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The first Noel, the angel did say, Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay; In fields where they lay keeping their sheep On a cold winter’s night that was so deep. Refrain: Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel, Born is the King of Israel.... They looked up and saw a star Shining in the east, beyond them far, And to the earth it gave great light, And so it continued both day and night. Refrain. And by the light of that same star Three wise men came from country far; To seek for a king was their intent, And to follow the star wherever I went. Refrain. This star drew nigh to the northwest, O’er Bethlehem it took its rest, And there it did both stop and stay, Right over the place where Jesus lay. Refrain. Then entered in those Wise Men three, Full rev’rently upon their knee, And offered there in His presence Their gold, and myrrh, and frankincense. Refrain. Noel is a French word that may come from the Latin natalis, meaning “birth,” or from the Latin novella, meaning “new.” In one sense Noel refers to the whole Christmas season; in another it refers to the good news that Jesus Christ has come. The first Noel, this song says, was sung by an angel to poor shepherds. The chorus rings out like a corner paperboy – “News! News! News! Hear all about it! King of Israel born today!” Early folk carols such as this one often had a memorable chorus and many stanzas, each presenting some ne aspect of the story. An individual or group could sing a stanza, perhaps one newly made up, and the whole crowd would join in the refrain. “The First Noel” was first published in its present form by William Sandys in 1833.
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Angels, from the realms of glory, Wing your flight o’er all the earth; Ye who sang creation’s story Now proclaim Messiah’s birth: Refrain: Come and worship, come and worship Worship Christ, the newborn King. Shepherds, in the field abiding, Watching o’er your flocks by night,... God with man is now residing; Yonder shines the infant light. Refrain. Sages, leave your contemplations; Brighter visions beam afar; Seek the great Desire of nations; Ye have seen His natal star. Refrain. All creation, join in praising God, the Father, Spirit, Son, Evermore your voices raising To the eternal Three in One. Refrain. James Montgomery, a newspaperman in London, had been imprisoned twice for his controversial editorials, but there was no controversy when he ran this poem in his newspaper column on Christmas Eve, 1816. Other than Isaac Watts and Charles Wesley, probably no writer has contributed more to the development of Christian hymns than this unique journalist who championed the cause of the poor and downtrodden, as well as foreign missions. It is fitting that the music was composed by a blind organist, Henry Smart, the designer and builder of some of England’s finest organs and one of the outstanding musicians of his day. In writing this hymn, Montgomery referred not only to the Gospel accounts of Christ’s birth, but also to the messianic prophecies of the old Testament, where the Messiah is called the desired of all nations (Haggai 2:7), who world come suddenly to His temple (Malachi 3:1). While shepherds watched their flocks by night, All seated on the ground, The angel of the Lord came down, And glory shone around. And glory shone around. “Fear not!” said he; for mighty dread had seized their troubled mind, “Glad tidings of great joy I bring To you and all mankind, To you and all mankind. “To you, in David’s town this day, Is born of David’s line, The Savior who is Christ the Lord, And this shall be the sign: And this shall be the sign: “The heav’nly Babe you there shall find To human view displayed, All meanly wrapped in swathing bands, And in a manger laid; And in a manger laid. “All glory be to God on high, And to the earth be peace; Good will henceforth from heav’n to men, Begin and never cease, Begin and never cease.” Along with his friend Nicholas Brady, Nahum Tate was a pioneer in church music. At the end of the 17th century, the Church of England still did most of its singing from the Psalter compiled by Sternold and Hopkins in 1652. Tate and Brady recast the psalms in more “modern” language, publishing the New Version of the Psalter in 1696. Even though the old Psalter was often unpoetic and hard to sing, many resisted attempts to change it and resented Tate and Brady for trying to improve it. Eventually, though, King William III of England endorsed Tate and Brady’s New Version, and it became the standard psalter in both England and America. Ironically, many people later protested when translators tried to improve on Tate and Brady! In 1700 Tate and Brady published a supplement of sixteen new hymns to go along with their psalms. This Christmas carol, retelling of the shepherds’ story, was in that collection. |
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