O Little Town of Bethlehem (Traditional melody)

O Little Town of Bethlehem has two different well-known settings, known as the Forest Green Version and the Redner version. Redner's version is most popular in the US. In the UK and the Commonwealth the more familiar tune is "Forest Green".

Info

Artist:

Trad. (

biography)

Born:

- , -

Died:

- , -

The Artist:

Traditional Music of unknown author.

Composed:

1906

Info:

"O Little Town of Bethlehem" is a popular Christmas carol. The text was written by Phillips Brooks (1835-1893), an Episcopal priest, Rector of the Church of the Holy Trinity, Philadelphia. He was inspired by visiting the Palestinian city of Bethlehem in 1865. Three years later, he wrote the poem for his church and his organist, Lewis Redner, added the music. Redner's tune, simply titled "St. Louis", is the tune used most often for this carol in the U.S. but in the British Commonwealth, and sometimes in the U.S. (especially in the Episcopal Church), the English hymn tune "Forest Green" is used instead. "Forest Green" was adapted by Ralph Vaughan Williams from an English folk ballad called "The Ploughboy's Dream" which he had collected from a Mr. Garman of Forest Green, Surrey in 1903. Adapted into a hymn tune, it was first published in the English Hymnal of 1906.

Instrument:

Piano (

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Style:

Traditional (

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O Little Town of Bethlehem (Traditional melody)

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