Lyr Add: Trois anges sont venus (French carol)

Subject: Lyr Add: Trois anges sont venus (French carol)
From: Artful Codger
Date: 04 Dec 09 - 05:39 AM

Here's a nice French carol:


TROIS ANGES SONT VENUS CE SOIR
    [AC: by Augusta Holmès; pd]

Trois anges sont venus ce soir
M'apporter de bien belles choses ;
L'un d'eux avait un encensoir,
L'autre avait un chapeau de roses,
Et le troisième avait en main
Une robe toute fleurie
De perles, d'or, et de jasmin,
Comme en a Madame Marie !
    Noël ! Noël !
    Nous venons du ciel
    T'apporter ce que tu désires,
    Car le bon D'eu
    Au fond du ciel bleu
    Est chagrin lorsque tu soupires !

—-Veux-tu le bel encensoir d'or,
Ou la rose éclose en couronne ?
Veux-tu la robe, ou bien encor
Un collier où l'argent fleuronne ?
Veux-tu des fruits du paradis
Ou du blé des célestes granges ?
Ou, comme les bergers jadis.
Veux-tu voir Jésus dans ses langes ?
    Noël! Noël!
    Retournez au ciel
    Mes beaux anges, à l'instant même ;
    Dans le ciel bleu
    Demandez à Dieu
    Le bonheur pour celui que j'aime![*]

* AC: In a modern source: pour tous ceux que j'aime!


Source: Revue Canadienne, Vol. 27 (3rd series, vol. 4), p. 709-10, published by Alphonse Leclaire, 1891.

Augusta Holmès was an Irish composer born in Paris, who later became a French citizen. At first, she published under the pseudonym Hermann Zenta.

Noël Hervé, in Les Noëls Français (1905), said Charles Gounod borrowed the music for Polyeucte.

YouTube has several clips of this; here's a good one by Paul Trépanier

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Trois anges sont venus (French carol)
From: Monique
Date: 04 Dec 09 - 06:02 AM

Midi and sheet music here

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Trois anges sont venus (French carol)
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 04 Dec 09 - 11:26 AM

Thanks to both of you for this delightful song.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Trois anges sont venus (French carol)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 04 Dec 09 - 03:15 PM

A literal English translation; the site notes that no singable English translation is known to them:
http://french.about.com/od/christmas/a/carol-troisanges.htm

Three angels came tonight
To bring me very beautiful things
One of them had a censer
Another had a bouquet of roses
And the third had in hand
A very flowery robe
Of pearls, gold and jasmine
Like Madame Marie has.

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, we come from heaven
To bring you what you desire
Since the good God at the top of the sky
Is sad when you sigh.

Do you want the beautiful golden censer
Or the ring of blossoming roses?
Do you want the dress or perhaps
A necklace with silver flowers?
Do you want some heavenly fruits
Or wheat from celestial barns?
Or like long-ago shepherds
Do you want to see Jesus in his swaddling clothes?

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, return to heaven
My beautiful angels, at this very instant;
In the blue sky ask God
For happiness for the one I love.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Trois anges sont venus (French carol)
From: GUEST,Martin
Date: 24 Sep 13 - 07:38 AM

An imitation in English - not an exact translation, but should be singable to the tune.

Three angels came to me this night
Such lovely things they brought!
An incense flask was one delight
Then a wreath of roses wrought.
The third had in his heavenly hold
A dress like Mary owns
Bedecked with jasmin, pearls and gold
Glinting with precious stones.

Noël, Noël, in heaven we dwell
We bring what you want from on high
Since God above is filled with love
And it grieves Him when you sigh.

Would you like the golden incense flask
Or the wreath of rosebuds gay?
Would you like the dress or would you ask
For the necklace or silver spray?
Would you like the fruits of Paradise
Or manna from Heaven's barns?
Or as shepherds of old would it suffice
To see Jesus in Mary's arms?

Noël, Noël, we must say farewell
Lovely angels, the time is here
In Heaven blue ask God anew
To bless the one I hold dear.

© Martin Burnell

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Trois anges sont venus (French carol)
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 25 Sep 13 - 06:56 AM

The link Monique gave above doesn't work anymore. I found a MIDI of the song on a different site, but it was made using one note at a time on the 'grand piano' instrument, and it's so cold and harsh sounding that I didn't like it at all. Then I realized that it would make a good flute or whistle tune, so I made a MIDI with a softer sound. I'm sending it to Joe for posting here.

First I'll send the melody, then a duet with a simple bass part. It will be in the key of D, and the chords are the usual suspects - D,A,G, Bm, Em.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Trois anges sont venus (French carol)
From: Monique
Date: 25 Sep 13 - 07:19 AM

I found a sheet music in the online archives of Lisieux Carmel.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Trois anges sont venus (French carol)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 25 Sep 13 - 01:17 PM

Monique, an interesting site. Under Oeuvres de Thérèse, Poésies, are many religious songs. Are they from many sources, or restricted to one poet?
Would it be possible for you to write a few words about the site?

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Trois anges sont venus (French carol)
From: Monique
Date: 25 Sep 13 - 03:26 PM

The whole site is about Saint Thèrèse of Lisieux who was a nun in the Carmelite community of Lisieux. The poems are hers (Œuvres de Thérèse means Thérese's works).
The sheet music is one from these -"partition" means "score, sheet music" in French.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Trois anges sont venus (French carol)
From: Artful Codger
Date: 26 Sep 13 - 10:13 PM

Here is the melody MIDI which leeneia created; see her message above for more detail. Sadly, there is some problem with the harmonized MIDI at this time.

Click to play MIDI (joeweb). [melody]

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Trois anges sont venus (French carol)
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 27 Sep 13 - 10:53 AM

Thank you, Artful. Isn't it an interesting melody? I like the way it ends each phrase with a short note. And while there's a certain amount of repetition, it never gets boring.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Trois anges sont venus (French carol)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 27 Sep 13 - 11:57 AM

Thanks for the site explanation, Monique. She was a prolific religious poet.