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News Release

Contact: Joe King, NIU Office of Public Affairs
(815) 753-4299

December 1, 2003

‘Good King Wenceslas’ named top carol for 2003

DeKalb — Yes, Virginia, there really was a “Good King Wenceslas.” Well, sort of, says Christmas carol expert William Studwell who has selected the ‘Good King’ as his Carol of the Year.

“He wasn’t actually a king, but instead a duke of Bohemia, and his name in Czech was actually Vaclav,” explains Studwell, a retired professor from Northern Illinois University who is recognized as one of the world’s foremost experts on the topic of Christmas carols. The author or editor of 29 books on Christmas carols, Studwell has selected a Carol of the Year for the past 17 years.

While the writer of the lyrics, John Mason Neale, took some liberties with name and title of the inspiration for his carol, he did have at least one fact correct: Wenceslas (or Vaclav, as the case may be) was definitely considered good. During his lifetime he was noted for his piety and devotion to strengthening Christianity in Bohemia. Alas, his brother, Boleslav, was not so good. He assassinated Vaclav in 929 so that he could take over as duke. Vaclav ultimately got the upper hand on his power-hungry brother when, in the 11th Century, he was named the patron saint of Bohemia.

Many legends were attributed to Wenceslas, and it was around one of these that Neale built his carol, which was first published in 1853. The legend tells how, while on an errand of mercy to bring food, wine and firewood to a peasant, the duke’s page found warmth and strength by walking in the footsteps (literally) of his master.

While it is hard not to admire the carol’s message of generosity, Studwell is not a big fan of the lyrics.

“The lyrics are, quite honestly, on the horrible side, and have even been called doggerel by some,” Studwell says. “Neale had two other carols, which came out around the same time that were better blessed literarily, one of those being the classic ‘O Come, O Come Emmanuel,’ which he penned in 1851.”

Studwell is much more fond of the song’s bouncy, festive melody, which he believes is the true key to its popularity.

The tune is believed to be Scandinavian in origin and was first published in 1582, as the musical accompaniment for a spring carol called “Tempus adest floridum” (“Spring Has Now Unwrapped the Flowers.”) The melody was borrowed again as the tune for the 1919 carol “Gentle Mary Laid Her Child.” Studwell considers those lyrics superior to “Good King Wenceslas,” but concedes that the song will never be as popular.

“Despite its poor lyrics, and tangential connections to the holiday, it will probably persevere over all rivals partly because of tradition and partly because of its good-natured narrative,” Studwell says. “No matter what the words may be, or whether the title is ‘Good King Wenceslas’ or ‘Pious Duke Vaclav,’ just about anything associated with the tune will probably emerge a winner.”

Studwell began researching Christmas carols in 1972 when he created a pamphlet about “Oh Holy Night” as a gift for a family member. Since then he has researched and written about hundreds of carols and has conducted nearly 600 media interviews on the topic for newspapers, radio and television. He is also a champion of other musical genres that he believes are under-appreciated and has written extensively on college fight songs, state songs, patriotic music and circus music, becoming a nationally recognized expert in each of those fields. He has written 34 books in all.

Studwell, who recently retired from NIU, now resides in Bloomington, Ind. He can be reached by telephone at (812) 330-1996.

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