"O LITTLE TOWN OF BETHLEHEM"

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AN AMERICAN CHRISTMAS CAROL
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One of the world's most-loved Christmas carols originated in America, right after the Civil War. The text was written by the popular and well-known Episcopal priest, and Rector of the Holy Trinity Church in Philadelphia, Phillips Brooks (1835-1893).

Rev. Brooks, who had been a speaker at President Lincoln's funeral, visited Bethlehem in 1865, and his impressions and memories of that trip caused him to write his carol three years later in 1868, at Christmas time.

He gave a copy of his poem to his church organist, Lewis Redner (1801-1903), who then wrote the tune "St. Louis," which is the tune most-used in the U.S. The United Kingdom folks seem to prefer a setting for Brook's text called "Forest Green," a tune adapted by R. Vaughan Williams, from an old English folk song---"The Ploughman." One source mentioned that "O Little Town of Bethlehem" is occasionally sung to the tune "Carol," though the meters are slightly different.

By the time of Phillips Brook's death in 1893" the song had become very popular and used around the world. It is said that it was sung  for President Grant in a White House Christmas concert. Another story tells of Roosevelt and Churchill together at a White House service, and Churchill, normally a lusty singer, did not know the tune.

Those interested in the music of hymns and carols, will find "Forest Green" to be a singable, pleasing, and interesting substitute for Redner's "St. Louis." An advantage to occasionally branching out into unfamiliar tunes is that it often helps us to sing and hear the words in a fresh sense.

Here is the text to Phillips Brook's carol:

O little town of Bethlehem,
How still we see thee lie!
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by;
Yet in thy dark street shineth
The everlasting Light;
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight.

For Christ is born of Mary
And gathered all above,
While mortals sleep the angels keep
Their watch of wondering love.
O Morning Stars together.
Proclaim the holy birth,
And praises sing to God the King,
And peace to men on earth.

How silently, how silently,
The wondrous gift is given!
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of His heaven.
No ear may hear his coming,
But in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive Him still,
The dear Christ enters in.

O holy child of Bethlehem
Descend to us we pray;
Cast out our sin and enter in,
Be born in us today!
We hear the Christmas angels
The great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us,
Our Lord Immanuel!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVOpenuXHKo&feature=youtube_gdata_player

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BY MIL
12/18/12
Sent from my iPad