Christmas
Hymn 44.
While shepherds watched their flocks by night
¶Choose your part under Play voice to hear it alone, or let all four sound and sing yours. Concert key moves the whole hymn up or down to suit your voice.
Opening the music…
The Words
1While shepherds watched their flocks by night,
All seated on the ground,
The angel of the Lord came down,
And glory shone around.
2“ Fear not,” said he; for mighty dread
Had seized their troubled mind;
“ Glad tidings of great joy I bring
To you and all mankind.
3“ To you in David's town this day
Is born of David's line,
A Saviour, Who is Christ the Lord;
And this shall be the sign:
4“ The heavenly Babe you there shall find
To human view displayed,
All meanly wrapped in swathing bands,
And in a manger laid.”
5Thus spake the seraph; and forthwith
Appeared a shining throng
Of angels praising God, who thus
Addressed their joyful song:
6“ All glory be to God on high,
And in the earth be peace;
Good-will henceforth from Heaven to men
Begin and never cease.” Amen.
The Page It Came From
Where It Comes From
Read note by note from Hymns Ancient and Modern (Novello, London, 1861), and checked against the printed page. See that page in the scan of the book at the Internet Archive: open the page.
First published in London in 1861. Every tune, harmony and text in it was printed by 1861, so all its writers died long before 1966, and the book is out of copyright in India and the USA.