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Down Came An Angel/Christ Was Born in Bethleham/Jesus Born In Beth'ny
Traditional Old-Time, Bluegrass Gospel;
ARTIST: Ritchie Family, plus multiple versions by various artists
SHEET MUSIC 1869: http://books.google.com/books?id=4vBsXzwi5boC&pg=PA85&dq=Christ+was+born+in+Bethlehem
+and+in+a+manger+lay&cd=6#v=onepage&q=Christ%20was%20born%20in%20Bethlehem%20and%20in%20a%20manger%20lay&f=false
Songs of gladness for the Sabbath school: containing music and hymns suited ... By John Edgar Gould 1869
YOUTUBE:
CATEGORY: Traditional and Public Domain Gospel
DATE: 1709; First Recorded
RECORDING INFO: Down Came An Angel
McCutcheon, John. How Can I Keep from Singing?, June Appal JA 003, LP (1975), trk# 10 (Down Came an Angel)
O'Brien, Tim & Mollie. Take Me Back, Sugar Hill SH 3766, LP (1988), trk# 13
Ritchie, Edna. Edna Ritchie, Viper Kentucky, Folk Legacy FSA 003, LP (1962), trk# A.11 (Down Came an Angel)
Ritchie, Jean. Kentucky Christmas, Old and New, Greenhays GR 717, LP (1987), trk# 3
Ritchie, Jean. Best of Jean Ritchie, Prestige International 13003, LP (196?), trk# 11
Ritchie, Jean. Carols of All Seasons, Tradition TLP 1031, CD (1959), trk# 15
Bowlin, Margarette; Digital Library of Appalachia: Down Came An Angel; Song sung by Margarette Bowlin and recorded by Will Sears in Whitley; Kentucky;
RECORDING INFO: Christ Was Born in Bethleham [Sh 210]
Boone, Sina. Sharp & Karpeles / English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians II, Oxford, Bk (1932/1917), p293/# 210 [1918/10/01]
Feltner, Edna. Wells, Evelyn Kendrick (ed.) / The Ballad Tree, Ronald, Bk (1950), p189 [1919] (Edna's Song)
McCutcheon, John. How Can I Keep from Singing?, June Appal JA 003, LP (1975), trk# 10 (Down Came an Angel)
O'Brien, Tim & Mollie. Take Me Back, Sugar Hill SH 3766, LP (1988), trk# 13
Ritchie, Edna. Edna Ritchie, Viper Kentucky, Folk Legacy FSA 003, LP (1962), trk# A.11 (Down Came an Angel)
Ritchie, Jean. Kentucky Christmas, Old and New, Greenhays GR 717, LP (1987), trk# 3
Ritchie, Jean. Best of Jean Ritchie, Prestige International 13003, LP (196?), trk# 11
Ritchie, Jean. Carols of All Seasons, Tradition TLP 1031, CD (1959), trk# 15
Spencer, Mr.. Lloyd, A. L. / Folk Song in England, International, sof (1967), p132 [1906]
OTHER NAMES: "Floyd," "Jesus Born In Beth'ny," "Jesus born in Bethlea" "Down Came an Angel"
SOURCES: Folk Index; Bob Bolton; Mudcat;
NOTES: "Down Came and Angel" is a version of "Christ Was Born in Bethleham" which appeared in an early edition of B.F. White's Sacred Harp under the heading, FLOYD.
FLOYD- B.F. White.
1. Christ was born in Bethlehem,
Christ was born in Bethlehem,
Christ was born in Bethlehem,
And in a manger lay.
And in a manger lay,
And in a manger lay.
Christ was born in Bethlehem,
And in a manger lay.
"Christ Was Born in Bethleham" also appears in Songs of Gladness for the Sabbath School: By John Edgar Gould (see link above) in 1869. The song follows the old song form of "For He's A Jolly Good Fellow" or "Pig in the Parlor," songs that date back far into the 1800s. Curiously the folk hymn has been found in Australia.
CHRIST WAS BORN IN BETHLEHEM- Folk Songs of Australia and the men & women who sang them, J Meredith & H Anderson, Ure Smith, North Sydney, 1967, vol 1, p189.
Source : Sally Sloane (1894 - 1982)
Christ was born in Bethlehem, Christ was born in Bethlehem,
Christ was born in Bethlehem and in a manger lay.
And in a manger lay, and in a manger lay,
Christ was born in Bethlehem and in a manger lay.
The Jews they crucified him, the Jews they crucified him,
The Jews they crucified him and nailed him to a tree.
And nailed him to a tree, and nailed him to a tree,
The jews they crucified him and nailed him to a tree.
Mary she came weeping, Mary she came weeping,
Mary she came weeping and stole away my Lord.
And stole away my Lord, and stole away my Lord,
Mary she came weeping and stole away my Lord.
Notes: 1/ Pitch has been lowered by one tone from collected version, to suit a general range of voices and simplify accompaniment.
2/ The leading note to the first phrase in line three has been lowered from D to B and, to the second phrase, from D to C (possibly more reflecting my personal style of singing than the inherent nature of the tune).
In their book, Meredith & Anderson note that:
“Other versions have appeared in print in the United States of America, first in Botsford’s Folk Songs of Many Peoples, where it is simply noted as a ‘Kentucky song’, and more recently in E.K. Wells’s book, The Ballad Tree. Miss Wells collected her version in the Kentucky mountains and includes the lines sung by Sally Sloane in a slightly different form to a somewhat different tune.”
John Jacob Niles collected a version: According to Niles, it was recorded in Marion, Smythe County, Virginia, October 1932. This carol was included by John Jacob Niles, in Ten Christmas Carols from the Southern Appalachian Mountains, 1935. A similar version called "Jesus born in Bethlea" published by Ruth Crawford Seeger.
JESUS BORN IN BETH'NY- Appalachia 18th or 19th Century, Collected by John Jacob Niles
1. Jesus born in Beth'ny, Jesus born in Beth'ny
Jesus born in Beth'ny, and in a manger lay.
And in a manger lay, and in a manger lay,
Jesus born in Beth'ny, and in a manger lay.
2. Jesus went a-preachin', Jesus went a-preachin',
Jesus went a-preachin', the Gospel of his God;
Gospel of his Father, Gospel of his God;
Jesus went a-preachin', the Gospel of his God;
3. Judas did betray him, Judas did betray him,
Judas did betray him, sold him to the mob;
Sold him to the mob, sold him to the mob;
Judas did betray him, sold him to the mob;
4. Mob did crucify him, Mob did crucify him,
Mob did crucify him, and nailed him to the tree;
Nailed him to the tree, nailed him to the tree;
Mob did crucify him, and nailed him to the tree;
5. Joseph begged His body, Joseph begged His body,
Joseph begged His body, and placed hit in a tomb;
Placed hit in a tomb, placed hit in a tomb;
Joseph begged His body, and placed hit in a tomb;
6. Tomb it would not hold him, tomb it would not hold him,
Tomb it would not hold him, hit burst the bonds of death;
Burst the bonds of death, burst the bonds of death;
Tomb it would not hold him, hit burst the bonds of death;
7. Early then one morning, early then one morning,
Early then one morning, before the break of day,
Came the heavenly angel, rolled the stone away,
Early then one morning before the break of day.
8. Mary came a-weeping, Mary came a-weeping,
Mary came a-weeping, "They've stole my Lord away;
Stole my Lord away; stole my Lord away;"
Mary came a-weeping, "They've stole my Lord away;
9. Jesus has arisen, Jesus has arisen,
Jesus has arisen, and gone to Galilee;
Gone to Galilee, gone to Galilee;
Jesus has arisen, and gone to Galilee;
10. Jesus then ascended, Jesus then ascended,
Jesus then ascended, up to his Father's throne;
To his Father's throne, to his Father's throne;
Jesus then ascended, up to his Father's throne;
Christ Was Born In Bethlehem– Kickin’ Grass Band Oct. 06, 2009
Christ was born in Bethlehem, Christ was born in Bethlehem
Christ was born in Bethlehem
And in a manger lay
And in a manger lay, and in a manger lay
Christ was born in Bethlehem
And in a manger lay
The men they crucified Him, the men they crucified Him
The men they crucified Him
They nailed Him to the cross
They nailed Him to the cross, they nailed Him to the cross
The men they crucified Him
They nailed Him to the cross
Joseph begged His body, Joseph begged His body
Joseph begged His body
He laid Him in the tomb
He laid Him in the tomb, He laid Him in the tomb
Joseph begged His body
He laid Him in the tomb
The tomb it could not hold Him, the tomb it could not hold Him
The tomb it could not hold Him
He burst the bands of death
He burst the bands of death, He burst the bands of death
The tomb it could not hold Him
He burst the bands of death
Christ was born in Bethlehem, Christ was born in Bethlehem
Christ was born in Bethlehem, and in a manger lay
DOWN CAME AN ANGEL (Ritchie family)
Christ was born in Bethlehem
Christ was born in Bethlehem
Christ was born in Bethlehem
And in a manger lay
And in a manger lay, and in a manger lay
Christ was born in Bethlehem
And in a manger lay
Judas, he betrayed him
They nailed him to the tree
Joseph begged his body
And laid it in the tomb
The tomb it would not hold him
He burst the bands of death
Down came an angel
And rolled the stone away
Mary she came weeping
Her precious Lord to see
What's the matter, Mary?
They stole my Lord away
Go and tell your bretheren
He's risen from the dead
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