William Shield (a County Durham man by birth, who started out as a boatbuilder's apprentice) was a prolific musician, composer, arranger and conductor for the church and for the stage, so the bare information Ms Lavin provides is of very little help.

There is a sound sample at her website ( http://www.christinelavin.com/ ), as it turns out:

http://www.christinelavin.com/audio/CLavXmas.mp3

From a purely personal point of view, I can't say that I care for it. Perhaps the full-length version is easier on the ear, better balanced and a little more interesting lyrically.

Maybe someone will recognise the tune from it, though. I'd best mention that it isn't We wish you a Merry Christmas, just in case somebody was thinking of suggesting that. On the whole, I'd suggest that you ask Ms Lavin rather than us; she presumably already knows the answer.