SUNDAY, CHRISTMAS EVE, DECEMBER 24, 2023 ANGELS WE HAVE HEARD ON HIGH

SUNDAY, CHRISTMAS EVE, DECEMBER 24, 2023 ANGELS WE HAVE HEARD ON HIGH

Another Christmas Hymm.

The angels came to the shepherds and told them of the Birth of Jesus.  As a child, it was fun to sing the chorus - and slur the GLO-OR-IA

“Angels We Have Heard on High” is a Christmas carol that tells the story of the birth of Jesus Christ. The carol is based on the French song "Les anges dans nos campagnes," which literally translates to "the angels in our countryside". The song is anonymous and has no known composer or lyricist. 

The song is based on the birth of Jesus Christ as told in the Gospel of Luke, specifically the scene outside Bethlehem in which shepherds encounter angels singing and praising the newborn child. The song is a song of invitation from Christians to others to come celebrate Christ's birth with them. 

The tune as we know it today was adapted and arranged by Edward Shippen Barnes, an organist who studied in France. 

The earliest known printed version of “Angels We Have Heard On High” was in an 1842 French song book. Though the source of the song is unknown, it is believed to have originated in 18thcentury France. The song was first translated into English in 1860 by James Chadwick, a Roman Catholic bishop.

Angels we have heard on high

Singing sweetly o'er the plains:

And the mountains in reply

Echoing their joyous strains

Gloria in excelsis Deo!

Gloria in excelsis Deo!

Come to Bethlehem, and see

Him whose birth the angels sing;

Come adore on bended knee

Christ the Lord, the newborn King

Gloria in excelsis Deo!

Shepherds, why this jubilee?

Why your joyous strains prolong?

What gladsome tidings be

Which inspire your heav'nly song?

Gloria in excelsis Deo!

See him in a manger laid

Whom the choirs of angels praise

Mary, Joseph, lend your aid

While our hearts in love we raise

Gloria in excelsis Deo!

*****

May you enjoy singing this GLORIOUS Christmas Carol this (and every year)

Tomorrow (Christmas Day) we’ll look at  Joy to the World; and Tuesday  a “Non-Christmas Carol - but frequently sung at Christmas!!!

LOVE WINS

LOVE TRANSFORMS

LOVE COVERS A MULTITUDE OF SINS

KAREN WHITE, DECEMBER 24, 2023