Carol History: The Sussex Carol is a Christmas carol popular in Britain, sometimes referred to by its first line On Christmas night all Christians sing. Its words were first published by Luke Wadding, a 17th-century Irish bishop, in a work called Small Garland of Pious and Godly Songs (1684). It is unclear whether Wadding wrote the song or was recording an earlier composition.
Both the text and the tune to which it is now sung were discovered and written down by Cecil Sharp in Buckland, Gloucestershire and Ralph Vaughan Williams, who heard it being sung by a Harriet Verrall of Monk's Gate, near Horsham, Sussex (hence "Sussex Carol"). The tune to which it is generally sung today is the one Vaughan Williams took down from Mrs Verrall and published in 1919. - Wikipedia entry
On Christmas night all Christians sing,
To hear the news the angels bring;
On Christmas night all Christians sing,
To hear the news the angels bring:
News of great joy, news of great mirth,
News of our merciful King’s birth.
Then why should men on earth be sad,
Since our Redeemer made us glad:
Then why should we on earth be sad,
Since our Redeemer made us glad:
When from our sin He set us free,
All for to gain our liberty.
When sin departs before Your grace,
Then life and health come in its place;
When sin departs before Your grace,
Then life and health come in its place;
Angels and men with joy may sing,
All for to see the newborn King.
All out of darkness we have light
Which made the angels sing this night;
All out of darkness we have light
Which made the angels sing this night:
“Glory to God and peace to men,
Now and forevermore. Amen.”
-Words: Traditional English carol.
Music: Sussex Carol, traditional English carol, arranged by Ralph Vaughan Williams, 1919
I can play this song on the piano.
ReplyDeleteI really like it:)
Did you notice this song in A Christmas Carol? =)
ReplyDeleteElla,
ReplyDeleteHow lovely that you can play this carol on the piano! Do you play many Christmas carols? Carols might be the most fun to play (even though I don't play at all any more).
Melody,
Oh yeah! I forgot that they sang this carol in A Christmas Carol! Maybe that's why the tune has been running through my mind the last few days! :)
You ladies both have the same blogger profile photo - "nonsensical girls!" ;D
Haha, I know! Miss Dashwood nick-named me 'Nonsensical Girl' and so I couldn't resist making that my profile picture. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI like this song. =) This year I put one version of each Christmas song I had on various CD's on my favorites list on my MP3 player. I wrote down the various songs and 'rated' them so I would know which were my favorites; it was a good thing because now I know the names of more Christmas carols! =) So when I was listening to the soundtrack for 'A Christmas Carol' (it's called 'On Christmas Night' on there) I said "Oh! That's The Sussex Carol!" ;-)
It's at the very beginning of the movie, and later on too.
I can play We three kings,It came upoun a midnight clear,Go tell it on the mountain,and a few others.
ReplyDeleteTheir really fun to play.
I noticed a few days ago that me and Melody have the same profile picture:)