Hark! The Herald Banjo Rings
Christmas 2011
December 14
On This Day Earth Shall Ring
Performed by Emilie Heidel (voice in four parts)
Words: Piae Cantiones, 1582; trans. Jane Marion Jones, 1924.
Music: PERSONENT HODIE, Piae Cantiones, 1582; arrangment from "Christmas Carols for Friends and Family"
Today, Emilie Heidel sings "On This Day Earth Shall Ring". This is a translation of "Personent Hodie" from the Piae Cantiones, a collection of songs compiled by Jacobus Finno and published by Theodoricus Petri Nylandensi in 1582. Many songs from this collection passed into English hymnody thanks to John Mason Neale, who acquired a copy of the collection in 1852. Emilie took this piece from "Christmas Carols for Friends and Family", edited by Adrienne Tindall. Their arrangement is a vocal (SATB, sort of) version of Gustav Holst's arrangement.
Lyrics
On this day earth shall ring
With the song children sing
To the Lord, Christ our King,
Born on earth to save us;
Him the Father gave us.
Ideo-o-o, Ideo-o-o,
Ideo gloria in excelcis Deo!
His the doom, our the mirth;
When He came down to earth
Bethlehem saw His Birth;
Ox and ass beside Him
From the cold would hide Him.
Ideo-o-o, Ideo-o-o,
Ideo gloria in excelcis Deo!
God's bring star, o'er His head,
Wise men three to Him led,
Kneeling low by His bed,
Lay their gifts before Him,
Praise Him and adore Him.
Ideo-o-o, Ideo-o-o,
Ideo gloria in excelcis Deo!
On this day angels sing;
With their song earth shall ring,
Praising Christ, heaven's King,
Born on earth to save us;
Peace and love He gave us.
Ideo-o-o, Ideo-o-o,
Ideo gloria in excelcis Deo!
Sources and more information
- Presbyterian Hymnal, 1990.
- Oxford Book of Carols, 1964.
- Christmas Carols for Friends and Family, edited by Adrienne Tindall
- Hymns and Carols of Christmas - English
- Hymns and Carols of Christmas - Latin
- Wikipedia