The Little Drummer Boy (originally known as "Carol of the Drum") is a
popular Christmas song written by the American classical music
composer and teacher Katherine Kennicott Davis in 1941. First recorded
in 1951 by the Trapp Family Singers, the song was further popularized
by a 1958 recording by the Harry Simeone Chorale; the Simeone version
was re-released successfully for several years and the song has been
recorded many times since.In the lyrics, the singer relates how, as a
poor young boy, he was summoned by the Magi to the Nativity of Jesus.
Without a gift for the Infant, the little drummer boy played his drum
with approval from Jesus' mother, Mary, recalling, "I played my best
for him" and "He smiled at me".The song was originally titled "Carol
of the Drum" and was published by Davis based upon a traditional Czech
song. Davis's interest was in producing material for amateur and
girls' choirs: Her manuscript is set as a chorale, in which the tune
is in the soprano melody with alto harmony, tenor and bass parts
producing the "drum rhythm" and a keyboard accompaniment "for
rehearsal only". It is headed "Czech Carol freely transcribed by
K.K.D.", these initials then deleted and replaced with "C.R.W.
Robinson", a name under which Davis sometimes published. The Czech
original of the carol has never been identified. The Little Drummer Boy Biography, NetWorth, Height, Age, Weight, Family, Married, Son, Daughter