Christmas hymns list

[steveliu]

Lots of sites have lists of the most popular traditional Christmas hymns, but here are the ones that people search for the most on Google (and this site).

Silent Night lyrics - 60,500
Joy to the World lyrics - 40,500
Mary Did You Know lyrics - 33,100
O Holy Night lyrics - 27,100
Ave Maria lyrics - 22,200
Carol of the Bells - 22,200
Away in a Manger - 18,100
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen lyrics - 18,100
Hark the Herald Angels Sing lyrics - 18,100
Go Tell It On the Mountain - 14,800
O Come All Ye Faithful - 14,800
What Child Is This - 14,800
Angels We Have Heard On High - 9,900
O Come O Come Emmanuel - 9,900
The First Noel - 9,900

For this thread, I'll post the most accurate lyrics I can find, as well as some thoughts and commentary on each.

[steveliu]

Original title in German: Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht

Words by: Joseph Mohr

Music by: Franz Xaver Gruber

Year written: 1818

The story:

Mohr, a young Austraian priest, had written the poem back in 1816. The song was first performed on Christmas Eve 1818 at St. Nicholas Church in Oberndorf, Austria. Gruber, a school teacher and organist, set Mohr's poem to music for a simple guitar arrangement after the church organ had broken down.

Lyrics:

1. Silent night! Holy night!
All is calm, all is bright
’round yon virgin mother and child!
Holy infant, so tender and mild,
sleep in heavenly peace,
sleep in heavenly peace.

2. Silent night! Holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight.
Glories stream from heaven afar,
heav'nly hosts sing, “Alleluia!
Christ the Savior is born!
Christ the Savior is born!”

3. Silent night! Holy night!
Son of God, love’s pure light
radiant beams from Thy holy face
with the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth!
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth!

4. Silent night! Holy night!
Wondrous star, lend thy light;
with the angels let us sing
"Alleluia" to our King:
“Christ the Savior is born!
Christ the Savior is born.”

Bonus lyrics (original German):

1. Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht!
Alles schläft; einsam wacht
Nur das traute heilige Paar.
Holder Knab im lockigten Haar,
Schlafe in himmlischer Ruh!
Schlafe in himmlischer Ruh!

2. Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht!
Gottes Sohn! O wie lacht
Lieb’ aus deinem göttlichen Mund,
Da uns schlägt die rettende Stund’.
Jesus in deiner Geburt!
Jesus in deiner Geburt!

3. Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht!
Die der Welt Heil gebracht,
Aus des Himmels goldenen Höhn
Uns der Gnaden Fülle läßt seh’n
Jesum in Menschengestalt,
Jesum in Menschengestalt

4. Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht!
Wo sich heut alle Macht
Väterlicher Liebe ergoß Und als
Bruder huldvoll umschloß
Jesus die Völker der Welt,
Jesus die Völker der Welt.

5. Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht!
Lange schon uns bedacht,
Als der Herr vom Grimme befreit,
In der Väter urgrauer Zeit
Aller Welt Schonung verhieß,
Aller Welt Schonung verhieß.

6. Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht!
Hirten erst kund gemacht
Durch der Engel Alleluja,
Tönt es laut bei Ferne und Nah:
Jesus der Retter ist da!
Jesus der Retter ist da!

Simple guitar chords:

[G]Silent night! [G]Holy night!
[D]All is calm, [G]all is bright
[C]’round yon virgin [G]mother and child!
[C]Holy infant, so [G]tender and mild,
[D7}sleep in heavenly [G]peace,
[G}sleep in [D]heavenly [G]peace.

Sources:

https://www.hymnologyarchive.com/stille ... lent-night
https://hymnary.org/text/silent_night_h ... s_calm_all
https://namethathymn.com/christian-hymn ... yrics.html

[steveliu]

Words by: Isaac Watts

Music by: Lowell Mason

Year written: 1719 (words), 1836 (music)

The story:

Isaac Watts was a prolific English hymn writer who wrote over 750 hymns, including When I Survey the Wondrous Cross and O God, our Help in Ages Past. He wrote this poem based on Psalm 98. It was originally written to celebrate Christ's second coming, not as a Christmas carol. It was adapted and arranged in 1836 by Lowell Mason, an American composer known as the "Father of American Church Music" who also wrote hymns such as Nearer, My God to Thee. Mason was a key figure in promoting music education in public schools and shaped the music culture of the United States in the 1800s.

Lyrics:

1. Joy to the world; the Lord is come;
Let Earth receive her King;
Let ev'ry Heart prepare him room,
And Heav'n and nature sing.
And Heav'n and nature sing.
And Heav'n and nature sing.

2. Joy to the Earth, the Savior reigns,
Let men their Songs employ,
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains,
Repeat the sounding joy.
Repeat the sounding joy.
Repeat the sounding joy.

3. No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make his blessings flow
Far as the curse is found.
Far as the curse is found.
Far as the curse is found.

4. He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of his righteousness,
And wonders of his love.
And wonders of his love.
And wonders of his love.

Simple guitar chords:

[C]Joy to the world; the [G7]Lord is [C]come;
Let [F]Earth re[G7]ceive her [C]King;
Let [C]ev'ry Heart pre[C]pare him room,
And [C]Heav'n and nature sing.
And [G7]Heav'n and nature sing.
And {C}Heav'n and na[G7]ture sing.

Sources:
https://hymnary.org/text/joy_to_the_wor ... rd_is_come
https://namethathymn.com/christian-hymn ... yrics.html