December Carillon Tune

Goddard Chapel’s carillon currently features the beloved Christmas carol, “Angels we have heard on high.” A carol of French origin, the common English text (as translated by Catholic Bishop James Chadwick in 1862), references the story of Christ’s birth as told in the biblical Gospel of Saint Luke. The tune’s memorable melodic refrain relays in music the song of the angels coming to earth: a curving motive (representing hills and valleys) gradually descends with each succeeding iteration.

To hear the carol in its original French-language version, please visit here.