Christmas hymns

I’ve just typed the hymns for our church’s Wednesday meeting. And I am reminded of what a valuable help the Words Only Hymnal is. Sometimes reading the words from the music version can be confusing. This is specially so when First Readers use the music version to read part of the hymn to be sung as a sort of preview.

At this Christmas time we go on a hunt for Christmas related hymns for our services and our individual satisfaction. There are quite a number in the 1932 Hymnal, and a few in the Hymns 430-603 one.

A long time ago a friend made a list of the 1932 ones which I copied into the back of my music hymnal.

This may not be a complete list:

11 Angels at the Saviour's birth

17 Be firm, ye sentinels of Truth

23-28 Blest Christmas morn

164, 165, Joy to the world

417 (best tune)

170 Let every creature hail the morn

222, 223 O little town of Bethlehem

236 O peace of the world

310 Sing, ye joyous children, sing

362 A child of hope is born

368, 369 Watchman, tell us of the night

 

There are some carol tunes set to un-Christmas words.

434 A Village humble, still

449-451 Blest Christmas Morn

511, 512 It came upon the midnight clear

538 O come, all ye faithful

544 O little town of Bethlehem

549 O thou joyful, O thou blessed (O du fröhliche, o du selige)  

Our church had a Carol Sing after the service last Sunday. We sang (beautifully) some of these. And added The Little Drummer Boy (with one of our number volunteering (most effectively) on a little drum.

Joyce Voysey

Ed. On the inside front cover of my hymnal I also have the following marked as Christmas-time-suitable-hymns:

122 How blest are they (tune Winchester Old àWhile shepherds watched their flocks by night)

123 How firm a foundation (tune - Adeste Fideles àO come all ye faithful)

158 It came upon the midnight clear

229 O Love divine…light which glowed / Upon the waiting shepherds’ way