Angels We Have Heard on High

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"Angels We Have Heard on High" is a Christmas carol with lyrics written by James Chadwick to the music of a French song called Les Anges Dans Nos Campagnes. While the music is identical to the original hymn, Chadwick's lyrics are unique but obviously heavily inspired, and in parts a close translation. The hymn's theme is the birth of Jesus Christ narrated in the Gospel of Luke, particularly the moment in which shepherds outside Bethlehem are visited by a abundance of angels singing and praising the newborn child. Discover the lyrics and story of this amazing hymn and video performances below!

1 Angels we have heard on high,
sweetly singing o'er the plains,
and the mountains in reply
echoing their joyous strains:

Refrain:
Gloria, in excelsis Deo!
Gloria, in excelsis Deo!

2 Shepherds, why this jubilee?
Why your joyous strains prolong?
What the gladsome tidings be
which inspire your heav'nly song? [Refrain]

3 Come to Bethlehem and see
Him whose birth the angels sing;
come, adore on bended knee
Christ the Lord, the new-born King. [Refrain]

4 See within a manger laid
Jesus, Lord of heaven and earth!
Mary, Joseph, lend your aid,
sing with us our Savior's birth. [Refrain]

Source: Hymns to the Living God #113

Songwriters James Chadwick Published by Public Domain

“Angels We Have Heard on High” is inspired by a French Christmas carol, though its English lyrics are not a direct translation. The familiar song draws from Les Anges dans nos campagnes (meaning “the angels in our countryside”), a French carol composed by François-Auguste Gevaert in Languedoc, France.

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Over time, the original French hymn underwent many revisions and translations. The most common English version, “Angels We Have Heard on High,” was written in 1862 by James Chadwick.

The carol quickly gained popularity in the West Country of England, where it was described as “Cornish” by R. R. Chope and included in Pickard-Cambridge’s Collection of Dorset Carols.

How Chadwick’s Version Differs from the Original

Chadwick’s English lyrics differ significantly from the original French text. Rather than translating the words directly, he created a new title and an original set of lyrics, loosely reflecting the theme of the French song.

As a result, Chadwick’s version is considered an original work and is attributed entirely to him, even though it was inspired by the earlier French carol.

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