Scripture References:
all st. = Luke 2:8-15
"Les anges" is a French noel (from the Languedoc region) believed to date from the eighteenth century. Its text and tune were first published in the Nouveau Recueil de Cantiques in 1855. The English translation originated as a free imitation from the French by James Chadwick, which was adapted by Henri Hemy in his Roman Catholic collection, Crown of Jesus Music (1862). Of the original eight-stanza French text, stanzas 1, 2, and 4 are included.
The Christmas gospel in Luke 2:8-15 is the basis for the text. The hymn's refrain, "Gloria in excelsis Deo" is the first part of the angels' chorus in Luke 2: 14; it is one of the few Latin phrases in common use in Protestant churches.
Liturgical Use:
Christmas season; in "carols from many lands" choral services.
--Psalter Hymnal Handbook, 1987
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Angels we have heard on high. [Christmas. ] This appears to be a Christmas Carol. It is found in the Crown of Jesus, 1862, No. 138. Other forms are:—
1. The angels we have heard on high. In the Holy Family Hymns, 1860, No. 9, marked as by the Rev. J. Chadwick.
2. Bright angels we have heard on high, In the Parochial Hymn Book, 1880, No. 38.
3. Bright angel hosts are heard on high. In R. R. Chope's Carols, 1875, No, 30, marked as "Cornish, alt. by R. R. C."
We are unable to say which is the original form of the text. [Rev. James Mearns, M.A.]
--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, New Supplement (1907)
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