Angels We Have Heard on High

GodTube Staff

"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

The Story Behind Angels We Have Heard on High

The lyrics of "Angels We Have Heard on High" are inspired by, but not a direct translation of, the French carol known as Les Anges dans nos campagnes (meaning "the angels in our countryside") composed by Francois-Auguste Gevaert in Languedoc, France. The French hymn has received many modifications and translations including "Angels We Have Heard On High" – its most common English version – written in 1862 by James Chadwick. The carol quickly became popular in the West Country, where it was described as "Cornish" by R.R. Chope, and featured in Pickard-Cambridge's Collection of Dorset Carols.

Chadwick's lyrics contrast from the original French version, including a new song title, and are considered an original work attributed wholly to him. Chadwick did not specifically translate the lyrics but drafted a new set of lyrics that approximately reflected the theme of the original French song.

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