Christmas Music

Gloria in excelsis Deo.
Glory to God in the highest.
Et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis.
And on earth peace to all those of good will.
From the Gospel of Luke 2:14
And
Angels We Have Heard on High

According to legend, the first Christmas carol was a hymn sung by the angels appearing to the shepherds of Bethlehem declaring the birth of Christ with the words “Gloria in excelsis Deo. Et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis.”  This hymnus angelicus was the inspiration for one of our most enduring and beloved carols, Angels We Have Heard on High.

The original text - Les anges dans nos compagnes - is by an unknown French author believed to be from Languedoc. First published in Nouveau Recueil de Cantiques in 1855, it was translated into English by James Chadwick, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle, Northeast England, in 1862. The text is rooted in the traditions of medieval France where, on Christmas Eve, shepherds would joyously sing to one another from hillside to hillside calling out “Gloria in excelsis Deo!”  

In this carol, the shepherds describe the angelic chorus:  “Angels we have heard on high - sweetly singing o’er the plains…” and we ask of them: “Shepherds, why this jubilee? Why your joyous strains prolong?” And then we invite all to “Come to Bethlehem and see Him whose birth the angels sing!”  Together, with Mary and Joseph and all the angels, we adore the new-born King and raise our hearts and voices in love.
 

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On a more personal note: one of the greatest joys of being a church musician is the privilege of anticipating liturgical time. In the training of new choristers, the refrain of Angels We Have Heard on High is something we learn even from the first rehearsals. I still marvel at the elegant melisma (several notes on a single syllable) on the word “Gloria” and at the great joy the children find in singing this ancient melody. I am so grateful that I heard this carol as a child, sang it in church and school, learned to play it on the organ, and have had the pleasure of teaching it so many times to our young choristers.

May our joyful voices, even in these complicated and uncertain times, ring to the heavens and throughout the earth, “Gloria in excelsis Deo!”
 

Doctor Kevin Birch
Parishioner