. 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 .
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