Alfred Burt facts for kids

Alfred Shaddick Burt (born April 22, 1920 – died February 7, 1954) was an American jazz musician. He is famous for writing the music for fifteen Christmas carols. He wrote these carols between 1942 and 1954. Only one of his carols was performed publicly while he was alive.

Early Life and Music

Alfred Burt was born in Marquette, Michigan. When he was two, his family moved to Pontiac, Michigan. His father, Bates G. Burt, became a church leader there. At age 10, Alfred showed a love for music. His parents gave him a cornet. He learned to play other instruments too, like the piano. But he mostly played the cornet and trumpet in bands. He especially loved jazz music. Alfred studied music at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He focused on how music is put together. He graduated in 1942 as a top music student.

The Christmas Carol Tradition

Alfred's father started a special tradition before 1922. He would send Christmas cards with new Christmas carols on them. His father wrote both the words and the music. After Alfred finished college, his father asked him to take over. So, in 1942, Alfred wrote the music for the family's Christmas card. This carol was called "Christmas Cometh Caroling." From then on, Alfred wrote the music for the family's yearly Christmas cards.

World War II and Beyond

During World War II, Burt served as an officer in the United States Army. He was stationed in San Angelo, Texas. He played trumpet in the Army Air Force Band. He also played with the Houston Symphony. His father sent him carol lyrics from Michigan. Alfred wrote the music from his base. Burt married his childhood sweetheart, Anne Shortt, on October 13, 1945. He left the Army in 1946. He formed a band for a short time. Then, he and Anne moved back to Michigan. The 1947 Christmas card, "Nigh Bethlehem," was the last carol Alfred wrote with his father. Reverend Burt died in 1948 from a heart attack. Alfred and Anne decided to keep the family Christmas card tradition going to honor him. Burt then moved to New York. He worked as a musician and arranged music. He also taught at a professional school.

A Growing Audience

In 1949, Burt joined the Alvino Rey Orchestra. Anne stayed in Michigan. Their only child, Diane Bates Burt, was born on March 8, 1950. While Anne was pregnant, she and Alfred asked a family friend, Wihla Hutson, to write lyrics for the next carol. Wihla was the organist at Alfred's father's church. Alfred then set these lyrics to music. This carol was a lullaby for their unborn child. It was called "Sleep, Baby Mine" or "Carol of the Mother." In the spring of 1950, Alfred, Anne, and baby Diane moved to Los Angeles, California. Burt continued his music career. He arranged and played for bands like Hal Richards and Horace Heidt. Over the next few years, the number of people getting the Christmas cards grew. It went from 50 to 450 people. But still, Alfred Burt's carols were not widely known.

That changed with the 1952 carol, "Come, Dear Children." Burt finished the music during a rehearsal. He asked the vocal group, the Blue Reys, to sing it. They loved it so much that they sang it at The King Sisters' Christmas party. The song was a big hit there. This helped introduce Burt's carols to Hollywood. Alfred Burt and Wihla Hutson continued to work together until Alfred's death in 1954.

Illness and Passing

In early 1953, Burt felt very tired and sick. He finally had a full medical check-up. Doctors found he had serious lung cancer. He spent his last months at home in Pacoima, California. James Conkling, who was the president of Columbia Records, learned about Burt's illness. He quickly put together a group of Hollywood singers. They recorded Burt's carols. The recording sessions happened in late 1953. Burt was there, conducting from his wheelchair. To make a full album, Burt wrote four new carols. One of them, "O Hearken Ye," was sent as the 1953 family Christmas card. For the first time, Alfred knew his carols would be recorded for everyone to hear. Burt finished his very last carol, "The Star Carol," on February 5, 1954. He passed away less than two days later. "The Star Carol" was used on the final Burt family Christmas card that holiday season.

First Recordings of the Carols

Twelve of Burt's carols were released in time for Christmas 1954. They were on a 10-inch record called The Christmas Mood. This album was by "The Columbia Choir." It was recorded at St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal church. Alfred Burt had been an assistant choir director there. The album stayed popular for several Christmas seasons. In 1957, it was re-released as a 12-inch record. This new version included an instrumental medley of the carols. The first album did not include "Christmas Cometh Caroling," "What Are the Signs," and "Sleep Baby Mine." Famous artists like Tennessee Ernie Ford, Fred Waring and His Pennsylvanians, and Nat King Cole recorded Burt's carols. In 1958, Ford recorded "The Star Carol." He named his whole Christmas album after it. This album was very popular. In 1959, Fred Waring recorded six of Alfred Burt's carols. These included "Caroling, Caroling" and "The Star Carol." In 1960, Nat King Cole recorded "Caroling, Caroling" on his album The Magic of Christmas. This album is still popular today. Simon and Garfunkel also recorded "The Star Carol" in 1967. The first time all 15 of Alfred Burt's carols were recorded together was in 1964. This album was called This Is Christmas: A Complete Collection of the Alfred S. Burt Carols. Alfred's wife, Anne S. Burt, helped produce this recording. It was even nominated for a Grammy Award!

Legacy

"Caroling, Caroling" and "Some Children See Him" are the most recorded carols written by Alfred S. Burt. Many other artists have recorded Burt's carols. These include Andy Williams, George Winston, Kenny Loggins, James Taylor, and David Archuleta. The Singers Unlimited and Gas House Gang have also recorded Burt carols. John Williams wrote two medleys of Alfred Burt's music for the Boston Pops Orchestra. In 1990, Julie Andrews recorded "This Is Christmas." Natalie Cole recorded "Caroling, Caroling" in 1994. In 1995, the original albums The Christmas Mood and This Is Christmas were updated. In 2004, a special album was released to celebrate 50 years of the carols. In 1980, Diane Burt, Alfred's daughter, started a singing group called The Caroling Company. They perform the carols. Their CD, "A Christmas Present From The Caroling Company," was listed for a Grammy in 2003. In 2001, Burt's grandniece, the composer Abbie Betinis, started a new family tradition. She now sends Christmas cards with an original carol each year. She shares them on Minnesota Public Radio.

The Carols

• "Christmas Cometh Caroling" (1942)
• "Jesu Parvule" (1943)
• "What Are the Signs" (1944)
• "Ah, Bleak and Chill the Wintry Wind" (1945)
• "All on a Christmas Morning" (1946)
• "Nigh Bethlehem" (1947)
• "Christ in the Stranger's Guise" (1948)
• "Sleep Baby Mine" (1949)
• "This Is Christmas" (also known as "Bright, Bright, the Holly Berries") (1950)
• "Some Children See Him" (1951)
• "Come, Dear Children" (1952)
• "O, Hearken Ye" (1953)
• "Caroling, Caroling" (1954)
• "We'll Dress the House" (1954)
• "The Star Carol" (1954)

See Also

Images for kids

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  Original cover of The Christmas Mood, on which 12 of the Burt carols first appeared.