| Author | Topic: Sweet Chiming Bells (While Shepherds Watched) | |
| Malcolm Douglas |
Posted - 26 Dec 02 - 01:50 am | |
Sweet Chiming Bells (While Shepherds Watched) While shepherds watched their flocks by night, All seated on the ground, The Angel of the Lord came down, And Glory shone around. Chorus: Sweet bells, sweet chiming Christmas bells, Sweet bells, sweet chiming Christmas bells, They lead us on our heav'nly way, sweet chiming bells. They lead us on our heav'nly way, sweet chiming bells. "Fear not" said he, for mighty dread Had seized their troubled minds, "Glad tidings of great joy I bring To you and all mankind. To you in David's town this day, Is born of David's line; A Saviour who is Christ the Lord. And this shall be your sign." Jack Goodison, Jack Goodison's Collection of Local and Traditional Christmas Carols, Sheffield, 1992/1993/2001. While Shepherds Watched turns up in many forms in the South Yorkshire carol tradition, sung to a wide selection of tunes; including Cranbrook (better known nowadays as Ilkley Moor Baht'at). This particular set, traditionally sung at Stannington, is a particular favourite. The tune is known as Sweet Chiming Bells, and is usually sung in four parts. This can be a bit of a problem to represent properly in abc, so for now the melody (the "top" part") is given in abc, and a link to a midi file of the full tune is added. Sweet Chiming Bells (midi: four parts) | ||
| Malcolm Douglas |
Posted - 26 Dec 02 - 01:55 am | |
Although I was eventually able to add this to the database, I can't so far add to the entry (the request times out) so, for now, here is the abc: X:1 T:Sweet Chiming Bells (While Shepherds Watched) B:Jack Goodison's Collection of Local and Traditional Carols, 3rd. edn. 2001. S:Traditionally sung at Stannington and Worrall (Sheffield, South Yorkshire). N:Sung in four parts: melody line only given here. L:1/8 Q:1/4=100 M:4/4 K:F FG|A2F2c2A2|A2G2G2GA| w:While_ shep-herds watched their flocks by night, All_ B2G2c2B2|A6FG| w:seat-ed on the ground, The A2F2c2A2|A2G2G2GA|B2B2A2G2|F6c2| w:An-gel of the Lord came down, And_ Glo-ry shone a-round. Sweet c6c2|B2c2A2B2|G6c2| w:bells, sweet chim-ing Christ-mas bells, Sweet c6c2|B2c2A2B2|G6B2| w:bells, sweet chim-ing Christ-mas bells, They A2c2B2d2|c2f2d2B2|A4G4|F6FG| w:lead us on our heav'n-ly way, sweet chim-ing bells. They_ A2c2B2d2|c2f2d2B2|A4G4|F6|] w:lead us on our heav'n-ly way, sweet chim-ing bells. When everything is back to normal, I'll add the appropriate links. Later: the problem seems to be a Netscape issue again. I had no trouble making minor updates via Opera. The database entry is here. Edited By Malcolm Douglas - 12/26/2002 4:25:48 PM | ||
| Jon Freeman | Posted - 26 Dec 02 - 03:28 am | |
Thanks Malcolm. I'm currently trying to sing Shepahersds Watched.. to Ilkely Moor - scarey part is it seems to fit (with some repeated words)! Sorry about the problems, all seems fine know and it looks like you managed the bc. If things are still sticky, send me an email (jon@flokinfo.org) or a PM and I'll do what I can to get matters sorted. Jon | ||
| dmcg | Posted - 26 Dec 02 - 08:37 am | |
There are various recordings on tape and CD of some of these carols available from this link, though I don't know if "Sweet Chiming Bells" is amongst them. I agree 'While Shepherd's Watched' to the 'Ilkley Moor' is startling the first time you hear it. This was yet another of those events in my early folk-music life that led me to take a rather hard line, but this is one I have not fully grown out of. I still feel quite irritated when people who should know better take a very narrow view of carols. I had another minor argument with my Church group this year because the version of "Away in a Manger" (yawn!) they had included the line "and take us to heaven to live with thee there" when, they claimed, everyone knows the right words are "to fit us for heaven". "Why must people change the carols like that?" they said. Of course, everyone in the group has to sing the same thing, but this insistance on 'the right words' is depressing ... especially as they aren't. This is one of the composed carols and the original composition said "take", not "fit", according to the Oxford Book of Carols. Edited By dmcg - 12/26/2002 9:08:56 AM | ||
| Pip Freeman | Posted - 26 Dec 02 - 10:40 am | |
Sweet chiming Christmas bells is a great favourite at our fellowship and produces much hilarity when the the bass singers add a "boom boom" at the end of the first two chorus lines. | ||
| Malcolm Douglas |
Posted - 26 Dec 02 - 04:20 pm | |
Of the Village Carols recordings that Dave mentions, Sweet Chiming Bells appears in one form or another on To Celebrate Christmas: Carols from the Traveller's Rest, Oughtibridge (VC006) and Arise, Rejoice and Sing!: Carols from The Blue Ball, Worrall (VC002). | ||
| Phil Taylor | Posted - 27 Dec 02 - 01:50 pm | |
Here's the abc in multi-voice, transcribed from the midi. I haven't added the lyrics to parts 2-4, but maybe someone who has the book (or knows the arrangement) could do that. X: 1 T:Sweet Chiming Bells (While Shepherds Watched) B:Jack Goodison's Collection of Local and Traditional Carols, 3rd. edn. 2001. S:Traditionally sung at Stannington and Worrall (Sheffield, South Yorkshire). M: 4/4 L: 1/8 Q:1/4=100 V:1 program 1 68 V:2 program 1 71 V:3 program 1 70 V:4 clef=bass program 1 42 K:F [V:1] FG | A2 F2 c2 A2 | A2 G2 G2 GA | w:While_ shep-herds watched their flocks by night, All_ [V:2] FG | F2 F2 F2 F2 | F2 E2 E2 EF | [V:3] A,B,| C2 A,2 A,2 C2 | C2 C2 C2 C2 | [V:4] F,2 | F,2F,2 F,2 F,2| C,2 C,2 C,2 B,A, | % [V:1] B2 G2 c2 B2 | A6 FG | w:seat-ed on the ground, The [V:2] G2 E2 E2 E2 | F6 FE | [V:3] D2 B,2 G,2 C2 | C6 A,B,| [V:4] G,2 G,F, E,2 C,2 | F,6 F,2 | % [V:1] A2 F2 c2 A2 | A2 G2 G2 GA | B2 B2 A2 G2 | F6 c2 | w:An-gel of the Lord came down, And_ Glo-ry shone a-round. Sweet [V:2] F2 F2 F2 F2 | F2 E2 E2 EF | G2 F2 E2 E2 | F6 A2 | [V:3] C2 A,2 A,2 C2 | C2 C2 C2 C2 | D2 D2 C2 B,2 | A6 z2 | [V:4] F,2 F,2 F,2 F,2 | C,2 C,2 C,2 B,A,| G,2 G,2 C2 C,2 | F,6 z2 | % [V:1] c6 c2 | B2 c2 A2 B2 | G6 c2 | w:bells, sweet chim-ing Christ-mas bells, Sweet [V:2] A6 A2 | E2 A2 F2 G2 | E6 E2 | [V:3] z2 A,2 C2 A,2 | G,2 A,2 A,2 B,2 | C2 C2 G,2 B,2 | [V:4] z2 F,2 F,2 F,2 | C,2 C,2 C,2 C,2 | C,2 C,2 C,2 C,2 | % [V:1] c6 c2 | B2 c2 A2 B2 | G6 B2 | w:bells, sweet chim-ing Christ-mas bells, They [V:2] A6 A2 | E2 A2 F2 G2 | E6 G2 | [V:3] A,2 A2 C2 A,2 | G,2 A,2 A,2 B,2 | C2 G,2 G,2 C2 | [V:4] F,2 F,2 F,2 F,2 | C,2 C,2 C,2 C,2 | C,2 C,2 C,2 E,2 | % [V:1] A2 c2 B2 d2 | c2 f2 d2 B2 | A4 G4 | F6 FG | w:lead us on our heav'n-ly way, sweet chim-ing bells. They_ [V:2] F2 F2 E2 E2 | F2 F2 F2 G2 | F4 E4 | F6 CE | [V:3] C2 A,2 C2 B,2 | C2 C2 B,2 G,2 | C4 B,4 | A,6 A,C | [V:4] F,2 F,2 G,2 G,2 | A,2 A,2 B,2 G,2 | C4 C,4 | F,6 A,G,| % [V:1] A2 c2 B2 d2 | c2 f2 d2 B2 |A4 G4 | F6 |] w:lead us on our heav'n-ly way, sweet chim-ing bells. [V:2] F2 F2 E2 E2 | F2 F2 F2 G2 | F4 E4 | F6 |] [V:3] C2 A,2 C2 B,2 | C2 C2 B,2 D2 | C4 B,4 | A,6 |] [V:4] F,2 F,2 G,2 G,2 | A,2 A,2 B,2 G,2 | C4 C,4 | F,6 |] Update - tidied up the abc and added the instruments (as in the midi). Edited By Phil Taylor - 12/28/2002 1:43:08 PM | ||