Treasury of Christmas Carols

This "treasury" of forty-six Christmas carols (forty-five, if you don't count Auld Lang Syne) contains all the classic and beloved songs along with several lesser known carols. Each carol is preceded by a brief, written introduction to some aspect of the song. For example, "Here We Come A-Wassailing" explains the derivation of "wassail" as well as its meaning in context of Christmas. "O Holy Night" gives a two-sentence summary of the composer's (Adolphe Adam) career. The typeface of the words is a little too small and might be a challenge for those on the verge of needing reading glasses, but the scores themselves should be fine for all but the worst eyes. The spiral bindings makes it easy for the book to open flat in one's hand or on a music stand. If you'd like a compilation of Christmas carols, you should consider this book as an option.

This music book has become the favorite collection of carols for my family. It contains forty-six songs, including all the Christmas standards such as Jingle Bells, O Christmas Tree, and O Holy Night. There are also some older, less common songs and foreign-language carols such as It Was Poor Little Jesus and It Took Place One Christmas Eve. The arrangements are moderate to easy to play and most have nice, rich chords. The layout is attractive and includes multiple verses for most carols. A few carols might have better arrangements elsewhere, but for overall quality this is a great collection.