29:
110:
358:
250:
553:
540:, "Shaw Lane" is used. "Sweet Chiming Bells" is an alternative folk version, repurposing the tune of a different carol, "O'er earthly plains". This tune is commonly sung in South Yorkshire and Derbyshire and also found in North East England. It uses the verses of the standard hymn alongside the
499:
It has been set to numerous other tunes, most commonly "Martyrdom", written by Hugh Wilson in 1800 but with an arrangement by Ralph E. Hudson from around 1885, and "Shackelford" by
Frederick Henry Cheeswright from 1889. Robert Jackson, parish organist at All Saints‘ Church,
933:
234:, were considered too secular and thus not used in church services until the end of the 18th century. As a result of its approved status, many tunes have been associated with this carol. The editors of the
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645:
259:
267:
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28:
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336:"How Lovely is Thy Dwelling Place" with the melody in the tenor. The tune and hymn text were probably first published together in an arrangement by
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published his tune "Sherburne" in 1785, a popular setting that appeared over seventy times in print before 1810 and is still commonly sung by
109:
492:
299:
countries, the standard hymn tune of "While shepherds watched" is "Winchester Old" (initially simply "Winchester"), originally published in
823:
564:
The title in the supplement was "Song of the Angels at the
Nativity of our Blessed Saviour", but it has since become known chiefly by its
421:, for example, selected "Christmas" for its current hymnal, published in 1989, after the previous 1966 edition had used "Winchester Old".
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646:"Professor Jeremy Dibble's hymnology research reveals 'While Shepherds Watched ' was first hymn approved by C of E"
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It is the only one of the sixteen works in the 1700 supplement to still be sung today. It was published by
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97:
967:
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An original arrangement of "While
Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By Night" from The Library of Congress.
459:
226:
164:
121:'s Actes of the Apostles of 1553. The latter half was adapted and used as the tune of "Winchester Old".
528:". Another tune traditionally used for it in Cornwall is "Northrop". In the towns of villages in the
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published in the United States also contained a number of other modernisations, including dropping "
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was arranged by Lowell Mason in 1821, and it is now this version which is most commonly used in the
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note that "it is impossible to print all the tunes which are traditionally sung to this hymn".
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200:(London, 1833). The carol is sung to a wide variety of tunes, the two most common ones being
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has "Winchester Old" and an alternate tune, "Hampton", composed by McNeil
Robinson in 1985.
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has noted that "While shepherds watched" was "the only
Christmas hymn to be approved by the
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An arrangement from the 19th century with music by G. W. Fink. Here the title is given as "
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from 1592. This tune was, in turn, arranged from chapter VIII of
Cambridgeshire composer
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Also known as "Whilst shepherds watched their flocks" or "The Vision of the
Shepherds (
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in the 18th century and this allowed it to be disseminated across the country with the
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The exact date of Tate's composition is not known, but the words appeared in Tate and
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about whom little is known, was employed by Este to arrange tunes featured in his
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and it is his arrangement of Tye's work that appears in the psalter to accompany
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include both the "Winchester Old" and "Christmas" versions, while the
Episcopal
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mentions "University" and "Crowle" as tunes to which is occasionally sung. In
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478:. It was originally set to the words 'Grace 'tis a charming sound' written by
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524:, the carol is popularly sung to "Lyngham", a tune usually associated with "
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818:. Louisville, Ky.: Westminster John Knox Press. 2013. pp. 117–118.
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there. Called "Jackson's Tune," it remains popular in Oldham. A note in
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572:(i.e. 'whilst' not 'while'), but most modern hymn books print "While".
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of 1696. It was the only
Christmas hymn authorised to be sung by the
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in the United
Kingdom and a variation on a Handel aria arranged by
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33:"Song of the Angels at the Nativity of our Blessed Saviour" from
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790:. Louisville, Ky.: Westminster John Knox Press. 1990. pp.
490:. Another popular tune for the hymn from around that time is
952:"While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By Night (arr. Trepte)"
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Carol 'While Shepherds Watch' was sung to 'Ilkley Moor' tune
356:
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842:. New York, NY: Church Publishing. 1985. pp. 94–95.
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David Weyman's adaptation of "Christmas", taken from an
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N Temperley, "Kindred and Affinity in Hymn Tunes" in
692:. London: Oxford University Press. 1906. p. 58.
230:." This was because most carols, which had roots in
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579:and other rewritten passages (see illustration).
575:A 19th-century version by Gottfried W. Fink was
909:"While Humble Shepherds Watched Their Flocks"
634:While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks – Sandys
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181:were permitted to be sung. It is written in
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577:While humble shepherds watched their flocks
558:While Humble Shepherds Watched Their Flocks
27:
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758:The Hymns of the United Methodist Hymnal
451:singers. It was set to music in 1812 in
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940:"While shepherds watched their flocks"
735:"While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks"
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705:(Harvard University Press, 2007), 426
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570:Whilst Shepherds Watched Their Flocks
470:and named after the local village of
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568:. In Tate's original it appeared as
127:While shepherds watched their flocks
35:A New version of the Psalms of David
22:While shepherds watched their flocks
911:. The Hymns and Carols of Christmas
737:. The Hymns and Carols of Christmas
170:New Version of the Psalms of David
14:
137:, with words attributed to Irish
964:from the original on 2021-12-13.
703:The Harvard University Hymn Book
526:O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing
429:hymnal published in 2013 by the
390:Problems playing this file? See
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282:Problems playing this file? See
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1002:Hymns in The New English Hymnal
897:British Library sound recording
482:but is now better known in the
689:The English hymnal, with tunes
417:. The Hymnal Committee of the
1:
135:Annunciation to the Shepherds
544:from "O'er earthly plains".
167:'s 1700 supplement to their
425:(1990) and the more recent
216:Professor Jeremy Dibble of
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854:"While Shepherds Watched"
462:" was written in 1805 by
431:Presbyterian Church (USA)
330:The Whole Book of Psalmes
305:The Whole Book of Psalmes
152:. It is listed as number
66:, Edith Sanford Tillotson
26:
599:List of Christmas carols
510:Westwood Moravian Church
343:Hymns Ancient and Modern
987:English Christian hymns
787:The Presbyterian Hymnal
756:Sanchez, Diana (1989).
423:The Presbyterian Hymnal
419:United Methodist Church
177:; before 1700 only the
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488:On Ilkla Moor Baht 'at
411:George Frideric Handel
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208:in the United States.
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589:" as the final line.
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227:Book of Common Prayer
117:" of chapter VIII in
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313:Acts of the Apostles
196:(London, 1822), and
158:Roud Folk Song Index
92:"Winchester Old" by
972:Ely Cathedral Choir
674:The Daily Telegraph
652:. 15 December 2009.
129:" is a traditional
997:17th-century hymns
885:The English Hymnal
873:The English Hymnal
764:. pp. 91–92.
677:, 15 December 2009
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514:The English Hymnal
403:in the 1728 opera
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338:William Henry Monk
311:'s setting of the
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719:The Musical Times
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222:Church of England
218:Durham University
198:William B. Sandys
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816:Glory to God
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739:. Retrieved
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970:", sung by
944:Hymnary.org
915:20 December
741:20 December
466:shoe-maker
449:Sacred Harp
445:Daniel Read
435:Hymnal 1982
326:madrigalist
303:'s psalter
981:Categories
859:2008-08-07
605:References
587:Hallelujah
506:Lancashire
493:Old Foster
464:Canterbury
392:media help
284:media help
232:folk music
150:Nahum Tate
64:Nahum Tate
968:Cranbrook
538:Todmorden
472:Cranbrook
460:Cranbrook
443:composer
346:in 1861.
315:in 1553.
962:Archived
593:See also
536:such as
530:Pennines
518:Cornwall
441:American
382:(1.5 Mb)
334:Psalm 84
274:(1.5 Mb)
189:2:8–14.
143:lyricist
71:Based on
957:YouTube
566:incipit
542:refrain
291:In the
156:in the
139:hymnist
84:8.6.8.6
52:Written
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502:Oldham
89:Melody
792:58-59
406:Siroe
321:, an
212:Tunes
115:meane
113:The "
81:Meter
42:Genre
917:2010
820:ISBN
796:ISBN
766:ISBN
743:2006
520:and
476:Kent
401:aria
340:for
301:Este
295:and
60:Text
55:1700
46:Hymn
671:",
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