O Holy Night is Britain’s favourite carol

O HOLY Night has once again triumphed as the nation’s favourite Christmas carol.

The piece, which dates back to 1847, topped an annual poll by radio station Classic FM.

O Holy Night has regularly topped the countdown since 2003. A year earlier, it came only third, with Silent Night leading the field, but received a boost when it was performed by Pop Idol winner Michelle McManus.

Singers Mariah Carey and Aled Jones have also recorded popular versions of the song, and it is a choral favourite.

O Holy Night was written by Placide Clappeau, a wine merchant and mayor of Roquemaure, France, while Adolphe Adam, a composer best known for his ballet Giselle, wrote the music. An English translation was created by John Sullivan Dwight eight years later.

The full countdown of the top 30 carols will be broadcast on Classic FM in a Christmas Day programme, The Nation’s Favourite Christmas Carols, presented by John Brunning from 1pm.

Brunning said: “Many of the most memorable tunes anywhere in music belong to Christmas Carols. Musical fads come and go, but our national love of singing traditional Carols shows no sign of fading away.”