city where the Boston Red Sox used to have their spring training camp), James Pierpont was buried in Savannah, Georgia in Laurel Grove Cemetery. There was a marker placed in Troup Square in 1985 to honor him.
Did Pierpont write "Jingle Bells" in Medford, Massachusetts or Savannah, Georgia?
Both places make claim to the song's origin [see Hymns and Carols of Christmas]. Yet it seems likely that he wrote it in Medford where snow was commonplace rather than in the warmer climate of Savannah.
"Jingle Bells" was not very popular when it was first published in 1857. Though it was reprinted in 1859, it took many years to became one of the most popular winter songs.
Among the earliest recorded versions of the song were on old music boxes and other mechanical music devices.
When did it start to become popular as a Christmas song?
That happened first with the spread of phonograph records and later on radio, which allowed the song to be heard by a nationwide audience.
The following list of recordings comes from an entry at Wikipedia:
"Jingle Bells" was first recorded by the Edison Male Quartette in 1898 on an Edison cylinder.
In 1902, the Hayden Quartet recorded the song.
In 1935, Benny Goodman and His Orchestra reached No. 18 on the charts with their recording of "Jingle Bells."
In 1941, Glenn Miller and His Orchestra with Tex Beneke, Marion Hutton, Ernie Caceres and the Modernaires on vocals had a No. 5 hit with "Jingle Bells" on RCA Victor.
In 1943, Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters recorded "Jingle Bells" on Decca which reached No. 19 on the charts and sold over a million copies.
In 1951, Les Paul had a No. 10 hit with a multi-tracked version on guitar.
In 1955, Don Charles, from Copenhagen, Denmark, recorded a novelty version with dogs barking to the melody of "Jingle Bells," which sold a million copies in 1955.
Among all these recordings, it was Bing Crosby with The Andrews Sisters who made the song the most popular. Their 1943 recording is the one most often heard today during the Christmas season in the U.S.A.
One hundred fifty years after it was published as "Jingle Bells," there are millions of listeners who know and love this song, even though it makes no mention of Christmas in its lyrics.
Yet it does evoke what many people think of as a nostalgic Christmas from the past -- a winter scene riding through the snow in a one horse open sleigh.
And don't forget that wonderful refrain:
Jingle bells, Jingle bells,
Jingle all the way.
Oh what joy it is to ride
In a one horse open sleigh!
Much of the above information was gathered from these books:
-
American Christmas Classics - by Ronald M. Clancy (2001) -- a beautifully illustrated book and CD set.
-
Boston Curiosities - by Bruce Gellerman and Erik Skerman (2010) --fascinating info but not documented.
-
The Book of World-Famous Music: Classical, Popular, and Folk (Fifth Edition, 2000) - by James J. Fuld -- a very informative book.
-
Christmas in New England by Amy Whorf McGuiggan (2006) -- a fascinating read with good information.
-
Christmas Songs Made in America: Favorite Holiday Melodies and the Stories of Their Origin by Albert J. Menendez and Shirley C. Menendez (1999) -- full of fascinating facts though without source credits.
Christmas Music From New England
(AMRA No. 14)
There are 24 carols, hymns and songs on this CD, including "Jingle Bells," performed by various musicians, and 12 of the titles composed, arranged or edited by Roger Hall.
+ = featured on the Christmas Eve radio specialTrack titles (click on the titles with links to hear audio samples):
Total Playing Time = 70:53
1. O Come, O Come Emmanuel -- arranged by Roger Hall, 1977
2. Prepare the Royal Highway -- arranged by Roger Hall, 1977
3. He Whom Shepherds Once Came Praising -- arranged by Roger Hall, 1978
4. +Jingle Bells -- words & music by James Pierpont
(played on an antique music box)
5. +Hail to the Joyous Day -- words: Royall Tyler/ music: Roger Hall, 1977
6. +The Dark Night is Ending -- words: John Greenleaf Whittier/
music: Roger Hall, 1988
7. +Joy to the World -- music by Lowell Mason, 1839
8. +It Came Upon the Midnight Clear --words: Edmund Sears/
music: Richard Willis, 1850
9. +O Little Town of Bethlehem -- words: Phillips Brooks/
music: Lewis Redner, 1868
10. Judea -- words & music by William Billings, 1778
11. Sherburne -- music by Daniel Read, 1785
12. Carol -- music by Supply Belcher, 1794
13. New Bethlehem -- music by Edward French, 1799
14. We Three Kings of Orient Are -- music by John H. Hopkins, 1857
15. Rise Up, Shepherds and Follow -- Afro-American spiritual,
arranged by Roger Hall,1979
16. Natal Night -- Shaker poem, music by Roger Hall, 1979
17. Leaping and Dancing -- Catalan carol, arranged by Roger Hall, 1979
18. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing! -- Bartholomew Brown,
arranged by Roger Hall,1979
19. The Prince of Peace -- Shaker tune, arranged by Roger Hall, 1981
20. A Christmas Carol-- words & music by Charles Ives, 1894
21. Away in a Manger I -- words & music by James R. Murray, 1887/
edited by Roger Hall
22. Away in a Manger II -- music by William J. Kirkpatrick, 1895/
edited by Roger Hall
23. Silent Night -- English translation by Rev. John Young, 1863
24. How Lovely Shines the Morning Star -- music by George W. Chadwick, 1909To order this enjoyable CD,
Christmas Music From New England (AMRC No. 14),
with rare and familiar Christmas music
composed or arranged by New England composers,
go to the
Other CDs With New England Christmas Music
Here are a few other recommended CDs with New England Christmas music:
Joy of Angels:
Shaker Spirituals for Christmas and the New Year
Christmas Caroling Through The Ages -
with The Gregg Smith Singers & Friends
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American Music Recordings Archive [AMRA]
New England Song Series No. 1:
BATTLE HYMN
OF THE REPUBLIC
New England Song
Series No. 2:
GOIN HOME
New England Song
Series No. 4:
SIMPLE GIFTS
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