While shepherds watched their flocks by night lyrics

#While shepherds watched their flocks by night lyrics series#

When this text is sung to CHRISTMAS, the last line of each stanza must be repeated for the text to fit the music. Two tunes are commonly used with this text вЂ“ often both in the same hymnal: WINCHESTER OLD and CHRISTMAS. Many old American hymnals used SHERBURNE, but that has also fallen into disuse. JAMES, though this recommendation has been ignored. Tate and Brady indicated that their text was to be sung to ST. The sixth is a doxological version of the song of the host of angels, with some variance in the wording of the second half between different hymnals. A paraphrase of the first angel's speech to the shepherds takes up the second, third, and fourth stanzas. The first and fifth stanzas, as well as the first half of the second, are narrative and describe the appearance of the first angel and then of the host of angels. There are six stanzas, but some hymnals omit the fifth (вЂњThus spake the seraph and forthwithвЂќ). It is usually ascribed solely to Tate, though it may have been written as a collaboration. This paraphrase of the story of the shepherds and angels from Luke 2 first appeared in A Supplement to the New Version of Psalms by Nicholas Brady and Nahum Tate in 1700. John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

#While shepherds watched their flocks by night lyrics series#

Andrews) in his Series Collectarum, &c, 1890. Bingham, in his Hymnologia Christiana Latina, 1871 and (4) 'Pro grege Pastores vigilabant nocte silenti,' by Bishop Wordsworth (St. Biggs's annotated edition of Hymns Ancient & Modern, 1867 (3) 'Oves dum custodientes,' by R. Those in Latin include (1) 'Pastorum in pecudes noctu vigilante catervГў,' by Lord Lyttelton, 1866 and (2) 'Noctivagos. The original has been translated into several languages. This is found in one or two American collections only. This arrangement of the text has been in common use for more than 100 years.Дў. On its adoption in the revised Draft of 1751, and again in the authorized issue of the Translations and Paraphrases, 1781, the concluding lines of the last stanza read:. The alterations were confined to this stanza. 'While humble Shepherds watch'd their Flocks This was given in the 1745 Draft of the Scottish Translations and Paraphrases, the opening stanza reading:. While humble Shepherds watched their flocks. In addition to the original, two additional versions are in common use:-ДЎ. In full, or in an abbreviated form, it is found in most hymn-books in English-speaking countries. Appeared in the Supplement to the New Version, in 1702, in 6 stanzas of 4 lines, and in all later editions of the same. While shepherds watched their flocks by night. Reprinted frequently and supplemented with some hymns, the new versification became the standard psalter of the Church of England and influenced psalmody well into the nineteenth century.Д¬hristmas stanza 5 makes an excellent doxology for the two Sundays following Christmas. Intemperate throughout his life, Tate died while living at the Suffolk House, a refuge for debtors in London, In the history of church music Tate and Brady are known for their New Version (1696), which replaced the 'Old Version' of Sternhold and Hopkins published by John Day in 1562. He was also appointed the official royal historian in 1702. Honored by being named poet laureate in 1692, Tate wrote poetry celebrating important national events. Most of his dramas were not original plays but adaptations of the works of others. A similarly narrative song based on the same gospel text is at 339.ДЄlthough born in Ireland, Tate spent all of his adult life in London, where he was known primarily as a playwright and poet. Adopted by virtually all hymnals since its writing, this narrative song simply tells the Christmas gospel as the shepherds heard it. Tate's straightforward telling of the nativity story is an example of paraphrasing at its best: poetry that conveys the text well without undue liberties or additions and is easy to understand and sing. It was first published in 1700 in a supplement to the New Version of the Psalms by Tate and Nicholas Brady. The story of the shepherds and the angels is told in this famous paraphrase of Luke 2:8-14 by Nahum Tate (b.