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Ding Dong Merrily on High

Christmas carol

Summary

Christmas carol

FieldValue
nameDing Dong Merrily on High
languageEnglish, Latin
published
genreChristmas carol
writerGeorge Ratcliffe Woodward

"Ding Dong Merrily on High" is a Christmas carol. The tune first appeared as a secular dance tune known under the title "Branle de l'Official" in Orchésographie, a dance book written by the French cleric, composer and writer Thoinot Arbeau, pen name of Jehan Tabourot (1519–1593). The words are by the English composer George Ratcliffe Woodward (1848–1934), and the carol was first published in 1924 in his The Cambridge Carol-Book: Being Fifty-two Songs for Christmas, Easter, And Other Seasons. Woodward took an interest in church bell ringing. Woodward was the author of several carol books, including Songs of Syon and The Cowley Carol Book. The macaronic style is characteristic of Woodward's delight in archaic poetry. Charles Wood harmonised the tune when it was published with Woodward's text in The Cambridge Carol Book. More recently, Sir David Willcocks made an arrangement for the second book of Carols for Choirs.

Text and melody

Ding Dong! merrily on high In heav'n the bells are ringing Ding, dong! verily the sky Is riv'n with angel singing Gloria, Hosanna in excelsis

E'en so here below, below Let steeple bells be swungen And i-o, i-o, i-o By priest and people be sungen Gloria, Hosanna in excelsis

Pray ye dutifully prime Your matin chime, ye ringers May ye beautifully rime Your evetime song, ye singers Gloria, Hosanna in excelsis. \header { arranger = "arr. Charles Wood" tagline = ##f } \layout { indent = 0 \context { \Score \remove "Bar_number_engraver" } } global = { \key bes \major \time 4/4 }

soprano = \relative c'' { \set Staff.midiInstrument = "vibraphone" \global \repeat volta 2 { bes4 bes c8 [bes] a [g] | f2. f4 g bes bes a | bes2 bes | } f'4. (es8 d es f d | es4. d8 c d es c | d4. c8 bes c d bes | c4. bes8 a bes c a | bes4. a8 g a bes g |a4.) g8 f4 f | g bes bes a | bes2 bes \bar "|." }

alto = \relative c' { \global \repeat volta 2 { f4 f g8 [g] es [es] | c2. f4 | f es c f | f2 f | } r4 f2 (bes4~ | bes8 a g f g f es4) | r4 f8 (es d4 f | g8 f es d es d c4) | r4 d8 (c bes4 d | c bes c) d | f es c f | f2 f2 \bar "|." }

tenor = \relative c' { \global \repeat volta 2 { d4 bes g8 [g] c [bes] | a2. bes4 | bes bes c c | d2 d2 } r4 c (d bes | c bes2 c4) | r4 a (bes g | a g2 a4) | r4 f (g2 f4) bes c d | bes bes c c | d2 d2 \bar "|." }

bass = \relative c { \global \repeat volta 2 { bes4 d es8 [es] c [c] | f2. d4 | es g f f | bes,2 bes | } r4 a' (bes d, | c d es8 d c4) | r4 f (g bes, | a bes c8 bes a4) | r4 d (es c | f) g a bes | es, g f f | bes,2 bes \bar "|." }

verse = \lyricmode { In heav'n the bells are ring -- ing: } \new Lyrics { Ding dong! Ve -- ri -- ly the sky Is riv'n with an -- gel sing -- ing, } Glo -- ri -- a, Ho -- san -- na in ex -- cel -- sis! }

\score { \new ChoirStaff \new Staff \new Voice = "soprano" { \voiceOne \soprano } \new Voice = "alto" { \voiceTwo \alto } \new Lyrics \lyricsto "soprano" \verse \new Staff \with { \consists "Merge_rests_engraver" } \clef bass \new Voice = "tenor" { \voiceOne \tenor } \new Voice = "bass" { \voiceTwo \bass } \layout { } } \score { \unfoldRepeats { } \midi { \tempo 4=144 } }

Recordings

  • Roger Whittaker album Tidings of Comfort and Joy (1984)
  • Maddy Prior album A Tapestry of Carols (1987)
  • The Chieftains album The Bells of Dublin (1991)
  • The Wiggles album Wiggly, Wiggly Christmas (1996)
  • Cantiga album Magic Steps (1998)
  • Celtic Woman album A Christmas Celebration (1998)
  • Charlotte Church album Dream a Dream (2000)
  • Cherish the Ladies album On Christmas Night (2004)
  • Blackmore's Night album Winter Carols (2006)
  • Linda Brava album Angels (2010)
  • O Holy Night (2012) by Millennial Choirs and Orchestras
  • Choir of King's College, Cambridge album 100 Years of Nine Lessons and Carols (2018)

References

References

  1. Thoinot Arbeau (1589). ''[http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=musdi&fileName=219//musdi219.db&recNum=184&itemLink=r%3Fammem%2Fmusdibib%3A%40field%28NUMBER%2B%40od1%28musdi%2B219%29%29&linkText=0 Orchesographie]''. Langres. p. 90–93.
  2. {{YouTube. dSzs4XLiUmI. Branle de l'official
  3. [http://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/Hymns_and_Carols/ding_dong_merrily_on_high.htm "Ding Dong Merrily on High"], hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com
  4. {{YouTube. 947XNGgm_sU. Ding Dong! Merrily On High
Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

christmas-carols 1924-songs french-folk-songs
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