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'{{Infobox standard <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Songs --> | title = O Little Town of Bethlehem | english_title = | comment = | image = Manuscriptolittletownofbethlehem.png | image_size = 200px | caption = [[Phillips Brooks|Author's]] manuscript of first stanza | writer = [[Phillips Brooks]] | composer = [[Lewis Redner]] ("St Louis"), [[Ralph Vaughan Williams]] ("Forest Green"), [[Henry Walford Davies]] ("Wengen" and "Christmas Carol") | lyricist = | published = c. 1865 | written = | language = [[English language|English]] | form = Christmas carol | original_artist = | recorded_by = | performed_by = }} {{wikisource|O Little Town of Bethlehem}} {{italic title}} '''''O Little Town of Bethlehem''''' is a popular [[Christmas carol]]. The text was written by [[Phillips Brooks]] (1835–1893), an [[Episcopal Church in the United States of America|Episcopal]] priest, Rector of the [[Church of the Holy Trinity, Philadelphia]]. He was inspired by visiting the Palestinian city of [[Bethlehem]] in 1865. Three years later, he wrote the poem for his church and his organist, [[Lewis Redner]], added the music. Redner's tune, simply titled "St. Louis", is the tune used most often for this carol in the U.S.<ref>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)</ref> but in the [[British 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 [[Nailsworth|Forest Green]], [[Gloucestershire]] 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>[http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VJqgspx57C0 "O Little Town of Bethlehem (Vaughan Williams)"] English hymn.</ref> Adapted into a hymn tune, it was first published in the ''[[English Hymnal]] of 1906. 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> 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 traditionally used 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], ''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''. ==Media== {{listen|filename=Oh Little Town of Bethlehem.ogg|title=O Little Town of Bethlehem (St. Louis version)|description=|format=[[Ogg]]}} ==References== {{reflist}} thrhrhfsjdkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkdddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddsssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss ==External links== *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) *Free arrangement for female choir [http://www.kaiser-ulrich.de/Kaiser/Noten.aspx SSA] by [[:de:Ulrich Kaiser (Musiktheoretiker)|Ulrich Kaiser]] *Free hymn arrangement [http://imslp.org/wiki/Bethany_%28Rhys-Herbert,_William%29] in the [http://imslp.org/wiki/Main_Page IMSLP Petrucci Music Library] * [http://www.traditional-songs.com/download_score.php?name=O%20little%20town%20of%20Bethlehem&country=England Free score] * 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 Christmas Carol: http://s2.imslp.org/images/thumb/pdfs/6a/018d3167233a7eb3464d4405c4ddaf8da809f02b.png {{DEFAULTSORT:O Little Town Of Bethlehem}} [[Category:1860s songs]] [[Category:Christmas carols]] [[Category:American Christmas songs]] [[Category:Burl Ives songs]] [[Category:Compositions by Ralph Vaughan Williams]] [[Category:Barbra Streisand songs]] [[Category:Bob Dylan songs]]'