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O little town of Bethlehem is a Christmas carol by Phillips Brooks. For obvious reasons, the final verse is traditionally only sung on Christmas Day. It has been set to music by a number of composers, notably the following:. 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 streets shineth the everlasting light The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight. O morning stars, together proclaim the holy birth, and praises sing to God the King and peace to men on earth; For Christ is born of Mary; and, gathered all above, While mortals sleep, the angels keep their watch of wondring love'.
How silently, how silently, the wondrous gift is giv'n! So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of his heav'n. 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 Emmanuel. Verses 1, 3, 4 Bethlehem, du kleine Stadt, wie still wir dich da liegen sehen!
The Early Morning — A Poem. Benson, " O Little Town of Bethlehem ". Three years later, while pastoring the Holy Trinity Church in Philadelphia, Brooks desired to have a special carol for the children to sing in their Sunday school Christmas program. She would love to find the tune, but we cannot find the song anywhere on the Internet. Skip to main content. Glory to God The Celebration Hymnal
Or you can make your tax-deductible contribution by sending a check to Hymnary. Above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by. Yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting light; the hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight. O morning stars, together proclaim the holy birth, and praises sing to God the King, and peace to men on earth.
So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of His heav'n. No ear may hear His coming, but in this world of sin, where meek souls will receive Him still the dear Christ enters in. Phillips Brooks Brooks, Phillips, D. His Carol, "O little town of Bethlehem," was written for his Sunday School in , the author having spent Christmas, , at Bethlehem. His hymn, "God hath sent His angels to the earth again," is dated The Herald Angels Sing Joy to the world! O little town of Bethlehem Author: Phillips Brooks Meter: Public Domain Job 3: He rode on horseback through the fields around Bethlehem, and attended the Church of the Nativity on Christmas Eve.
This hymn was probably inspired by this journey, but Brooks did not complete the hymn until That year, he commissioned a tune for it from his church organist so that it could be sung at the Sunday school service at his church for Christmas on December 27, It was originally written in five stanzas, but the fourth is usually omitted.
The hymn focuses on the relative silence of the birth of Christ — Bethlehem was just a little town, and only a few people paid attention to the event. The heraldic chorus of angels is minimized in the lines.
There are two tunes in common use with this text, and some hymnals include both. Redner delayed composing the tune until the night before it was to be sung for the first time, on December 27, Brooks nor I ever thought the carol or the music to it would live beyond that Christmas of It first appeared in the English Hymnal in with this text. This tune is more common in the UK. This hymn is suitable for the Advent and Christmas seasons.
It was originally written for children, but is used by Christians of all ages. The peaceful mood of the tune ST.
LOUIS may be used to introduce or conclude a time of silent prayer. A separate copy of this score must be purchased for each choir member. If this score will be projected or included in a bulletin, usage must be reported to a licensing agent e. Skip to main content.
Hymnary Friends, Please pardon this brief interruption, and please consider a gift today to support the work of Hymnary. On behalf of the entire Hymnary. O little town of Bethlehem. Phillips Brooks Tune: Choral O Little Town of Bethlehem. Representative Text 1 O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie! Hymns to the Living God In that year, the Rev. Phillips Brooks took a trip to Israel and saw Bethlehem and its surrounding fields on Christmas Eve, which eventually inspired him to write this Christmas hymn.
The final stanza is a prayer that Christ would come and be present with us. FlexScores are available in the Media section below. You have access to this FlexScore. Text size Text size:. Music size Music size:. This is a preview of your FlexScore. African American Heritage Hymnal O little town of Bethlehem Tune Title: Phillips Brooks, Meter: AGO Founders Hymnal O little town of Bethlehem!
Phillips Brooks, Date: Christmas ; Jesus Christ Birth.
"O Little Town of Bethlehem" is a popular Christmas carol. Contents. 1 Words; 2 Music; 3 References; 4 External links. Words[edit]. The text was written by. Authoritative information about the hymn text O little town of Bethlehem, with lyrics, PDF files, printable scores, MIDI files, audio recordings, piano resources, and.
Phillips Brooks, ; A. Ancient and Modern O little town of Bethlehem First Line: Anglican Hymns Old and New Rev. Baptist Hymnal Jesus, Advent ; Jesus, Birth.
Celebrating Grace Hymnal Christmas ; Jesus Christ ; Jesus Christ: Christian Science Hymnal O little town of Bethlehem, How still we see thee lie! Church Family Worship O little town of Bethlehem Meter: Church Hymnal, Fifth Edition O little town of Bethlehem Date: Church Hymnary 4th ed.