The Little Drummer Boy

Hark! The stories behind our favorite Christmas carols

On this episode of “Hark!”, we follow the beat of a modern carol that has gained worldwide fame, yet was composed almost while napping. It is a tale about a figure the Bible never mentions, but whose bold gift leads us straight to the heart of Christmas. This is the story of “The Little Drummer Boy.”

First, Lisa Graham, the director of the choral program and a senior lecturer in music at Wellesley College, narrates how Wellesley alumna Katherine Kennicott Davis composed her “Carol of the Drum” in 1941 and how the college bid $11,000 in a battle to win the rights to the original manuscript.

Research historian Christian McWhirter, then unpacks the much-romanticized symbol of the drummer boy on the battlefield during the American Civil War. Finally, host Maggi Van Dorn, takes a music lesson with the incomparable liturgical composer, Christopher Walker, also the author of 12 books of stories and songs for children.

We are most grateful to our real-life drummer boy, Garrin Knapp, for interpreting and demoing the percussion elements of the carol, and for sharing what the song means to him. The soul-stirring solo of “The Little Drummer Boy" heard on this episode was specially recorded for “Hark!” by Frank Tuson, our very own sound engineer and composer of our theme score. The show wraps with a performance by The King’s Singers from their Christmas album, courtesy of Signum Records.

Midway through production on this episode, Hurricane Helene made landfall in Western North Carolina, where Maggi has called home for four years. This episode is dedicated to the ongoing relief efforts in the affected areas. Please consider making a donation to these reputable organizations:

BeLoved Asheville: a non-profit organization that has been boots on the ground since long before the hurricane and which will serve those on the margins long after.

ReString Appalachia: a movement dedicated to getting quality instruments back in the hands of those who lost them in the hurricane.

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This season of Hark! is sponsored by Saints for Sinners, offering divine saint medals imported from Italy and meticulously hand-painted in New Orleans.

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