А Б V gh. i hhh h gg hh h#h g gh. i h h h h g #g h iih. ig Bgh. i hhh

.
20
While shepherds watched their flocks by night
I
(Christmas)
Cc
Cc
Cc
BC c
after Christopher Tye (c.bfaa–hd)
(arr. Richard Alison, fl. bfjc–bgag)
V g h .. i #h h h h g #gg h hi i hh. #h i gg
g h.h. ii hh hh hh hh gg gg hh h hh hh gg
B
V g h.h . i h hi #i h h #g g h h h #h Fg
h g g h i #i h. =i g
h
h h h . h i gg g #hh h hh hh g
g
h
g
B
h. i h h h
g
Eg
1. While shep - herds watched their flocks by night,
2. ‘Fear not,’ said
he
(for might - y dread
All
Had
seat - ed
on the ground,
seized their trou - bled mind),
3
The
‘Glad
an - gel of
ti - dings of
the Lord came down,
great joy
I
bring
And
To
glo - ry
shone a - round.
all man - kind.
you and
3 ‘To you in David’s town this day
Is born of David’s line
The Saviour, who is Christ the Lord;
And this shall be the sign:
5 Thus spake the seraph; and forthwith
Appeared a shining throng
Of angels, praising God, who thus
Addressed their joyful song:
4 ‘The heavenly Babe you there shall find
To human view displayed,
All meanly wrapped in swathing bands,
And in a manger laid.’
6 ‘All glory be to God on high,
And to the earth be peace;
Good will henceforth from heaven to men
Begin and never cease.’
Nahum Tate? (bgfc–bhbf)
now better known to the Yorkshire words ‘On Ilkla Moor
baht ’at’, was written by a Kentish cobbler (and fine composer of hymn-tunes), Thomas Clark of Canterbury. ‘Old
Foster’ (VII) was published in an orchestral setting with the
words of Psalm 47, but circulated widely in the gallery
repertory and in Yorkshire is always sung to ‘While
shepherds watched’.
NOBC Tunes III, IV, and VI (not included here) are,
respectively, a major version of the tune commonly sung to
‘God rest you merry, gentlemen’ (85:I), an early fuging tune
by Joseph Watts (1749), and a gallery setting from a manuscript of c.1830.
For performance note see p. 55.
This paraphrase of Luke 2: 8–14 appeared in Tate and
Brady’s Supplement (1700) to their New Version of the Psalms
of David, and has traditionally been ascribed to Tate. It was
the first (and for more than eighty years the only) Christmas
hymn ‘permitted to be used in [Anglican] churches’, and
was sung to any suitable psalm tune in common measure
(8.6.8.6.). ‘Winchester Old’ (I) was included among seventy-five tunes in the sixth edition of the Supplement, but
only with Hymns Ancient and Modern (1861) did it begin to
oust the rich variety of melodies that the words had
attracted over the previous century and a half. Tune II,
widely sung in the US, derives from the aria ‘Non vi piaque
ingiusti dei’ in Handel’s opera Siroe. Tune V, ‘Cranbrook’,
( NOBC no. eg )
© Oxford University Press 1993
All rights reserved
This page may be photocopied
53
This carol is taken from
The Shorter New Oxford Book of Carols,
and is also in
The New Oxford Book of Carols
.
.
20
WHILE SHEPHERDS WATCHED THEIR FLOCKS BY NIGHT (II/V)
II
after George Frideric Handel (bgif–bhfj)
V ## 4 i.
4
i
B#
4
i
#
4.
V # # i
1. While
ii
i
ii
i
ii ii i i ii i.
ii i i i ii i .
i i ii i i i
i i ii =i ii
i i i
i i ih. h ii
shep-herds
4
h
ground,
watched their
The
an
-
flocks by
gel
of
ii
i ii
ii
ii
i.i
ii .
night, All
the
glo - ry
shone
a
-
round,
and
ii i i i
ii i
i i i i ii i
ii ii i ii ii
seat - ed
Lord
h.
B#
#
V # # i i
i
i
i
i
i
i
i
i.
i
i
i
B#
h
i
# i i i i h.
7
i ii ii
ii i
ii.
i ..
on
the
came down,
And
ii
i i.
glo - ry
i h.
e
i
i h ..
shone
a
-
round.
V
(Christmas)
V # # 4 i
4i
i
B#
# 44 i
Thomas Clark (bhhf–bifj)
ii.e.
f
ie..
f
ii
“
i
“
ie
f
ife
ie
f
ieif
iie iie i.
f f
iie iie i .
f f
1. While shep -herds watched their flocks by night,
@
ife
iie
f
All
The
3
i
ii
seat
an - gel
i
i
-
ii
ii
ed
i
i
i
i
i
on
i
i
ii i
i i
the
of the Lord came down,
(vv.1–5)
V # # h
i i
. qi i . i qi i i
f “ fff
e
e
e
i
e
i
i
.
i
i
i
B#
i
i
.
q
q
#h
ground,
The
an - gel
e
i
e
e
i
e
i
if ih i. q i ie ii.
ie ih i . i qi i i #i ii .
f “ fff f
of the Lord came down,
The
© Oxford University Press 1993
All rights reserved
This page may be photocopied
54
the
an - gel
if #iie
f
ie. i i
f
an -gel
(vv.1–5)
of the Lord came down,
This carol is taken from
The Shorter New Oxford Book of Carols,
and is also in
The New Oxford Book of Carols
.
.
20
6
of
V ## ie
f
e
i
B#
#f
of
of
WHILE SHEPHERDS WATCHED THEIR FLOCKS BY NIGHT (V)
the Lord came down,
ie
f
ie
if
iife iife
ife #iife
ii r
t ie i.e ii iie
f f “f
iie ie i t
i
if f f i
r
the Lord came down,
And
i.ie
f
ii t ife
the Lord came down,
And
glo - ry
shone
glo
ie
f
iie
f
- ry shone
a - round,
a
-
and
8
V # # i
- round,
e
i.
B## f
t ie ii.e. i iie
f f “f
i ie iie i t
“f f
ie
f
ie
if
ie
f
ii
ie
f
and
glo
-
ie
f
ii
iie i . i i h
f
f
i i hh
i
and glo - ry shone a - round, and glo - ry shone
glo - ry shone a - round,
ry
shone
a
a
-
-
.
round.
.
round.
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.
4 ‘The heavenly Babe you there shall find
To human view displayed,
All meanly wrapped in swathing bands,
And in a manger laid.’
3 ‘To you in David’s town this day
Is born of David’s line
The Saviour, who is Christ the Lord;
And this shall be the sign:
5 Thus 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 to the earth be peace;
Good will henceforth from heaven to men
Begin and never cease.’
Nahum Tate? (bgfc–bhbf)
PERFORMANCE I (i) solo voice and lute, orpharion and/or
cittern, with or without bass viol (tabulature parts are in
NOBC); (ii) solo voice or four voices with mixed consort.
Alison’s setting is also suitable for congregation and organ,
when it may be treated as a normal modern hymn-tune.
© Oxford University Press 1993
All rights reserved
This page may be photocopied
(Elizabethan congregations normally sang hymns in unison
and unaccompanied.)
II, voices and organ.
V, voices, with instruments ad lib. (see Introduction).
VII (i) choir and organ or piano; (ii) choir and orchestra.
55
This carol is taken from
The Shorter New Oxford Book of Carols,
and is also in
The New Oxford Book of Carols
.