Carol of the Day: O Little Town of Bethlehem

The origin of this text feels cinematic: Phillip Brooks, the rector of Holy Trinity Church in Philadelphia, was visiting the Holy Land in 1865. He rode on horseback from Jerusalem, and on Christmas Eve found himself in a field outside Bethlehem, supposedly the same field where the shepherds had tended flock. He observed the city and heard singing from the Church of the Nativity and was moved to compose this carol. This story is so vivid that I can't help but picture it every time I sing it now. He later asked the organist at Holy Trinity to compose a tune for the carol, which became the familiar one we all know.

Ralph Vaughan Williams composed the tune FOREST GREEN, which stems from a pre-existing English Ballad. This tune is actually the more familiar one for O Little Town of Bethlehem in England; the original tune remains the standard in the United States. The quaint folksiness of the tune is evident in the lengthening of the pick-up into the final line: "...the everlasting Light, THE hopes and fears of....".

A recurring theme in studying these carols is the coming together of artists, across time and geography. Thanks to Phillip and Ralph for this one.

Here's some congregational singing that rivals St. Thomas: