What Do Bells at Christmas Ring

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Why do bells at Christmas ring

Author: Eugene Field
Published in 9 hymnals

Printable scores: PDF, Noteworthy Composer
Audio files: MIDI

Representative Text

1 Why do bells at Christmas ring?
Why do little children sing?
Once a lovely shining star
Seen by wise men from afar,
Gently moved until its light
Made a manger cradle bright.

2 There a darling baby lay,
Pillowed soft upon the hay;
And the mother sang and smiled,
This is Christ, the Holy Child!
Therefore bells at Christmas ring;
Therefore little children sing.

Source: The Cyber Hymnal #9430

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Author: Eugene Field

Field, Eugene, an American journalist who has written somewhat extensively for children, was born at St. Louis, Missouri, Sep. 2, 1850, educated at the University of Missouri, and died Nov. 4, 1895. His published works include Little Book of Western Verse, 1889; Second Book of Verse, 1891; and Love Songs of Childhood, 1894. A limited number of his hymns are in common use in America, and specimens of his verse are given in Horder's Treasury of American Sacred Song, 1900, pp. 283-287. See also "There burns a star o'er Bethlehem town." --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, New Supplement (1907) Go to person page >

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