As I may have mentioned, The Hymns and Carols of Christmas became pretty much my favourite site these last few years, and not just at Christmas… When I’m at a loose end one of my favourite things to do is make Christmas songs. (I try and completely ignore the original tunes of these lyrics, or ideally not know them in the first place.)

‘As on the night before this blessed morn’, words by George Wither, from here.

This is from sometime in November, alongside all the piano pieces. I had also just been to see Frozen 2, which … isn’t necessarily relevant, but it certainly put me in a musical theatre mood! Some more expressive vocal lines. The “whom nooor the earth nor (breath) HEavn of heavns can (breath) HOOOOLD” part is my favourite ^.^

1. As on the night before this blessed morn
A troop of Angels unto Shepherds told,
Where in a stable he was poorly born,
Whom nor the earth nor heaven of heavens can hold,
        Through Bethlehem rung.
    This news at their return ;
        Yea, Angels sung,
    That God with us was born 
And they made mirth, because we should not mourn.

2. This favour Christ vouchsafed for our sake :
To buy us thrones he in a manger lay ;
Our weakness took, that we his strength might take,
And was disrob'd, that he might us array :
        Our flesh he wore,
    Our sin to wear away :
        Our curse he bore,
    That we escape it may ;
And wept for us, that we might sing for aye.

Another one, also just from the very end of November I think! here

1. Today in perfect gladness
    Our praises let us sing,
The Lord Who heals our sadness,
    Is born today our King,
The Lord Who, like a giant,
    His course doth run,
On His own strength reliant,
    Our righteous Sun.

2. In darkness He is lying
    Who gives the sky its light,
He in a stall is crying
    Who thunders in His might;
Swathes are those Hands enfolding
    Which made the stars,
Him swaddling bands are holding 
    Who breaketh down hell's bars.

3. He comes, redemption bringing,
    He comes, the Undefiled
The Rose from Lily springing,
    The Father from His Child.
He comes, with kingly banner
    Not yet unfurl'd,
He comes, in wondrous manner,
    To save the world.

I had some trouble with the word “burils” in the original lyrics… “who burrils hell’s bars”. Even if I was sure what it meant (seems to maybe be a blacksmith/carpentry tool, which is NEAT but…) … it’s not going to translate well to a random listener I fear.

I would like to make something with all these Christmas songs, and the increasing amount of “modern hymn”(?) settings (..a lot of Catherine Winkworth, basically. I’ve got the entire Lyre Germanica to go through now and I am unstoppable.) … A book? for….. some people? I suppose choral settings would be the thing. Or different versions, some of them are fairly solo/unison/pop, right?