Lyr ADD: The Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came

Subject: The Angel Gabriel from Heaven came
From: nonie
Date: 24 Nov 97 - 09:01 PM

Anyone know anything about an Xmas/Annunciation song that goes something like this?

The Angel Gabriel from Heaven came;
His wings like drifts of snow, his eyes of flame;
"All hail," said he, "O holy maid Mary,
O highly favored lady; Gloria!"
...
The gentle Mary she bowed down her head;
"To me be as it pleases God," she said.
"My soul shall own and magnify his holy name,
O highly favored lady; Gloria!"
etc.

It turned up on MTV sung by Sting for a particular Xmas benefit album, and I have no idea whether he wrote the bloody thing or whether it's got a history. Any takers?

---

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojelXkBUpMo

Subject: RE: The Angel Gabriel from Heaven came
From: alison
Date: 25 Nov 97 - 12:54 AM

Hi

Do a search for the thread about "Christmas" from about a month ago. It wasn't written by Sting but by s. Baring Gould (1834-1924). The words are probably there on that thread and if not follow the links to "Jen's lyrics" because they're there too.

slainte

alison

Subject: RE: The Angel Gabriel from Heaven came
From: Alan of Australia
Date: 25 Nov 97 - 02:58 AM

G'day,
Sabine Baring Gould also wrote "Onward Christian Soldiers" and was an important collector of folk songs.

Cheers,
Alan

Subject: RE: The Angel Gabriel from Heaven came
From: alison
Date: 25 Nov 97 - 06:09 PM

hi

the thread is called "Christmas Songs" and has reappeared towards the top of the list again.

slainte

alison

Subject: RE: The Angel Gabriel from Heaven came
From: Nonie Rider
Date: 25 Nov 97 - 06:15 PM

Yup; that's because I followed your recommendation, re-read that thread, and added a note re another post.

Thanks for being helpful and not just telling me to go suck old stockings!

Given that I read that thread when it was current, I'm still amazed that I didn't notice the song being discussed the first time around. Oy!

--Nonie the Lackwit

Subject: RE: The Angel Gabriel from Heaven came
From: Nigel Sellars
Date: 26 Nov 97 - 02:42 PM

Maddie Prior does this on her Christmas album with the Carnival Band. The liner notes identify it as a traditional Basque song, but I have no idea who translated it.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBp5Dt_9K-o

Subject: RE: The Angel Gabriel from Heaven came
From:
Date: 29 Nov 97 - 12:33 AM

We used to sing this in the choir when I was a boy, and I have always liked it.

I rather liked Sting's version. Maybe he was once a choirboy himself.

Subject: Lyr Add: THE ANGEL GABRIEL FROM HEAVEN CAME
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 09 Aug 11 - 10:00 AM

From Hymns, Psalms, & Spiritual Songs (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1990), page 16:


THE ANGEL GABRIEL FROM HEAVEN CAME
GABRIEL'S MESSAGE 10.10.12.10
[Words] Para. Sabine Baring-Gould (1834-1924)
[Music] Basque carol, arr. by Edgar Pettman and John Wickham

1. The angel Gabriel from heaven came,
His wings as drifted snow, his eyes as flame;
"All hail," said he, "O lowly maiden Mary."
Most highly favored lady, Gloria!

2. "For know a blessed mother you shall be,
All generations praise continually,
Your Son shall be Emmanuel, by seers foretold."
Most highly favored lady, Gloria!

3. Then gentle Mary meekly bowed her head,
"To me be as it pleases God," she said,
"My soul shall laud and magnify God's holy name."
Most highly favored lady, Gloria!

4. Of her, Emmanuel, the Christ, was born
In Bethelhem, all on a Christmas morn,
And Christian folk throughout the world will ever say:
Most highly favored lady, Gloria!

Text and Music: © 1955 (renewed 1983) by E. H. Freeman Ltd. All rights for U. S. and Canada controlled and administered by Glenwood Music Corp. International copyright secured. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came
From: maeve
Date: 09 Aug 11 - 10:15 AM

Thank you for adding that full version, Jim. It's a favorite of mine.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came
From: Artful Codger
Date: 09 Aug 11 - 03:03 PM

The Basque carol, "Birjina gaztettobat zegoen", is believed to be from the 18th century, and was collected by Charles Borde in the volume Douze Noëls populaires of the series Archives de la tradition basque (1895). It is reproduced (with harmony provided by the authors) in The New Oxford Book of Carols, by Hugh Keyte and Andrew Parrott. They also provide Baring Gould's version, with music arranged by [C.] Edgar Pettman. The song was published in 1922 in Baring Gould and Pettman's The University Carol Book, so both the translated/paraphrased text and arrangement are public domain. The copyright Jim Dixon cited above applies to the hymnal he quoted from, not to the song itself, except perhaps to the extent John Wickham modified the Pettman arrangement.

The Hymns and Carols of Christmas site asserts that the Basque text was based upon the Latin song "Angelus ad virginem", from the 13th or 14th c. They also give an alternative for the third line of the fourth verse: "And everyone throughout the world forever saved".

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came
From: Anne Lister
Date: 10 Aug 11 - 03:05 PM

It's nice to see the words written down properly, as it was only ever sung as "most highly flavoured lady" in my school.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came
From: Artful Codger
Date: 10 Aug 11 - 09:36 PM

Hmm, I thought the original text was "most highly flavoured gravy".

Subject: RE: Lyr ADD: The Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came
From: Joe Offer
Date: 09 Dec 18 - 11:15 PM

We had Mass Friday night for the Vigil of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. The Gospel reading was the story from Luke about the Annunciation, so our choir director chose "The Angel Gabriel From Heaven Came." She asked the congregation how many knew the song, and I was the only one to raise his hand. But we sang it anyway, the choir director, the piano player, and me.
And it turned out well.
Here are some recordings that I came across:

• Kings College Cambridge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCploJcOXsg
• Good Shepherd Band: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQ5wmFi9sfA
• All Angels: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHuokdjT4UY
• Mediaeval Baebes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xH24OPSieTc

Background information: http://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/Hymns_and_Carols/gabriels_message.htm

---

The Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came

Form circles of 4 couples holding hs and numbered acw. Start either foot. Prepare for walking. Finish sequence without having once let go of hs and ready for new couple to right of previous leaders to lead. Dance the 10-bar 36 beat walking sequence 4 times for all couples to have a chance to lead.

The angel Gabriel from heaven came,	A	With 7 steps 1s go under an arch made by 3s and invert the set, one person on each side having to twist about quickly.
His wings as drifted snow, his eyes as flame;	B	With 7 steps all raise hs, walk backwards and turn over l.sh. while looping own r.arm over own head and own l.h. joined to neighours r.h. over their head.
'All hail', said he, 'thou lowly maiden Mary	C	Circle the 'basket' to the left with 8 steps.
Most highly favoured lady,'	D	With 4 steps raise hs and retire out of circle while all except 1M (who remains facing in) pull r.sh. back to unloop arms and finish facing out of set.
Glo1sto1st..oria!	E	With 10 steps and with no one letting go 1M makes an arch with r.h. and pulls with his l.h. so the line threads out until the set is inverted back to facing in.

This carol is based on a Basque one, 'Birjina gaztettobat zegoen', collected by Charles Bordes and published in the series Archives de la tradition basque, 1895. Sabine Baring-Gould, who wrote several novels and hymns (including 'Onward Christian Soldiers) and who had spent a winter as a boy in Basque lands, translated the carol into English, reducing the original 6 stanzas to 4 and giving Gabriel the very beautiful 'wings as drifted snow'. This is an unusual dance for a figured dance in that at no stage does anyone let go (the only other dance similar in this respect in this collection is the 'Gower Wassail'). Dancers need to be quick off the mark in A1, knowing who's leading, who's arching and who's going to be doing the twist on the side. In the B2 part of the dance it is important to remember that lead M should remain facing in and does not need to unloop his arms in the same way as the others do. All he needs to do is uncross his arms by leading dances with his l.h. under an arch made with his r.h. and all will be back in an inward-facing circle. If all arrive back in such a circle with time to spare, all can simply circle to right (the direction which flows naturally out of the unravelling) till the tune comes around again.

Source: http://www.earthlydelights.com.au/xmas.htm (archive)

Subject: RE: Lyr ADD: The Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came
From: leeneia
Date: 10 Dec 18 - 12:49 AM

I checked out the links, Joe. I was unprepared for versions so slow and solemn. We sang this in church today, and while it was not rowdy, it was more dancelike. I added tambourine.

The timing of this song is certainly unusual, with its mixture of measures in 9/8 and 12/8.

Subject: RE: Lyr ADD: The Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 12 Dec 18 - 05:11 PM

Here's a link to a YouTube clip with the Basque carol which Baring-Gould drew on - Here. Quite fast, which is how I hope we'll be singing it at Christmas. Though, as none pointed out it's really for the Annunciation rather than Christmas (March 25th)

Subject: RE: Lyr ADD: The Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came
From: Joe Offer
Date: 12 Dec 18 - 05:28 PM

I think I learned the song from the recording by Maddy Pryor and the Carnival Band, and it's still my favorite:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBp5Dt_9K-o

Subject: RE: Lyr ADD: The Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came
From: leeneia
Date: 13 Dec 18 - 11:16 AM

Thanks for both links.