Best Loved Christmas Carols, Readings and Poetry. Martin ManserЧитать онлайн книгу.
James Chadwick and first published in 1860. By then it was already an established favourite in France and Quebec. Tradition has it that in the second century Pope Telesphorus ordained that all the faithful should sing the words ‘Gloria in excelsis Deo’ at Christmas, hence its inclusion as a refrain here.
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!
Shepherds, why this jubilee?
Why these joyous strains prolong?
What the gladsome tidings be
Which inspire your heavenly song?
Gloria in excelsis Deo!
Come to Bethlehem and see
Him whose birth the angels sing;
Come, adore on bended knee
Christ the Lord, the new-born King!
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!
H. F. Hémy (1818–88), after James Chadwick (1813–82)
This passage, from Luke 1:26–38, relates how Mary receives a visit from an angel and hears the news that she is to become the mother of Christ. As part of the background to the story of Christ’s birth, it is recited in churches throughout Christendom as an integral part of carol services.
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you.’ But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’ Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’ The angel said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.’ Then Mary said, ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’ Then the angel departed from her.
William Chatterton Dix worked in shipping insurance in Bristol, but also wrote hymns in his spare time. He wrote this popular Epiphany hymn (the most successful of his compositions), on 6 January 1860, when he was in his early twenties), after illness prevented him attending his local Anglican church. He was inspired by the Gospel lesson for the day, the Epiphany story as told at Matthew 2:1–12. The tune to which the hymn is sung was composed by the German composer Conrad Kocher and is commonly called ‘Dix’, although Dix himself professed to dislike the tune.
As with gladness men of old
Did the guiding star behold;
As with joy they hailed its light,
Leading onward, beaming bright;
So, most gracious God, may we
Evermore be led to thee.
As with joyful steps they sped
To that lowly manger bed,
There to bend the knee before
Him whom heaven and earth adore;
So may we with willing feet
Ever seek thy mercy seat.
As they offered gifts most rare
At that manger rude and bare;
So may we with holy joy,
Pure and free from sin’s alloy,
All our costliest treasures bring,
Christ, to thee, our heavenly King.
Holy Jesus, every day
Keep us in the narrow way;
And, when earthly things are past,
Bring our ransomed souls at last
Where they need no star to guide,
Where no clouds thy glory hide.
In the heavenly country bright
Need they no created light;
Thou its light, its joy, its crown,
Thou its sun which goes not down;
There for ever may we sing
Alleluias to our King.
William Chatterton Dix (1837–98)
The authorship of this hugely popular Christmas carol is often credited, mistakenly, to Martin Luther, probably because it was first published in a Lutheran hymnal early in the nineteenth century. In fact, the author is unknown, although the third verse is known to have been the work of John Thomas McFarland (1851–1913). The carol is thought to have been first performed by American Lutherans in 1883 during celebrations of the 400th anniversary of Luther’s birth. It is sung in the UK to a tune by William J. Kirkpatrick (1838–1921), but in the USA to a tune by James R. Murray (c.1841–1905).
Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,
The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head;
The stars in the bright sky looked down where he lay
The little Lord Jesus, asleep on the hay.
The cattle are lowing, the Baby awakes,
But little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes.
I love thee, Lord Jesus! Look down from the sky,
And stay by my cradle till morning is nigh.
Be near me, Lord Jesus: I ask thee to stay
Close by me for ever, and love me, I pray;
Bless all the dear children in thy tender care,
And take us to heaven to live with thee there.
Anonymous
Behold a virgin shall conceive
This brief passage, from Isaiah 7:14–15, looks forward to the birth of Christ in the years to come. It gives details of a virgin who would give birth to a son. His name would be ‘Immanuel’, which means ‘God with us’ (Matthew 1:23).