What was the original title of "The Little Drummer Boy"?

The original title of “The Little Drummer Boy” was “Carol of the Drum.”

American composer Katherine Kennicott Davis wrote the song in 1941. Her manuscript presented it as a choral piece and described it as a Czech carol freely transcribed by “K.K.D.,” although the song’s precise relationship to Czech folk material has been debated. The Nativity story of a poor boy offering drum music to Jesus is not found in the Bible.

The song first reached a wider audience when the Trapp Family Singers recorded it in 1951. Jack Halloran later created the arrangement that became familiar to many listeners, but his 1957 recording was not released as a single. Producer Henry Onorati then brought the arrangement to Harry Simeone.

Simeone’s 1958 recording changed the title to “The Little Drummer Boy” and added finger cymbals. Simeone and Onorati received composition credits despite not writing the original song, a point that has contributed to later confusion about its authorship.