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A French Folk Carol VS an English Folk one!

  • larees24
  • Dec 20, 2025
  • 4 min read
Rafael Almeida (Violin) and Larissa Rose Fernandes (Piano) playing 'Angels we have heard on high' (Lyrics: James Chadwick) | Samuel Dsouza (Piano) playing 'A child this day is born' (Lyrics: William Sandys)

🎄 Welcome, to ‘Christmas around the Piano’…a nostalgic musical journey!🎄


Day 20 - December 20, 2025:


“Angels We Have Heard on High” - The 18th‑Century “Glooooooria” Melisma courtesy the French!


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“Angels We Have Heard on High” is originally a traditional French folk carol called “Les Anges dans nos campagne”. This carol, which likely dates to the 18th century or earlier, has traveled across centuries, languages, and cultures before becoming the soaring English version we know today — complete with its iconic “Gloria in excelsis Deo”


Its exact authorship is unknown, but it circulated widely in rural France, especially in the Languedoc region.


The English paraphrase was created in 1862, by James Chadwick, a Roman Catholic bishop in northeast England. He didn’t translate the French text literally — he reshaped it into a more poetic English version, while keeping the famous “Gloria in excelsis Deo” refrain.


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The tune, often called “Gloria”, is distinctive and demanding, known for its long, cascading melisma on the word Glooooooria — a vocal challenge that makes the carol instantly recognizable.

Though sung for centuries, the title “Angels We Have Heard on High” became standardized when composer Austin C. Lovelace included it in the 1966 Methodist hymnal.


The carol retells the moment when shepherds hear the angels proclaim Christ’s birth, echoing the angelic song “Glory to God in the highest” from Luke 2:14.

Quick Facts!

✨French Christmas carols (Chants de Noël) are beloved in English hymnals, and this one is among the most widely adopted across denominations of Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox traditions.

✨The melisma (“Glooooooria”) spans up to 16 notes, making it one of the longest single-word runs in any Christmas carol.

✨The French original includes a call-and-response between shepherds and angels — a structure preserved in the English version.

✨The carol has been recorded by artists from Aretha Franklin to for KING & COUNTRY, showing its cross‑genre appeal.

✨In France, it was often sung during midnight outdoor processions, echoing the shepherds’ night‑time encounter.

✨The melody is so iconic that it’s frequently used in film soundtracks to signal “instant Christmas atmosphere.”


A Child This Day Is Born - The 500‑year‑old ancient Carol with 21 VERSES, that nearly vanished!


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A child this day is born” is one of England’s oldest surviving Christmas carols — a joyful Nativity song preserved thanks to William Sandys’ 1833 collection Christmas Carols, Ancient and Modern.  Sandys was a passionate collector of old English carols, and his anthology preserved many songs that might otherwise have vanished.


Although the printed version dates to 1833, scholars believe the carol is much older, likely rooted in West Country (Southwest England) folk traditions. Its structure, refrain, and storytelling style resemble medieval English carols.


In Sandys’ book, the refrain was printed as “Novels, novels, novels”, likely a misprint or archaic spelling. Scholars agree it was intended to be “Nowell”, the Middle English form of Noël, meaning “good news” or “Christmas joy”. This quirky printing error is one of the most charming oddities in carol history.


Its narrative closely follows Luke 2, making it a classic Nativity storytelling carol.


The melody is known as SANDYS, named after William Sandys himself. It has a bright, lilting quality typical of English folk carols and is easy for congregations to sing.


The carol celebrates the birth of Christ as King of Kings, the angelic announcement to shepherds, the fulfillment of prophecy (“Immanuel”), and Joy, peace, and goodwill.

Quick Facts!

✨It was almost lost to history. Without Sandys’ 1833 collection, this carol — along with “The First Nowell” — might have disappeared entirely.


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✨Sandys’ version contained 21 stanzas — an enormous length for a carol — each followed by the refrain. That meant 42 repetitions of the tune if sung in full. Victorian carolers must have had incredible stamina! :) Modern hymnals wisely reduce it to 6–7 stanzas.

✨Many carols mention Jesus’ kingship, but this one emphasizes royalty from the very first line.

✨It’s a purely English Carol. Unlike many carols with Latin or European roots, this one is homegrown English folk tradition.

✨Today, the carol appears in at least 28 hymnals across the English‑speaking world. It remains especially beloved in Anglican and Methodist traditions.

I do hope you have enjoyed reading about these carols, as much as I have enjoyed presenting this to you.


Thank you for joining me on this festive journey! Wishing you and your loved ones, a season filled with light, laughter, love, and of course, MUSIC! 🌟🎄


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Christmas cheer and good tidings to you!

Larissa

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