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{{short description|19th-century Christmas carol by Phillips Brooks}}
{{short description|19th-century Christmas carol by Phillips Brooks}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox musical composition
{{Infobox musical composition
| name = O Little Town of Bethlehem
| name = O Little Town of Bethlehem
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| language =
| language =
| written = 1868
| written = 1868
| based_on = {{Sourcetext|source=Bible|version=King James|book=Micah|chapter=5|verse=2}}
| based_on = {{Sourcetext|source=Bible|version=King James|book=Micah|chapter=5|verse=2}}
| meter = 8.6.8.6.7.6.8.6
| meter = 8.6.8.6.7.6.8.6
| melody = "St. Louis" by [[Lewis Redner]], "Forest Green" by [[Ralph Vaughan Williams]]
| melody = "St. Louis" by [[Lewis Redner]],<br />"Forest Green" by [[Ralph Vaughan Williams]]
| composed = <!-- {{Timeline-event|date={{Start date|YYYY|MM|DD|df=y}}|end_date={{End date|YYYY|MM|DD|df=y}}|location=}} -->
| composed = <!-- {{Timeline-event|date={{Start date|YYYY|MM|DD|df=y}}|end_date={{End date|YYYY|MM|DD|df=y}}|location=}} -->
| published =
| published =
| misc =
| misc =
}}
}}
⚫
"'''O Little Town of Bethlehem'''" is a [[Christmas carol]]. Based on an 1868 text written by [[Phillips Brooks]], the carol is popular on both sides of the Atlantic, but to different tunes: in the United States and Canada, to "St. Louis" by Brooks' collaborator, [[Lewis Redner]]; and in the United Kingdom and Ireland to "Forest Green", a tune collected by [[Ralph Vaughan Williams]] and first published in the 1906 ''[[English Hymnal]]''.

⚫
{{wikisource|O Little Town of Bethlehem}}

⚫
"'''O Little Town of Bethlehem'''" is a [[Christmas carol]]. Based on an 1868 text written by Phillips Brooks, the carol is popular on both sides of the [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic ]], but to different tunes: in [[North America]] to "St. Louis" by Brooks' collaborator, Lewis Redner; and in the [[United Kingdom]] and [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]] to "Forest Green", a tune collected by Ralph Vaughan Williams and first published in the 1906 English Hymnal.


==Words==
==Words==
The text was written by [[Phillips Brooks]] (1835–1893), an [[Episcopal Church in the United States of America|Episcopal]] priest, then rector of [[Church of the Holy Trinity, Philadelphia]] and later of [[Trinity Church (Boston)|Trinity Church, Boston]]. He was inspired by visiting the village of [[Bethlehem]] in the [[Mutasarrifate of Jerusalem|Sanjak of Jerusalem]] in 1865. Three years later, he wrote the poem for his church, and his organist [[Lewis Redner]] (1831-1908) added the music.
The text was written by Phillips Brooks (1835–1893), an [[Episcopal Church in the United States of America|Episcopal]] priest, then [[Rector (ecclesiastical)#Anglican churches|rector]] of [[Church of the Holy Trinity, Philadelphia]], and later of [[Trinity Church (Boston)|Trinity Church, Boston]]. He was inspired by visiting the village of [[Bethlehem]] in the [[Mutasarrifate of Jerusalem|Sanjak of Jerusalem]] in 1865. Three years later, he wrote the poem for his church, and his organist [[Lewis Redner]] (1831–1908) added the music.


==Music==
==Music==
===St Louis===
===St. Louis===
{{Listen|type=music|filename=S^ulPO2020 O Little Town Of Bethlehem.wav|title=Symphonic arrangement|description=[[Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra]]}}
Redner's tune, simply titled "St. Louis", is the tune used most often for this carol in the United States.<ref name=benson>Louis F. Benson, "[http://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/Hymns_and_Carols/Notes_On_Carols/o_little_town_of_bethlehem.htm O Little Town of Bethlehem]". ''Studies Of Familiar Hymns'', First Series (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press. 1924), 11. For a recording of this tune, see [http://lutherantacoma.com/hymns/647.mp3 O Little Town of Bethlehem] (mp3 with organ only)</ref> Redner recounted the story of his composition:<ref name=benson/>
Redner's tune, simply titled "St. Louis", is the tune used most often for this carol in the United States.<ref name=benson>Louis F. Benson, "[http://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/Hymns_and_Carols/Notes_On_Carols/o_little_town_of_bethlehem.htm O Little Town of Bethlehem]". ''Studies Of Familiar Hymns'', First Series (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press. 1924), 11.</ref> Redner recounted the story of his composition:<ref name=benson/>
<blockquote>
⚫
As Christmas of 1868 approached, Mr. Brooks told me that he had written a simple little carol for the Christmas Sunday-school service, and he asked me to write the tune to it. The simple music was written in great haste and under great pressure. We were to practice it on the following Sunday. Mr. Brooks came to me on Friday, and said, "Redner, have you ground out that music yet to 'O Little Town of Bethlehem'?" I replied, "No", but that he should have it by Sunday. On the Saturday night previous my brain was all confused about the tune. I thought more about my Sunday-school lesson than I did about the music. But I was roused from sleep late in the night hearing an angel-strain whispering in my ear, and seizing a piece of music paper I jotted down the treble of the tune as we now have it, and on Sunday morning before going to church I filled in the harmony. Neither Mr. Brooks nor I ever thought the carol or the music to it would live beyond that Christmas of 1868.


⚫
My recollection is that Richard McCauley, who then had a bookstore on Chestnut Street west of Thirteenth Street, printed it on leaflets for sale. [[William Reed Huntington|Rev. Dr. Huntington]], rector of All Saints' Church, Worcester, Mass., asked permission to print it in his Sunday-school hymn and tune book, called ''The Church Porch'',<ref>[[William Reed Huntington]] (ed.) ''[https://archive.org/details/churchporchaser00huntgoog The Church Porch: A Service Book and Hymnal for Sunday Schools]'' (E. P. Dutton, 1882)</ref> and it was he who christened the music "Saint Louis".</blockquote>
⚫
{{quote|As Christmas of 1868 approached, Mr. Brooks told me that he had written a simple little carol for the Christmas Sunday-school service, and he asked me to write the tune to it. The simple music was written in great haste and under great pressure. We were to practice it on the following Sunday. Mr. Brooks came to me on Friday, and said, ‘Redner, have you ground out that music yet to "O Little Town of Bethlehem"? I replied, 'No,' but that he should have it by Sunday. On the Saturday night previous my brain was all confused about the tune. I thought more about my Sunday-school lesson than I did about the music. But I was roused from sleep late in the night hearing an angel-strain whispering in my ear, and seizing a piece of music paper I jotted down the treble of the tune as we now have it, and on Sunday morning before going to church I filled in the harmony. Neither Mr. Brooks nor I ever thought the carol or the music to it would live beyond that Christmas of 1868.<br />
⚫
My recollection is that Richard McCauley, who then had a bookstore on Chestnut Street west of Thirteenth Street, printed it on leaflets for sale. Rev. Dr. Huntington, rector of All Saints' Church, Worcester, Mass., asked permission to print it in his Sunday-school hymn and tune book, called ''The Church Porch'',<ref>William Reed Huntington (ed.) ''[https://archive.org/details/churchporchaser00huntgoog The Church Porch: A Service Book and Hymnal for Sunday Schools]'' (E.P. Dutton, 1882)</ref> and it was he who christened the music 'Saint Louis.'}}


<score vorbis="1">
<score sound="1">
\transpose c bes,
\transpose c bes,
\new Staff <<
\new Staff <<
Line 57: Line 57:


===Forest Green===
===Forest Green===
{{Listen|type=music|help=no|filename=O Little Town of Bethlehem (Forest Green).mid|title=MIDI rendition}}
In the United Kingdom and [[Commonwealth of Nations|the Commonwealth]], and sometimes in the U.S. (especially in the [[Episcopal Church in the United States of America|Episcopal Church]]), the English hymn tune "Forest Green" is used instead. "Forest Green" was adapted by [[Ralph Vaughan Williams]] from an English [[folk song|folk]] [[broadside ballad|ballad]] called "The Ploughboy's Dream" which he had collected from a Mr. Garman of Forest Green, Surrey in 1903.<ref>[http://www.vwml.org/record/RVW2/4/19 Vaughan Williams' Manuscript of "The Ploughboy's Dream"] at the [[Vaughan Williams Memorial Library]] [[The Full English (folk music archive)|Full English collection]], accessed 30 March 2014</ref><ref>Byron Adams, Robin Wells, "Hymn Tunes from Folk Songs" in ''Vaughan Williams essays'', Volume 3; Volume 44, (Ashgate Publishing, 2003), {{ISBN|978-1-85928-387-5}} p. 111</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJqgspx57C0 "O Little Town of Bethlehem (Vaughan Williams)"] English hymn.</ref> Henry Garman was born in 1830 in [[Sussex]], and in the [[United Kingdom Census 1901|1901 census]] was living in [[Ockley]], Surrey; Vaughan Williams' manuscript notes he was a "labourer of Forest Green near Ockley - Surrey. (Aged about 60?)", although Mr Garman would have been nearer 73 when he recited the tune.<ref>Mark Browse, [http://hymntunes.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/forest-green.html O Little Town], 141-142</ref> The tune has a [[Strophic form|strophic]] verse structure and is in the form A-A-B-A. Adapted into a hymn tune harmonised by Vaughan Williams, it was first published in the ''[[English Hymnal]]'' of 1906 (transcribed below).
In the United Kingdom and [[Commonwealth of Nations|the Commonwealth]], and sometimes in the U.S. (especially in the [[Episcopal Church in the United States of America|Episcopal Church]]), the English hymn tune "Forest Green" is used instead. "Forest Green" was adapted by Ralph Vaughan Williams from an English [[folk song|folk]] [[broadside ballad|ballad]] called "The Ploughboy's Dream" which he had collected from a Mr. Garman of Forest Green, Surrey in 1903.<ref name=RVW>[http://www.vwml.org/record/RVW2/4/19 Vaughan Williams' Manuscript of "The Ploughboy's Dream"] at the [[Vaughan Williams Memorial Library]] [[The Full English (folk music archive)|Full English collection]], accessed 30 March 2014</ref><ref>[[Byron Adams]], Robin Wells, "Hymn Tunes from Folk Songs" in ''Vaughan Williams Essays'', Volume 3; Volume 44, (Ashgate Publishing, 2003), {{ISBN|978-1-85928-387-5}} p. 111</ref> Henry Garman was born in 1830 in [[Sussex]], and in the [[United Kingdom Census 1901|1901 census]] was living in [[Ockley]], Surrey; Vaughan Williams' manuscript notes he was a "labourer of Forest Green near Ockley – Surrey. ([aged] about 60?)",<ref name=RVW /> although Mr Garman would have been nearer 73 when he recited the tune.<ref>Mark Browse, [http://hymntunes.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/forest-green.html "O Little Town"], hymntunes.blogspot.co.uk, 12 July 2015</ref> The tune has a [[Strophic form|strophic]] verse structure and is in the form A–A–B–A. Adapted into a hymn tune harmonised by Vaughan Williams, it was first published in the ''English Hymnal'' of 1906 (transcribed below).


<score vorbis="1">
<score sound="1">
<< <<
<< <<
\new Staff { \clef treble \time 4/2 \partial 2 \key f \major \set Staff.midiInstrument = "church organ" \omit Staff.TimeSignature \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \override Score.BarNumber #'transparent = ##t
\new Staff { \clef treble \time 4/2 \partial 2 \key f \major \set Staff.midiInstrument = "church organ" \omit Staff.TimeSignature \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \override Score.BarNumber #'transparent = ##t
Line 88: Line 89:


===Other versions===
===Other versions===
Two versions also exist by [[Henry Walford Davies|H. Walford Davies]], called "Wengen", and "Christmas carol".<ref>http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dw.asp?dc=W3446_GBAJY0110304&vw=dc</ref><ref>http://mander-organs-forum.invisionzone.com/index.php?/topic/3764-walford-davies-tune-for-o-little-town/</ref> "Wengen" was published in ''[[Hymns Ancient and Modern]]'' in 1922,<ref>''[[Hymns Ancient and Modern]]'' (London: William Clowes and Sons, Ltd., 1922)</ref> meanwhile "Christmas Carol" is usually performed only by choirs rather than as a congregational hymn. This is because the first two verses are for treble voices with organ accompaniment, with only the final verse as a chorale/refrain harmony. This setting includes a recitative from the Gospel of Luke at the beginning, and cuts verses 2 and 4 of the original 5-verse carol. This version is often performed at the service of [[Nine Lessons and Carols]] in [[Kings College, Cambridge]].<ref>[http://www.kings.cam.ac.uk/events/chapel-services/nine-lessons/order-service-1999.html Order of Service] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101101034542/http://www.kings.cam.ac.uk/events/chapel-services/nine-lessons/order-service-1999.html |date=2010-11-01 }}, ''A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols 1999'', King's College Cambridge 1999.</ref>
Two versions also exist by [[Walford Davies|Henry Walford Davies]], called "Wengen", or "Christmas Carol".<ref>[https://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dw.asp?dc=W3446_GBLLH1645811 "Christmas Carol", Davies], [[Hyperion Records]]</ref> "Wengen" was published in ''[[Hymns Ancient and Modern]]'' in 1922,<ref>''[[Hymns Ancient and Modern]]'' (London: William Clowes and Sons, Ltd., 1922)</ref> meanwhile "Christmas Carol" is usually performed only by choirs rather than as a congregational hymn. This is because the first two verses are for treble voices with organ accompaniment, with only the final verse as a chorale/refrain harmony. This setting includes a recitative from the Gospel of Luke at the beginning, and cuts verses 2 and 4 of the original 5-verse carol. This version is often performed at the service of [[Nine Lessons and Carols]] in [[King's College, Cambridge]].<ref>[http://www.kings.cam.ac.uk/events/chapel-services/nine-lessons/order-service-1999.html Order of Service] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101101034542/http://www.kings.cam.ac.uk/events/chapel-services/nine-lessons/order-service-1999.html |date=2010-11-01 }}, ''A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols 1999'', King's College Cambridge 1999.</ref>


[[William Rhys-Herbert]] included a new hymn-tune and harmonization as part of his 1909 cantata, ''Bethany''.
[[William Rhys-Herbert]] included a new hymn-tune and harmonization as part of his 1909 cantata, ''Bethany''.
Line 94: Line 95:
The song has been included in many of the Christmas albums recorded by numerous singers in the modern era.
The song has been included in many of the Christmas albums recorded by numerous singers in the modern era.


"[[Little Town (song)|Little Town]]" is a new [[Arrangement|arrangement]] of "O Little Town of Bethlehem" by English singer-songwriter [[Chris Eaton (UK musician)|Chris Eaton]]. It was first recorded and released by English singer [[Cliff Richard]] in 1982 who had a Christmas hit with it in the UK. In the US, the better known version is by American [[Contemporary Christian Music|CCM]] artist [[Amy Grant]], released on her 1983 Christmas album.<ref name=Mayaab>{{cite web |last1=Mayaab |first1=Philips |title=From Mainstream to CCM: Cliff Richard's Story |url=http://www.ccmclassic.com/blog/from-mainstrean-to-ccm-cliff-richards-story-by-philips-mayaab |website=ccmclassic.com |publisher=New Hope Management |accessdate=29 September 2019}}</ref>
"[[Little Town (song)|Little Town]]" is an [[arrangement]] of "O Little Town of Bethlehem" by English singer-songwriter [[Chris Eaton (UK musician)|Chris Eaton]]. It was first recorded and released by English singer [[Cliff Richard]] in 1982 who had a Christmas hit with it in the UK. In the US, the better known version is by American [[Contemporary Christian Music|CCM]] artist [[Amy Grant]], released on her 1983 Christmas album.<ref name=Mayaab>{{cite web |last1=Mayaab |first1=Philips |title=From Mainstream to CCM: Cliff Richard's Story |url=http://www.ccmclassic.com/blog/from-mainstrean-to-ccm-cliff-richards-story-by-philips-mayaab |website=ccmclassic.com |publisher=New Hope Management |access-date=29 September 2019}}</ref>
A new tune for O little Town of Bethlehem called "Enmore" by the composer Philip Trumble was first published in 1987 <ref>CAROL PRAISE MARSHALL PICKERING ISBN 0-551-01452-0</ref> Philip Trumble's was also published in the 2022 publication Christmas Praise <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.praise.org.uk/|title=Praise!|website=www.praise.org.uk}}</ref><ref>ISBN 9781739156305</ref>

==See also==
⚫
* [[List of Christmas carols]]


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}


==External links==
==External links==
*{{CPDL|O little town of Bethlehem|prep=of}}
{{Wikisource|O Little Town of Bethlehem}}
⚫
{{Commons category|O little town of Bethlehem}}
*Free arrangements for [http://cantorion.org/music/14/O-Little-Town-of-Bethlehem-Forest-Green-tune-%28UK%29 piano] and [http://cantorion.org/music/4164/O-Little-Town-of-Bethlehem-St.-Louis-tune-%28US%29 SATB] from ''Cantorion.org'' (PD, CPDL)
* {{ChoralWiki|work=O little town of Bethlehem|prep=of}}
⚫
* {{youtube|KaxIkPqiJrY|"O little town of Betlehem"}}, sung to the tune "Forest Green" (arr. Vaughan Williams, desc. Thomas Armstrong) by the [[Choir of King's College, Cambridge]].
* {{IMSLP|work=O Little Town of Bethlehem (Davies, Walford)|cname="O Little Town of Bethlehem" (Davies)}}
* Score of Wengen: ([http://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/Hymns_and_Carols/Images/Wengen-1_Walford-Davies.jpg pt 1], [http://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/Hymns_and_Carols/Images/Wengen-2_Walford_Davies.jpg pt 2])
* Score of "Wengen": ([http://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/Hymns_and_Carols/Images/Wengen-1_Walford-Davies.jpg pt 1], [http://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/Hymns_and_Carols/Images/Wengen-2_Walford_Davies.jpg pt 2])
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20140714170716/http://s2.imslp.org/images/thumb/pdfs/6a/018d3167233a7eb3464d4405c4ddaf8da809f02b.png Score of Christmas Carol]
⚫
* {{YouTube|KaxIkPqiJrY|"O Little Town of Bethlehem" (audio)}}, sung to the tune "Forest Green" (arr. Vaughan Williams, desc. Thomas Armstrong) by the [[Choir of King's College, Cambridge]]


{{DEFAULTSORT:O Little Town Of Bethlehem}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:O Little Town Of Bethlehem}}
[[Category:1860s songs]]
[[Category:1868 songs]]
⚫
[[Category:Christmas carols]]
[[Category:American Christmas songs]]
[[Category:American Christmas songs]]
[[Category:Compositions by Ralph Vaughan Williams]]
[[Category:Choral compositions by Ralph Vaughan Williams]]
[[Category:Songs about Jesus]]
[[Category:Christmas carols]]
[[Category:Hymns in The English Hymnal]]
[[Category:Hymns in The English Hymnal]]
[[Category:Hymns in The New English Hymnal]]
[[Category:Songs about Jesus]]
[[Category:Christianity in Bethlehem]]
[[Category:Songs about Bethlehem]]

Latest revision as of 02:41, 18 December 2024

O Little Town of Bethlehem
Author's manuscript of first stanza
GenreChristmas carol
Written1868
TextPhillips Brooks
Based onMicah 5:2
Meter8.6.8.6.7.6.8.6
Melody"St. Louis" by Lewis Redner,
"Forest Green" by Ralph Vaughan Williams

"O Little Town of Bethlehem" is a Christmas carol. Based on an 1868 text written by Phillips Brooks, the carol is popular on both sides of the Atlantic, but to different tunes: in the United States and Canada, to "St. Louis" by Brooks' collaborator, Lewis Redner; and in the United Kingdom and Ireland to "Forest Green", a tune collected by Ralph Vaughan Williams and first published in the 1906 English Hymnal.

Words

[edit]

The text was written by Phillips Brooks (1835–1893), an Episcopal priest, then rector of Church of the Holy Trinity, Philadelphia, and later of Trinity Church, Boston. He was inspired by visiting the village of Bethlehem in the Sanjak of Jerusalem in 1865. Three years later, he wrote the poem for his church, and his organist Lewis Redner (1831–1908) added the music.

Music

[edit]

St. Louis

[edit]
Symphonic arrangement
Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Redner's tune, simply titled "St. Louis", is the tune used most often for this carol in the United States.[1] Redner recounted the story of his composition:[1]

As Christmas of 1868 approached, Mr. Brooks told me that he had written a simple little carol for the Christmas Sunday-school service, and he asked me to write the tune to it. The simple music was written in great haste and under great pressure. We were to practice it on the following Sunday. Mr. Brooks came to me on Friday, and said, "Redner, have you ground out that music yet to 'O Little Town of Bethlehem'?" I replied, "No", but that he should have it by Sunday. On the Saturday night previous my brain was all confused about the tune. I thought more about my Sunday-school lesson than I did about the music. But I was roused from sleep late in the night hearing an angel-strain whispering in my ear, and seizing a piece of music paper I jotted down the treble of the tune as we now have it, and on Sunday morning before going to church I filled in the harmony. Neither Mr. Brooks nor I ever thought the carol or the music to it would live beyond that Christmas of 1868.

My recollection is that Richard McCauley, who then had a bookstore on Chestnut Street west of Thirteenth Street, printed it on leaflets for sale. Rev. Dr. Huntington, rector of All Saints' Church, Worcester, Mass., asked permission to print it in his Sunday-school hymn and tune book, called The Church Porch,[2] and it was he who christened the music "Saint Louis".

\transpose c bes, \new Staff << \clef treble \key g \major { \time 4/4 \partial 4 \relative g' { b4 | b b ais b | d c e, a | g fis8 g a4 d, | b'2. \bar"" \break b4 | b b e d | d c e, a | g fis8 g b4 a | g2. \bar"" \break b4 | b b a g | fis2 fis4 fis | e fis g a | b2. \bar"" \break b4 | b b ais b | d c e, e' | d g, b4. a8 | g2. \bar"|." } } %\new Lyrics \lyricmode { %} >> \layout { indent = #0 } \midi { \tempo 4 = 80 }

Forest Green

[edit]
MIDI rendition

In the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth, and sometimes in the U.S. (especially in the Episcopal Church), the English hymn tune "Forest Green" is used instead. "Forest Green" was adapted by Ralph Vaughan Williams from an English folk ballad called "The Ploughboy's Dream" which he had collected from a Mr. Garman of Forest Green, Surrey in 1903.[3][4] Henry Garman was born in 1830 in Sussex, and in the 1901 census was living in Ockley, Surrey; Vaughan Williams' manuscript notes he was a "labourer of Forest Green near Ockley – Surrey. ([aged] about 60?)",[3] although Mr Garman would have been nearer 73 when he recited the tune.[5] The tune has a strophic verse structure and is in the form A–A–B–A. Adapted into a hymn tune harmonised by Vaughan Williams, it was first published in the English Hymnal of 1906 (transcribed below).

<< << \new Staff { \clef treble \time 4/2 \partial 2 \key f \major \set Staff.midiInstrument = "church organ" \omit Staff.TimeSignature \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \override Score.BarNumber #'transparent = ##t \relative c' \repeat unfold 2 { << { c2 | f f f g | a4\(( g) a( bes)\) c2 \breathe \bar"||" a | bes a4( f) g2 g f1. \breathe \bar"||" \break } \\ { c2 | c d c d4( e) | f2 f e d | d f f e | f1. } >> } \relative c' { << { f4( a) | c2. d4 c( bes) a( g) | f( g a bes) c2 \breathe \bar"||" c, | f a g f | c1 \breathe \bar"||" \break c1 | f2 f f g | a4( g) a( bes) c2 \breathe \bar"||" a | bes a4( f) g2 g | f1. \bar"|." } \\ { f2 | e2. d4 e2 c | c( f) e c | c c bes a4( bes) | c1 c1 | c2 d c d4( e) | f2 f e d | d f f e | f1. } >> } } %%\new Lyrics \lyricsmode { put lyrics here if you insist } \new Staff { \clef bass \key f \major \set Staff.midiInstrument = "church organ" \omit Staff.TimeSignature \relative c' \repeat unfold 2 { << { g2 | a bes c bes | c f, g f | bes c d c4( bes) | a1. } \\ { e2 | f bes a g | f d c d | g, a bes c | f1. } >> } \relative c' { << { a2 | a2. f4 c'2 c4( bes) | a2( f) g e | f f d4( e) f2 | e1 f2( g) | a bes c bes | c f, g f | bes c4( a) c2 c4( bes) | a1. } \\ { d,2 | a2. bes4 c2 d4( e) | f2( d) c c4( bes) | a2 f bes d | c1 d2( e) | f bes a g | f d c d | g, a4( d) c2 c | <f f,>1. } >> } } >> >> \layout { indent = #0 } \midi { \tempo 2 = 80 }

Other versions

[edit]

Two versions also exist by Henry Walford Davies, called "Wengen", or "Christmas Carol".[6] "Wengen" was published in Hymns Ancient and Modern in 1922,[7] meanwhile "Christmas Carol" is usually performed only by choirs rather than as a congregational hymn. This is because the first two verses are for treble voices with organ accompaniment, with only the final verse as a chorale/refrain harmony. This setting includes a recitative from the Gospel of Luke at the beginning, and cuts verses 2 and 4 of the original 5-verse carol. This version is often performed at the service of Nine Lessons and Carols in King's College, Cambridge.[8]

William Rhys-Herbert included a new hymn-tune and harmonization as part of his 1909 cantata, Bethany.

The song has been included in many of the Christmas albums recorded by numerous singers in the modern era.

"Little Town" is an arrangement of "O Little Town of Bethlehem" by English singer-songwriter Chris Eaton. It was first recorded and released by English singer Cliff Richard in 1982 who had a Christmas hit with it in the UK. In the US, the better known version is by American CCM artist Amy Grant, released on her 1983 Christmas album.[9] A new tune for O little Town of Bethlehem called "Enmore" by the composer Philip Trumble was first published in 1987 [10] Philip Trumble's was also published in the 2022 publication Christmas Praise [11][12]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Louis F. Benson, "O Little Town of Bethlehem". Studies Of Familiar Hymns, First Series (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press. 1924), 11.
  2. ^ William Reed Huntington (ed.) The Church Porch: A Service Book and Hymnal for Sunday Schools (E. P. Dutton, 1882)
  3. ^ a b Vaughan Williams' Manuscript of "The Ploughboy's Dream" at the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library Full English collection, accessed 30 March 2014
  4. ^ Byron Adams, Robin Wells, "Hymn Tunes from Folk Songs" in Vaughan Williams Essays, Volume 3; Volume 44, (Ashgate Publishing, 2003), ISBN 978-1-85928-387-5 p. 111
  5. ^ Mark Browse, "O Little Town", hymntunes.blogspot.co.uk, 12 July 2015
  6. ^ "Christmas Carol", Davies, Hyperion Records
  7. ^ Hymns Ancient and Modern (London: William Clowes and Sons, Ltd., 1922)
  8. ^ Order of Service Archived 2010-11-01 at the Wayback Machine, A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols 1999, King's College Cambridge 1999.
  9. ^ Mayaab, Philips. "From Mainstream to CCM: Cliff Richard's Story". ccmclassic.com. New Hope Management. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
  10. ^ CAROL PRAISE MARSHALL PICKERING ISBN 0-551-01452-0
  11. ^ "Praise!". www.praise.org.uk.
  12. ^ ISBN 9781739156305
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