"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
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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