While shepherds watched their flocks by night
While shepherds watched their flocks by night is a Christmas hymn, first published in Nahum Tate and Nicholas Brady's 1700 supplement to their New Version of the Psalms of David: the text is generally attributed to Tate. It describes the Annunciation to the shepherds
, closely paraphrasing the second chapter of the Gospel of Luke. Meter is 86. 86 (C.M.).
Settings by composers (Manually updated)
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Settings by composers (Automatically produced)
- Anonymous — New Kittery English SATB
- Crys Armbrust — The angel's carol English SATB
- Samuel Babcock — Ephrathah English STB
- William Billings — Bethlehem English SATB
- William Billings — Charlston English SATB
- Thomas Clark — While shepherds watched their flocks by night English SATB
- Matthew Cooke — While shepherds watched their flocks by night English SATB
- William Crisp — While shepherds watched their flocks by night English SATB
- Sally DeFord — While shepherds watched their flocks by night English SATB
- Edward Vine Hall — While shepherds watched their flocks by night English SATB
- George Frideric Handel — While shepherds watched their flocks English SATB
- Robert Barber II — While shepherds watched their flocks by night English SATB
- Thomas Jarman — While shepherds watched English SATB
- Stephen Jenks — Glad Tidings English SATB
- James W. Keefe — Medley of early carols English SATB
- William Knapp — While shepherds watched their flocks by night English SATB
- Daniel Read — Sherburne English SATB
- Peter Smith — Midnight clear English SATB
- Arthur Sullivan — Seraph (While shepherds watched their flocks) English SATB
- Traditional — While shepherds watched their flocks by night English SATB
- Thurlow Weed — While shepherds watched their flocks English SATB
Text and translations
English text
While shepherds watch'd their flocks by night,
All seated on the ground,
The angel of the Lord came down,
And glory shone around.
Fear not, said he, (for mighty dread
Had seized their troubled mind),
Glad tidings of great joy I bring
To you and all mankind.
To you, in David's town, this day
Is born of David's line
A Saviour, who is Christ the Lord,
And this shall be the sign.
The heav'nly babe you there shall find
To human view displayed,
All meanly wrapped in swathing bands,
And in a manger laid.
Thus spake the seraph, and forthwith
Appeared a heavenly throng
Of angels praising God, and thus
Addressed their joyful song:
All glory be to God on high,
And to the earth be peace;
Good-will henceforth from heav'n to men
Begin and never cease!
External links
View the Wikipedia article on While shepherds watched their flocks by night.