<P> The earliest extant specifically Christmas hymns appear in fourth - century Rome . Latin hymns such as "Veni redemptor gentium", written by Ambrose, Archbishop of Milan, were austere statements of the theological doctrine of the Incarnation in opposition to Arianism . "Corde natus ex Parentis" ("Of the Father's love begotten") by the Spanish poet Prudentius (d . 413) is still sung in some churches today . In the 9th and 10th centuries, the Christmas "Sequence" or "Prose" was introduced in North European monasteries, developing under Bernard of Clairvaux into a sequence of rhymed stanzas . In the 12th century the Parisian monk Adam of St. Victor began to derive music from popular songs, introducing something closer to the traditional Christmas carol . </P> <P> By the 13th century, in France, Germany, and particularly, Italy, under the influence of Francis of Assisi, a strong tradition of popular Christmas songs in the native language developed . Christmas carols in English first appear in a 1426 work of John Awdlay, a Shropshire chaplain, who lists twenty - five "caroles of Cristemas", probably sung by groups of wassailers, who went from house to house . </P> <P> The songs we know specifically as carols were originally communal folk songs sung during celebrations such as "harvest tide" as well as Christmas . It was only later that carols began to be sung in church . Traditionally, carols have often been based on medieval chord patterns, and it is this that gives them their uniquely characteristic musical sound . Some carols like "Personent hodie", "Good King Wenceslas", and "The Holly and the Ivy" can be traced directly back to the Middle Ages . They are among the oldest musical compositions still regularly sung . "Adeste Fideles" (O Come all ye faithful) appears in its current form in the mid-18th century, although the words may have originated in the 13th century . </P> <P> Singing of carols initially suffered a decline in popularity after the Protestant Reformation in northern Europe, although some Reformers, like Martin Luther, wrote carols and encouraged their use in worship . Carols largely survived in rural communities until the revival of interest in popular songs in the 19th century . The 18th - century English reformer Charles Wesley understood the importance of music to worship . In addition to setting many psalms to melodies, which were influential in the Great Awakening in the United States, he wrote texts for at least three Christmas carols . The best known was originally entitled "Hark! How All the Welkin Rings", later renamed "Hark! the Herald Angels Sing". </P>

Something that starts with a v for christmas