Who composed and wrote 'We Wish You a Merry Christmas'?
Did you know the very popular Christmas song 'We Wish You a Merry Christmas' originated in the West Country? We don't know who wrote it but it is thought to date back to the 16th or 17th centuries.
It's now very familiar tune is a bit more recent though, composed in a city the BBC Music magazine team know very well, Bristol, albeit almost a century before our time. Composer, conductor, organist and Bristolian Arthur Warrell arranged 'We Wish You a Merry Christmas' to a new tune in 1935 for a December concert and it was published the same year as 'A Merry Christmas: West Country traditional song'.
'We Wish You a Merry Christmas' lyrics
We wish you a merry Christmas We wish you a merry Christmas We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year Good tidings we bring to you and your kin We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year
Now bring us some figgy pudding Now bring us some figgy pudding Now bring us some figgy pudding Now bring some out here
Find more lyrics to your favourite Christmas carols here
Want to have a go at making figgy pudding? Check out this whiskey figgy pudding recipe