A carol of bells (Charles Villiers Stanford)

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• (Posted 2024-03-08)  CPDL #79442:     

Editor: David Anderson (submitted 2024-03-08).   Score information: Letter, 16 pages, 785 kB   Copyright: Personal

Edition notes:

General Information

Title: A carol of bells
Composer: Charles Villiers Stanford
Lyricist: Louis Napoleon Parker
Number of voices: 4vv   Voicing: SATB
Genre: Secular, Partsong, Carol

Language: English
Instruments: A cappella

First published: 1919 Enoch & Sons
Description: Originally a wartime Christmas carol during WWI, Stanford first set the text in 1916 as a solo song. Postwar 1918, he arranged the song for mixed choir and slightly altered the text. Those alterations are noted with original wording in side parentheses.

Original text and translations

English text

Ring, °joyous bells of London, (Christmas)
    Swing wildly with a will,
Sing loudly over sea and strand
Until your voices reach the land,
    Where all the bells are still.
The carillons of Ypres,
The chimes of Arras town,
They hear you and they throb to you,
But cannot even sob to you,
    (Toll sadly. bells of London,
    Your sister-bells are undone),
The Huns have torn them down.
Swing, Christmas bells; ring London bells;
    Sing on without abating, (Sing through this dark December,)
    And tell them we °are waiting, (remember)
        “Greetings to all!”
        Boom the bells of St. Paul;
        “Our loves never vary,'’
        Vow the bells of St. Mary;
        “Our hearts are aglow,”
        Growls the great bell of Bow;
        “’Tis far you are from us,”
        Clash the bells of St. Thomas;
        “And long you are gone,”
        Add the bells of St. John;
        “Here come the men!” (Quit you like men!)
        Thunders Big Ben.

Swing gladly, ring devoutly,
    Sing solemnly and say:
“Wherever British speech is heard,
Wherever British hearts are stirred,
    There is one thought to-day;
In palace and in cottage,
In vicarage and manse,
Your kindred wait and pray for you,
And consecrate the day for you;
    Pray gladly, pray devoutly,
    For all who battle stoutly
In Flanders or in France.
Swing, °joyous bells; ring, London bells; (Christmas)
    Sing on without abating, (Sing through this dark December,)
    And tell them we °are waiting, (remember)
        “God made us glad,” (make you)
        Shout the bells of St. Chad;
        “Hope ever smiles,'”
        Laugh the bells of St. Giles;
        “Maid waits for man.”
        Say the bells of St. Ann;
        “Come home and meet her,”
        Sigh the bells of St. Peter;
        “In terra pax,”
        Sings Simmery Axe;
        “Quit you like men!”
        Thunders Big Ben.

        And all sing in tune,
        “Let flowers be strewn!” (May it be soon!)
        In tune they all sing,
        “God save the King!”