One Carol, Two Tunes, Two Worlds! The Surprising History of ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem’”
- larees24
- Dec 11, 2025
- 3 min read
Updated: Dec 13, 2025
🎄 Welcome, to ‘Christmas around the Piano’…a nostalgic musical journey!🎄
Day 11 - December 11, 2025:
The carol was written in 1868 by Phillips Brooks, an American Episcopal priest.
Brooks had visited Bethlehem in 1865, three years earlier, during a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. The peaceful night he spent there deeply moved him and inspired the poem that later became the carol.
He had traveled on horseback from Jerusalem to Bethlehem on Christmas Eve 1865. The quiet, starlit night inspired the opening lines. But historical accounts state that the journey was long, cold, and physically draining; He arrived emotionally overwhelmed, not serene. The “stillness” he later described was a contrast to the chaos of travel. This contrast between inner peace and outer hardship, perhaps, shaped the tone of the carol.
The text draws from Micah 5:2, which foretells the Messiah’s birth in Bethlehem.
He had originally written the hymn for the children of his Sunday school at Holy Trinity Church in Philadelphia. It was first printed on a simple leaflet for the church’s Christmas service in December 1868, then published in The Sunday School Hymnal in 1871.
Lewis Redner composed its Tune. He apparently struggled to compose a melody. He reportedly said the tune came to him suddenly in the night, before the performance — he believed it was a gift from God.
Ralph Vaughan Williams also composed a tune for this, which became a British version of the Carol.
Quick Facts!
⭐The original tune called “St. Louis” has: wide intervals, a high range, and a tricky melodic leap. Ironically, the carol written for children was too difficult for many children’s choirs. This is partly why the British folk tune version became popular — it’s easier to sing.
⭐ Americans often don’t recognize the British tune, and vice versa. It’s one of the few carols with two globally dominant melodies.
⭐The poem uses a challenging meter which is extremely uncommon in hymnody. Brooks’ extended pattern made it difficult for composers — which is why — Redner struggled for days, Vaughan Williams used a folk tune instead. This explains why the carol ended up with two dominant melodies.
⭐Redner’ Tune called “St. Louis” was named after…nothing in particular. Hymnologists still debate why he chose it. It remains one of the mystery titles in American hymnody.
⭐Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Tune “Forest Green” was originally a Folk Song about Love. He had collected the melody from a man named Mr. Garman in the village of Forest Green. The original folk song was “The Ploughboy’s Dream”, a secular love‑themed tune. This gives the UK version a folk‑heritage charm.
⭐“The hopes and fears of all the years, Are met in thee tonight.” is its most famous line and is widely praised today, but early critics felt it was…Too abstract; Too literary (Poetic); Too emotional for a children’s hymn. Ironically, it became the line that made the carol immortal.
⭐Redner Claimed the melody came to him suddenly the night before the performance. But in his later writings, he admitted that he wasn’t sure if it was inspiration, or exhaustion, or pressure from Brooks. He jokingly said he didn’t know if it was “divine or deadline‑driven.”
⭐Brooks wrote the poem in 1868, just after the American Civil War ended. We see hints of relevant themes like: “dark streets”, “everlasting light”, “hopes and fears”, resonating deeply with a nation recovering from trauma.
⭐ Scholars praise it for its poetic simplicity and theological depth — “the hopes and fears of all the years” is considered one of the most beautiful lines in hymnody.
I do hope you have enjoyed reading about this carol, 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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