[i]Originally posted by Grampy Bobby[/I]
* "While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks" (Continued)
"Based on the Gospel account in Luke 2, it reflects the Shepherd’s account of the announcement of the birth of the Messiah. Luke 2:11, “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord.” Shepherds in ancient times would sit all night beside their flocks, watching ...[text shortened]... of Jesus Christ and living in His righteousness whenever we can." (Part 2 of 4; The First Noel next)
"Caroling during Christmas..."
* "The First Noel
The Origin: The First Noel is unknown in origin but is generally thought to be English dating back to the sixteenth century, as a peasant folk song. All historical evidence indicates that the song emerged from the remote Cornwall region of southwest England in the mid 16th century. Whoever was responsible for writing this carol was obviously very enthusiastic about the birth of Christ and fully understood its wonder, but did not have a full grasp on the Scriptures that told the story of that birth, because,
there are two slight errors in the carol. In the second stanza it says, “They looked up and saw a star shining in the east, beyond them far; and to the earth it gave great light, and so it continued both day and night.”
1. There is no account of the shepherds seeing the star in Scripture; only in the account of the Magi does the star appear.
2. In addition, it places the star in the east, from whence the wise men came, rather than the west, the direction they would have been traveling.
When “The First Noel” was written, there were very few Bibles in circulation. Most were either in churches or monasteries and were written in Latin. Common people rarely saw a Bible in person, and even if they would have, they probably would not have been able to read it, since most people in those days were illiterate. This may have been the case with its composer. With no Bible to guide him, he drew from the stories he had been told about the events of Christ’s birth. Most he recounted accurately, but he erred regarding the shepherds following the star to Christ’s birthplace and the placement of the star in the east. Nevertheless, it tells of the great gift of God’s salvation that is given to man through the birth and death of His Son Jesus Christ.
The word Noel comes from the French word Noël meaning Christmas, from the Latin word natalis which translates as “birthday.” The repetition of the joyous “noel” in the refrain is equivalent to our singing out “happy birthday” to someone.
There is a misconception that the First Noel was French because of the French spelling of Noel as opposed to the olde English Anglo-Saxon spelling of the word as in Nowell. After England was captured by the Normans, numerous words were adopted from the Norman French language and “Noel” replaced the original spelling “Nowell,” as some early printed versions of this carol use the Nowell spelling.
It is also thought to be a version of an earlier melody sung in a church gallery setting “The First O Well”; a conjectural reconstruction of this earlier version can be found in the New Oxford Book of Carols.
“The First Noel” was first published in 1832 when it appeared in “Christmas Carols Ancient and Modern,” a collection of seasonal carols gathered by William B. Sandys. It also appeared in “Gilbert and Sandys Carols” in 1833, both of which were edited by William Sandys and arranged, edited and with extra lyrics written by Davies Gilbert for “Hymns and Carols of God.”
Today, it is usually performed in a four-part hymn arrangement by the English composer John Stainer, first published in his “Carols, New and Old” in 1871. Variations of its theme are included in Victor Hely-Hutchinson’s “Carol Symphony.” (3 of 4)
21 Dec '14 00:43
YouTube I've been enjoying all of these.
"Caroling during Christmas..."
Back to Top