The Trapp family and the first recording of the famous Christmas carol 'The Little Drummer Boy'

For years, one of my favorite Christmas carols has been "The Little Drummer Boy," a story about a boy who goes to the manger in Bethlehem.

The pro-life story of Maria von Trapp, whose life inspired the film 'The Sound of Music'
The carol of Ukrainian origin that NATO has chosen for its Christmas greeting

The song says that this boy was poor and had nothing to offer the Christ Child but the rasping sound of his drum, which made the newborn smile at him. This Christmas carol has become very popular thanks to its English and Spanish versions, but its origins are little known to the general public.

The author of this famous Christmas carol was Katherine Kennicott Davis (1892-1980). She was a composer born in St. Joseph, Missouri (United States), who began composing music at a very young age: she wrote her first piece at 15. During her long life, she wrote more than 600 songs, many of them intended for school choirs. Her extensive musical repertoire included Christmas carols and many other songs of religious and popular themes.

Once, while trying to take a nap, Katherine became obsessed with an 18th-century French carol entitled "Patapan," which you can listen to here in a version recorded in 2009 by the Canadian choir The Stairwell Carollers:

Taking the song's title as a starting point, Katherine composed a Christmas carol in 1941, titled "Carol of the Drum." Interestingly, the first recording of this song didn't appear until a decade later. An Austrian choir based in the US, the Trapp Family Singers, took notice of the score.

The name of this musical group will sound familiar because this family, already somewhat popular for their records in the US at that time, became world-famous thanks to the film "The Sound of Music" (1965, titled "Sonrisas y lágrimas" in Spain). As some of you may remember, two years ago I already told you here about the true story of Maria von Trapp, who died in 1987 and who, in addition to being a great singer, was a very brave woman with strong principles.

The Trapp Family Singers recorded "Carol of the Drum" in July 1951, a very difficult year for the family. Captain Georg von Trapp had died in 1947. On February 25, 1951, the youngest of the seven original siblings, Martina, died shortly after giving birth to her daughter Notburga, due to complications during childbirth. Martina was 30 years old and was the first of the Trapp siblings to pass away. The carol was released by Decca Records. You can listen to the recording here, made by Maria von Trapp and her children after Martina's death:

This is the original lyric from that first recording of the Christmas carol made by the Trapp family in 1951, in English:

Come they told me, pa-rum-pum-pum, pum
A new-born King to see, pa-rum-pum-pum, pum
Our finest gifts we'll bring, pa-rum-pum-pum, pum
To lay before the King, pa-rum-pum-pum, pum
Rum-pum-pum, pum, rum-pum-pum, pum.

So, to honor Him, pa-rum-pum-pum, pum
When we come.

Baby Jesus, pa-rum-pum-pum, pum
I am a poor boy, pa-rum-pum-pum, pum
I have no gift to bring, pa-rum-pum-pum, pum
That's fit to give our King, pa-rum-pum-pum, pum
Rum-pum-pum, pum, rum-pum-pum, pum.

Shall I play for You, pa-rum-pum-pum, pum
On my drum?

Mary nodded, pa-rum-pum-pum, pum
Ox and lamb kept time, pa-rum-pum-pum, pum
I played my drum for Him, pa-rum-pum-pum, pum
I played my best for Him, pa-rum-pum-pum, pum
Rum-pum-pum, pum, rum-pum-pum, pum.

Of course, I dedicate this article to my mother, who is a big fan of "The Sound of Music" (and Christmas carols). 😉