22 Oct 14 - 02:21 AM (#3671159) Subject: Tune Req: The Christmas Bells From: GUEST,Deborah Handley I am trying to find details about a carol called "the Christmas Bells". The text is: How sweet to hear on Christmas morn A friend learned it from her Grandfather in the late 1940s, and he told her that he had sung it as a child in Oldham, Lancashire, England at the end of the 20th century. Does it ring a bell (sorry) with anyone? |
22 Oct 14 - 03:49 AM (#3671169) Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Christmas Bells From: Joe Offer Boy, that's a tough one. I checked an excellent site called The Hymns and Carols of Christmas, and had no luck there. That's the best Christmas carol Website I know of. -Joe- |
23 Oct 14 - 12:12 AM (#3671415) Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Christmas Bells From: GUEST,# Coming up empty. |
15 Dec 14 - 02:25 PM (#3685977) Subject: ADD: The Christmas Bells From: GUEST I will try to get music for this, it is by a man called Jackson of Oldham. The lyrics are: THE CHRISTMAS BELLS (Jackson of Oldham) How sweet to hear, on Christmas morn the old church bells ring on the air. we know the day is newly born the day of rest, the day of prayer/ but sweeter still to hear Thy voice so full of tenderness and love that tells us of our heavenly home the home of happiness and love chorus: those Christmas bells, those Christmas bells as on the air their music swells of love and peace and joy they tell we love to hear those Christmas bells. When far away in other land far from my home and friends so dear in fancy I shall hear again the pastor's voice in reverent prayer and when the twilight swiftly falls o'er every green and mossy dell fond memory still will bring me home to hear again those Christmas bells Repeat Chorus. A Cordwell Leicester |
15 Dec 14 - 03:02 PM (#3685985) Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Christmas Bells From: GUEST |
15 Dec 14 - 03:06 PM (#3685987) Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Christmas Bells From: GUEST,audrey cordwell I know all the words to Christmas Bells - we always sang this hymn at our Carol Service in Oldham. i think the tune is by someone called Jackson from Oldham. A man in my village has the music and I will try to get a copy for you. |
01 May 15 - 03:27 AM (#3705623) Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Christmas Bells From: GUEST,Pam How good it was to finally find someone else interested in this carol. I was brought up listening to this, my family used to sing it every Christmas and every year I go round the house singing it to myself, I think it is one of the best carols ever. So nostalgic for me. I'm also from Oldham so perhaps it didn't get very further afield, shame. |
28 Oct 16 - 03:56 PM (#3816949) Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Christmas Bells From: GUEST,Guest Sian Levy I have got this carol, from Low Moor Methodist church Bradford. There are one or two variations in the words, but it's difinitely the same song. I have it set out for 4 part harmony singing. |
29 Oct 16 - 01:38 PM (#3817071) Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Christmas Bells From: GUEST,Ebor Fiddler I don't think we'll be singing this in York though ... |
29 Oct 16 - 01:41 PM (#3817072) Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Christmas Bells From: Mrrzy Ring along, ring along, o ring the merry christmas bells A son is born a son is born o ring the merry christmas bells Not the same? |
12 Dec 16 - 06:08 AM (#3825942) Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Christmas Bells From: GUEST I also grew up singing this with the whole family round the piano in the 1950's, we sang it as a two part harmony. We have only heard it played by the Salvation Army. My 2 sisters and I still attempt a rendition each Christmas....minus music.... But we rarely get through it without one or other of us shedding a tear. |
16 Nov 17 - 11:23 AM (#3888890) Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Christmas Bells From: GUEST,Janet Taylor Hi, have found this thread whilst looking for this hymn for my Mum. Is anyone able to send me the tune or point me in the right direction? Thanks |
19 Nov 17 - 06:16 AM (#3889252) Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Christmas Bells From: Long Firm Freddie The composer might well be Robert Jackson. An entry in the Dictionary of Composers for the Church in Great Britain and Ireland says: Jackson, Robert (1840-1914) Born in Oldham, Lancashire in May 1840; died in Royton, Oldham on 12 July 1914. Studied at the Royal Academy of Music. Organist of the Church of St Mark, North Audley Street, London (1866-1868), then succeeded his father as organist of St Peter's Church, Oldham (1868-1914). Father (48 years) and son (46 years) together accumulated 94 years service to St Peter's Church. Robert Jackson published Songs Suitable for School and Home (1876) and Hymns Suitable for School Festivals (1876). Composed a number of songs, a carol "There came a little Child" (1894) to words by Emily Elliott, and hymn tunes including "Niagara" (1887) and "Trentham", both of which continue to be found in modern hymnals. I couldn't find digital versions of the two publications online, although there were hard copies of Songs Suitable for School and Home available. LFF |
25 Nov 17 - 09:40 AM (#3890324) Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Christmas Bells From: Mo the caller Not the same as the 'sweet bells, sweet chiming Christmas bells' chorus to one of the tunes to While Shepherds, then. |
25 Nov 17 - 02:12 PM (#3890391) Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Christmas Bells From: GUEST,Ebor Fiddler No Mo. :) |
21 Dec 17 - 10:16 PM (#3895247) Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Christmas Bells From: GUEST,Guest sue Christmas bells was a favourite of mine from being a young girl As a family we sung it at Christmas along with Sweet bells I would love to know the history of these songs and the composer They are so dear to my heart |
19 Dec 19 - 09:55 AM (#4024591) Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Christmas Bells From: GUEST,Exiled Tyke My wife came across this thread as she was hoping to find the carol being sung/played. I'm sorry to disappoint you Red Roses but the carol originates from God's Own White Rose County. My late father's copy (from the 1930s), originally named Sabbath Bells, names the composer as W.A. Ogden with words by J. Rinder. It was published by James Broadbent & Sons Ltd, Boston Spa, Yorkshire. Priced at two (old) pence it was number 271 in their Gem series. My wife and I were still singing this in the open air around the Richmond Hill Methodist Circuit of Leeds in the late 1960s, any my sister still embarrasses the younger generations by making them sing it around the piano every Christmas. |
19 Dec 19 - 12:20 PM (#4024621) Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Christmas Bells From: GUEST,Pseudonymous It isn't in my 1889 Primitive Methodist Hymnal (ed G Booth). But while searching, I noted how many hymn tunes in that book have place names: Attercliffe Brookfield (was The Archers really going so long ago)? Bolton Glastonbury (early example of what later became famous open-air events?) Runcorn Ellesmere (for words about a wet harvest) Crewe Southport Ossett Warrington Doncaster Bradford (forget it, four flats is one more than I can cope with even on a good day) Kirkstall Rokeby I won't go on, but of course there is one called Paradise |
21 Dec 19 - 10:02 PM (#4024789) Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Christmas Bells From: leeneia I'm not saying this was the original tune, but if you want to sing these words anew, you can use the traditional melody to 'The Happy Christmas Comes Once More.' Another set of words to the same tune is 'The Bells of Christmas.' Here's the URL for a YouTube video where it is played on an organ. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLN5GhE6ZZo Who knows? To me, the words fit so well that that may have been the tune used for 'The Christmas Bells.' |
18 Dec 21 - 10:14 AM (#4129294) Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Christmas Bells From: GUEST No it’s not the same tune . I attended Waterhead Primitive Methodist as a child and it was always the Offertory hymn. I loved it because it was sang in parts . On the chorus ,women only sang it and the med would sing ‘dim,dim dim ‘ for the bells . To a child, it was truly magical! |
18 Dec 21 - 11:40 AM (#4129302) Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Christmas Bells From: leeneia That's a lovely memory, Guest. |
18 Dec 21 - 04:04 PM (#4129325) Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Christmas Bells From: Anglogeezer So, is there any agreement on what tune should be used and where it can be found?? Jake |
18 Dec 21 - 04:51 PM (#4129330) Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Christmas Bells From: Helen This page does not mention the song either with the title The Christmas Bells or Sabbath Bells. William Augustine Ogden USA 1841-1897 The only Christmas Bells song is Ring out the Bells for Christmas which has different lyrics. There is a small image of the sheet music which shows the full page if you click on it. If the Guest, Exiled Tyke had shared the sheet music in his/her possession we may have been able to see if it is the same tune or song. More research needed, I think. |
18 Dec 21 - 05:16 PM (#4129333) Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Christmas Bells From: Helen Ok, this is frustrating: I did a search on part of the lyrics posted by the OP: "those Christmas bells as on the air their music swells" This came up in Google: When I tried to open the link my virus checker - which may just be in 2021 COVID overload, who knows? - refused to let me go to that website. The Google search result gives the next line of the lyrics which is the same as the next line posted by Guest on 15 Dec 14 - 02:25 PM. Search result: Oer Hill And Dell The Christmas Bell Pure sheet music for choir by ... https://r9.introduction-from.org.ru › ... Those christmas bells, those christmas bells as on the air their music swells of love and peace and joy they tell we love to hear those christmas bells. A braver soul than me might want to try to open the webpage, but.... So, then I tried Googling for "Oer Hill And Dell The Christmas Bell" and this is one of the search results showing the index and that carol is on page 262: Carols Old and Carols New for Use at Christmas and Other Seasons of the Christian Year by Charles Lewis Hutchins, Parish choir, 1916 Also the sheet music to that song by Henry Knight Not knowing the carol or the tune puts this retired librarian at a disadvantage to know whether this is the correct song or just another song with a similar part of the lyrics to The Christmas Bells. THEN Google threw up (pun intended) a bunch of weird stuff which looks like a glimpse into some sort of dark, nasty parallel universe. Don't want to go there, no Siree! Look but don't touch. Still looking. |
18 Dec 21 - 05:19 PM (#4129334) Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Christmas Bells From: Helen Sorry, me again: Henry Knight song with sheet music and MIDI file |
18 Dec 21 - 05:25 PM (#4129335) Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Christmas Bells From: Helen The lyrics look different. In fact I don't even know why it came up in the Google search with the lines from The Christmas Bells. One problem is that there are so many Christmas carols referring to bells or with the word in the title. From the link above to Henry Knight song with sheet music and MIDI file 1. O’er hill and dell The Christmas bell Is ringing far and wide; Let all rejoice, With cheerful voice, And peace on earth abide. For Christ is born This happy morn, Hark! Hark! the Angels sing; Good will and love, From Heav’n above, To all mankind they bring. 2. With holy mirth, To greet His birth, Draw nigh that Infant’s bed; Be not afraid, For He is laid Within a lowly shed. There bend the knee, For this is He, Of David’s royal line, Who reigns alone From manger-throne, In Majesty Divine. 3. Nowel! Nowel! Our song shall tell To people yet unborn, How Christ the King Did gladness bring Upon this happy morn. The gloom departs From faithful hearts, For lo! the Lord is here. Come one and all, Before Him fall, That Blessed Babe revere. |
08 Jan 24 - 04:06 PM (#4195135) Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Christmas Bells From: GUEST,L V Jones I have a photocopy of the music for this, it is called Sabbath Bells. Words by John Rinder, Music by W A Ogden. We used to sing this around the piano each Christmas with grandad playing, the family women singing and the men joining in on the chorus. I’m in my 70’s now but remember it like yesterday. |
09 Jan 24 - 12:00 AM (#4195157) Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Christmas Bells From: leeneia Somebody who remembers the melody should make a YouTube video of it and share it with the world. It doesn't matter if your voice is imperfect. If you don't share it soon, the melody will be lost forever. If you are not very techno, somebody you know will be able to help you, and will probably find it interesting to do. |