ANGELS WE HAVE HEARD ON HIGH Christmas Carol Hymn Lyrics Words text trending sing along song music
"Angels We Have Heard on High" is a Christmas carol to the hymn tune "Gloria" from a traditional French song called "Les Anges dans nos campagnes", with paraphrased English lyrics by James Chadwick.[2] The song's subject is the birth of Jesus Christ as narrated in the Gospel of Luke, specifically the scene outside Bethlehem in which shepherds encounter a multitude of angels singing and praising the newborn child. Tune "Angels We Have Heard on High" is generally sung to the hymn tune "Gloria", a traditional French carol as arranged by Edward Shippen Barnes. Its most memorable feature is its chorus, "Gloria in excelsis Deo", where the "o" of "Gloria" is fluidly sustained through 16 notes of a rising and falling melismatic melodic sequence. Lyrics Like the 1816 "Angels from the Realms of Glory", the lyrics of "Angels We Have Heard on High" are inspired by, but not an exact translation of, the traditional French carol now known as "Les Anges dans nos campagnes" ("the angels in our countryside"). Its first known publication was in 1805 in a book of French carols by Révérend Père Roche, as "J'Entends, là sur ces collines".[5] No author of the carol was given, and it is unclear whether Rev. Roche wrote the carol or merely collected it. The melody, listed as "Cherche-moi, etc.", has not yet been identified. Twelve stanzas were provided, with the first stanza significantly different from what was later more widely adopted. Dozens of textual variants appeared in the 19th century.[6] The earliest known publication of the carol as "Les Anges dans nos campagnes", with text and notes, was in 1842.[7] The music was attributed to "W. M.". According to some websites,[8] the music is by the nineteenth-century Wilfrid Moreau from Poitiers. This should probably read Wulfran Moreau (1827–1905), who, though only about fifteen years old in 1842, was from Poitiers and later was professor of rhetoric at Montmorillon and a published composer of religious and school music.[6] "Angels We Have Heard on High" was an 1862 paraphrase by James Chadwick,[2] the Roman Catholic Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle, in the north-east of England. Chadwick's lyrics, original in some sections, and loosely translated from the French in other sections, may have been based on multiple versions of the French carol.[6] The carol quickly became popular in the West Country, where it was described as "Cornish" by R. R. Chope, and featured in William Adair Pickard-Cambridge's Collection of Dorset Carols.[9] It has since been translated into other languages,[10] and is widely sung and published. Modern hymnals usually include three verses.[11] English Angels we have heard on high Sweetly singing o'er the plains And the mountains in reply Echoing their joyous strains |: Gloria in excelsis Deo! :| Shepherds, why this jubilee? Why your joyous strains prolong? What the gladsome tidings be? Which inspire your heavenly songs? |: Gloria in excelsis Deo! :| Come to Bethlehem and see Him whose birth the angels sing; Come, adore on bended knee, Christ the Lord, the newborn King. |: Gloria in excelsis Deo! :| See Him in a manger laid Whom the choirs of angels praise; Mary, Joseph, lend your aid, While our heart in love we raise. |: Gloria in excelsis Deo! :| Video and Recording of Piano & Vocals Copyright (c) 2026 by Charles Elmer Szabo, BMI Charles (Chuck/Chaz) Szabo from Ohio, is an American singer-songwriter and educator who covers old songs to give them new life and also performs his originals. He specializes in lyric videos with words for people to sing along with. His recordings are mostly simple, straightforward vocal & piano or guitar arrangements. Szabo’s original songs range from love songs to songs for celebrating each holiday. His music is available on YouTube at the Charles Szabo and Szabo Music channels. On Spotify and all other streaming services (Apple, ITunes, Amazon, Deezer, etc.) he can be searched and found as Charles Szabo Music. Spotify Channel #1 for Charles Szabo Music https://open.spotify.com/artist/4Dmlu... Spotify Channel#2 for Charles Szabo Music https://open.spotify.com/artist/5PsPV... CHARLES SZABO YouTube Channel: / charlesszabophd SZABO MUSIC YouTube Channel: / szabomusic
