• Album No Christmas Without Mariah Carey

  • Laughter.Leticia Sabater revolutionizes the networks with the Christmas carol 'El polvorrón'

Like every year, December arrives and Christmas carols begin to become a trend.

Mariah Carey

sweeps Spotify,

Michael Bublé

appears even in the soup and great songs sound on the radios, interpreted by icons such as

Raphael

, who -in the late 60s- popularized the Christmas carol

The Drummer

, a song that talks about a young man with few resources, which, having nothing to offer the baby Jesus, chooses to

serenade him with his drum.

Without a doubt,

The Drummer

has become one of the

most demanded Christmas hits

of our era.

However, few know where it

came from

.

Moreover,

its origin is almost a mystery

and experts have not been able to clarify its roots.

Some claim that it was composed

in 1941,

in a burst of creativity.

However, others claim that the composer of the version we know today was based on a popular song from the

Czech Republic.

Despite this, there is no certainty about both theories.

According to various investigations -including one from the University of Missouri-, the oldest version of

The Drummer

is signed by the

pianist and composer Katherine Kennicott Davis,

under the pseudonym CRW Robertson.

According to the manuscript, Katherine would have

transcribed and re-adapted

a Czech Christmas carol to make

Carol of the Drum

(the original name of

The Drummer

, in English).

Although no one knows for sure what Czech song it would be.

Certain experts suggest that Davis could have been inspired by a theme called

Halej, nynjej.

But, according to Wesley College - the pianist's soul mater - she would have been inspired

by a French song

that she knew quite well.

"One day, when she was trying to take a nap,

a song came

to Katherine in

her head.

It was about

Patapan

, which later in her mind was translated to 'pa-ra-pum-pum' and took a rhythm until become

The Drummer

", they mention from the university.

Even so, some writers say that the

lyrics

of

The Drummer

could have arisen from something quite different from a Christmas carol:

a legend.

According to the religious website

Pathos

, the story told in

The Drummer

has a lot to do with a French tale.

A story about a minstrel

who sings in front of a statue of the Virgin Mary and this, moved, responds with a smile.

And how would this story have reached the ears of Katherine Davis?

The most likely option is that it was

through an opera

-composed in 1902, by Jules Massenet- that this legend tells in his libretto.

Be that as it may, the truth is that

all paths reach Katherine Davis,

who has always been credited with the song's official credit.

Despite this, it is also recognized that

two men helped

make the version that we sing today.

According to

The Independent

, one of

Carol of The Drum's

earliest recordings

was motivated by an arranger named Henry Onorati, who - after making several changes - decided to

add his name to the list of composers.

Later, Onorati taught the song to

Harry Simeone,

a producer, who recorded a new version of the Christmas carol for Fox. That is precisely the version that this 2020 is heard.

In the 60s and 70s, the song became an

international hit,

was renamed

The Little Boy Drummer

(

The little drummer

, in Spanish) and was covered by dozens of important artists.

Among them,

Joan Baez, Johnny Cash, David Bowie, the Von Trapp family

and, of course, Raphael in Spain.

During his career, Raphael has recorded two versions of

The Drummer

and has sung the Christmas carol countless times.

In fact,

Googling The Drummer brings up

more mentions of the singer than of Katherine Davis.

And it is quite difficult to think about his lyrics and not imagine the face of Raphael, who every Christmas Eve gives us a very emotional interpretation of the popular song.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

Know more

See links of interest

  • Last minute

  • TV programming

  • Spanish translator

  • Holidays 2021

  • Holidays 2020

  • Movies Today

  • Topics

  • Torino - Bologna

  • Brighton and Hove Albion - Sheffield United

  • Celta de Vigo - Alavés

  • Alcorcón - FC Cartagena

  • Eibar - Real Madrid, live