Scripture Verse

A virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14

Introduction

Words: George R. Wood­ward, in Car­ols Old and Car­ols New, by Charles L. Hut­chins (Bos­ton, Mas­sa­chu­setts: Par­ish Choir, 1916), num­ber 561.

Music: Buck­hurst Hill, from a Ger­man cho­rale. Har­mo­ny by Jo­hann S. Bach (🔊 pdf nwc).

If you know where to get a good pho­to of Wood­ward (head & shoul­ders, at least 200×300 pix­els),

portrait
Johann Bach (1685–1750)

Lyrics

Nowell! No­well! Good news I tell,
And eke a won­der sto­ry;
A vir­gin mild hath born a child,
Jesus the King of glo­ry.

Ave Ma­rie! O well is thee,
Thou daugh­ter born of An­na.
Before thy Son, that ho­ly One,
Archangels sang Osan­na.

Then praise be sung and bells be rung,
To greet this kind­ly Stran­ger;
Th’Ancient of Days, man­kind to raise,
Abhorreth not the man­ger.