Back to: The Twelve Days of Christmas Carols
The entire hymn is a traditional French carol that originated as early as the eighteenth century and was published in North America in Nouveau recueil de cantiques (New Hymnal) for the Diocese of Quebec in 1819 from the Lorraine region. Others point to a later date of 1855. The hymn was used in Church services throughout the early 19th century.
The original hymn appeared in French – “Les anges dans nos campagnes” – in eight stanzas arranged in a dialogue form alternating between the shepherds (Bergers) in stanzas one, three, and six, and the women (Femmes de Bethlehem) in stanzas two, four, and seven. All sing together in stanzas five and eight.
The English lyrics were translated by James Chadwick (1813-1882) in 1862. He was the Roman Catholic Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle. Chadwick’s lyrics are derived and inspired and in parts a loose translation, from the French original.
This carol is generally sung to the hymn tune “Gloria”, a traditional French carol as arranged by Christian Edward Shippen Barnes. Its most memorable feature is its chorus, Gloria in Excelsis Deo, where the “o” of “Gloria” is fluidly sustained through 18 notes of a rising and falling melodic sequence. “Gloria in Excelsis Deo“, Latin for “Glory to God in the Highest”, is the first line of the song of the angels in the Gospel of Luke.
French legend tells us that shepherds in the country’s southern hills watching their flocks on Christmas Eve would call to each other across the fields and hills, singing the words “Gloria in Excelsis Deo,” which is Latin for “glory to God in the highest.”
“Angels we have heard on high” is a perfect song to accompany the French tradition of the crèche. Handmade nativity scenes are not only common in homes, but also in town squares. Little clay figures, traditionally made in the south of France, are called “santons” (“little saints”). Fine craftsmanship characterizes the production of these figures, and they are a source of local pride for the communities that produce them. Interestingly, “crèche” is also the French term for a nursery for young children during the day.
This tradition is particularly strong in Provence, the south of France, with a crèche that includes the Holy Family, the Magi, the shepherds, and the animals, along with additional local figures, such as the mayor, the little drummer boy, or a peasant dressed in traditional attire. In some villages, people dress as shepherds and join in a procession to the church. Children often contribute to domestic crèches by bringing small stones, moss, and evergreens to complete the scene. Then everyone sings carols!