NOEL (Sullivan)

Adapter: Arthur Sullivan

Arthur Seymour Sullivan (b Lambeth, London. England. 1842; d. Westminster, London, 1900) was born of an Italian mother and an Irish father who was an army band­master and a professor of music. Sullivan entered the Chapel Royal as a chorister in 1854. He was elected as the first Mendelssohn scholar in 1856, when he began his studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London. He also studied at the Leipzig Conservatory (1858-1861) and in 1866 was appointed professor of composition at the Royal Academy of Music. Early in his career Sullivan composed oratorios and music for some Shakespeare plays. However, he is best known for writing the music for lyrics by William S. Gilbert, which produced popular operettas such as H.M.S. Pinafore (1878), The… Go to person page >

Tune Information

Title: NOEL (Sullivan)
Adapter: Arthur Sullivan (1874)
Meter: 8.6.8.6
Incipit: 12321 23432 5534
Key: F Major/F Major or modal
Copyright: Public Domain

Texts

It Came Upon the Midnight Clear

It came upon the midnight clear,
that glorious song of old,
from angels bending near the earth
to touch their harps of gold:
"Peace on the earth, good will to men,
from heaven's all-gracious King."
The world in solemn stillness lay,
to hear the angels sing.

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While shepherds watched their flocks

While shepherds watched their flocks by night,
all seated on the ground,
an angel of the Lord came down,
and glory shone around.

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Notes

The tune NOEL (also used at 185) is also known as EARDISLEY or GERARD. Arthur Seymour Sullivan (b Lambeth, London. England. 1842; d. Westminster, London, 1900) adapted this traditional English melody (probably one of the variants of the folk song "Dives and Lazarus"), added phrases of his own to recast the melody in common meter double, and published it first in his Church Hymns with Tunes (1874). In that collection Sullivan set this tune to the Christmas carol "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear," which explains one of the tune names.

Though NOEL has frequent changes of harmony, do not sing it too slowly; keep the rhythmic energy moving. Antiphonal performance may highlight the refrain (second half of st. 3 and 5) in this psalm: all sing stanzas 1, 3, and 5; alternate groups sing stanzas 2 and 4. The folk origin of the tune suggests unison singing to most, but Sullivan's harmony will attract some choristers. Either way, this is lively music.

Sullivan was born of an Italian mother and an Irish father who was an army bandmaster and a professor of music. Sullivan entered the Chapel Royal as a chorister in 1854. He was elected as the first Mendelssohn scholar in 1856, when he began his studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London. He also studied at the Leipzig Conservatory (1858-1861) and in 1866 was appointed professor of composition at the Royal Academy of Music.

Early in his career Sullivan composed oratorios and music for some Shakespeare plays. However, he is best known for writing the music for lyrics by William S. Gilbert, which produced popular operettas such as H.M.S. Pinafore (1878), The Pirates of Penzance (1879), The Mikado (1884), and Yeomen of the Guard (1888). These operettas satirized the court and everyday life in Victorian times.

Although he composed some anthems, in the area of church music Sullivan is best remembered for his hymn tunes, written between 1867 and 1874 and published in The Hymnary (1872) and Church Hymns (1874), both of which he edited. He contributed hymns to A Hymnal Chiefly from The Book of Praise (1867) and to the Presbyterian collection Psalms and Hymns for Divine Worship (1867). A complete collection of his hymns and arrangements was published posthumously as Hymn Tunes by Arthur Sullivan (1902). Sullivan steadfastly refused to grant permission to those who wished to make hymn tunes from the popular melodies in his operettas.

--Psalter Hymnal Handbook, 1988

Timeline

Arrangements

Harmonizations, Introductions, Descants, Intonations

  • Above All Praise: Choral Hymn Descants with Organ Accompaniment
    Composer/Editor Antony Baldwin
    Published By: Paraclete Press (2011) pp. 20
  • Above All Praise: Choral Hymn Descants with Organ Accompaniment
    Composer/Editor Antony Baldwin
    Published By: Paraclete Press (2011) pp. 20
  • Hymn Tunes in Lower Keyes: The Book to Grab When the Congregation Complains that the Hymns are Too High!
    Published By: Kevin Mayhew Ltd. (2011) pp. 181
  • Hymn Tunes in Lower Keys: The Book to Grab When the Congregation Complains that the Hymns are Too High!
    Published By: Kevin Mayhew Ltd. (2011) pp. 181
  • 200 Last Verses: Completely Revised to Complement the Keys in Major Hymn Books
    Composer/Editor Noel Rawsthorne
    Published By: Kevin Mayhew Ltd. (2009) pp. 112
  • The Really Big Descant Book - Full Music Edition: 250 Settings to Raise the Roof by the World's Finest Church Music Composers
    Composer/Editor Malcolm Archer
    Published By: Kevin Mayhew Ltd. (2009) pp. 145
  • The Really Big Descant Book - Full Music Edition: 250 Settings to Raise the Roof by the World's Finest Church Music Composers
    Composer/Editor Malcolm Archer
    Published By: Kevin Mayhew Ltd. (2009) pp. 145
  • Hymns Re-Harmonized Piano Solo Keepsake Edition: Creative Chords for the Church Accompanist - 110 Favorites with Chord Symbols and Modulation Charts!
    Composer/Editor Carol McMillen Tornquist
    Published By: Word Music Group, LLC (2006) pp. 110
  • Restrained Last Verses: Varied Accompaniments for Popular Hymns
    Composer/Editor Betty Roe
    Published By: Kevin Mayhew Ltd. (2003) pp. 95
  • Restrained Last Verses: Varied Accompaniments for Popular Hymns
    Composer/Editor Betty Roe
    Published By: Kevin Mayhew Ltd. (2003) pp. 95
  • More Hymns for Occasions: One Hundred Special Arrangements
    Composer/Editor Colin Mawby
    Published By: Kevin Mayhew Ltd. (1997) pp. 58
  • More Hymns for Occasions: One Hundred Special Arrangements
    Composer/Editor Colin Mawby
    Published By: Kevin Mayhew Ltd. (1997) pp. 58
  • Finishing Touch: One Hundred Last Verse Arrangements of Well-Known Hymn Tunes - New and Enlarged Edition
    Composer/Editor Harrison Oxley
    Published By: Kevin Mayhew Ltd. (1996) pp. 36
  • Finishing Touch: One Hundred Last Verse Arrangements of Well-Known Hymn Tunes - New and Enlarged Edition
    Composer/Editor Harrison Oxley
    Published By: Kevin Mayhew Ltd. (1996) pp. 36
  • After the Last Verse: 200 Hymn Improvisations
    Composer/Editor Malcolm Archer
    Published By: Kevin Mayhew Ltd. (1995) pp. 112
  • After the Last Verse: 200 Hymn Improvisations
    Composer/Editor Malcolm Archer
    Published By: Kevin Mayhew Ltd. (1995) pp. 112

Organ Solo

  • Easy Organ Library Volume 62
    Composer/Editor John S. Dixon
    Published By: Lorenz Publishing Company (2017) pp. 49
  • The Organist Volume 120 Number 5 November December 2016: The Service Music Companion for the Church Organist
    Composer/Editors Carson P. Cooman; John S. Dixon
    Published By: Lorenz Publishing Company (2016) pp. 15
  • Oxford Hymn Settings for Organists Volume 1 Advent and Christmas: 38 Original Pieces On Hymns and Carols
    Composer/Editors Rebecca Groom Te Velde; David Blackwell
    Published By: Oxford University Press (2014) pp. 80
  • 20 Christmas Pastorales
    Composer/Editor Edward W. Beals
    Published By: Darcey Press (2010) pp. 8
  • Organ Miniatures: 200 Short Improvisations on Familiar Hymn Tunes
    Composer/Editor June Nixon
    Published By: Kevin Mayhew Ltd. (1999) pp. 110
  • Easy Trios: Music for Worship
    Composer/Editor David N. Johnson
    Published By: Augsburg Publishing House (1969) pp. 17

Piano Solo

  • The Church Pianist Volume 32 Number 2 November December 2015: The Pianist's Companion for the Church Year
    Composer/Editors Larry Shackley; Tom Birchwood
    Published By: Lorenz Publishing Company (2015) pp. 20

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Christian Classics Ethereal Hymnary #133
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Text: If Human Kindness Meets Return
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Instances

Instances (1 - 56 of 56)

A New Hymnal for Colleges and Schools #230

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Celebrating Grace Hymnal #286

Christmas Favorites #48

Church Hymnal, Mennonite #92

Church Hymnal, Mennonite #293

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Glory to God #53

Text InfoTextFlexScoreAudioPage Scan

Glory to God #308

Hymns Ancient and Modern, New Standard Edition #41

Page Scan

Hymns for Today's Church (2nd ed.) #87

TextPage Scan

Psalms for All Seasons #46A

Rejoice in the Lord #490

Audio

Small Church Music #1005

Audio

Small Church Music #3520

TextScoreAudio

The Cyber Hymnal #3157

TextPage Scan

The Hymnal 1982 #90

The Hymnal 1982 #245

TextPage Scan

The New Century Hymnal #401

TextPage Scan

The Worshiping Church #643

TextPage Scan

Trinity Hymnal (Rev. ed.) #626

TextAudio

TTT-Himnaro Cigneta #109

Voices United #185

Voices United #507

Page Scan

Voices United #770a

Worship and Rejoice #172

TextScoreAudioPage Scan

Worship and Rejoice #388

TextFlexScoreAudioPage Scan

Lift Up Your Hearts #432

TextFlexScoreAudioPage Scan

Lift Up Your Hearts #561

TextPage Scan

Psalms for All Seasons #145E

Text InfoTune InfoTextScoreAudioPage Scan

Psalter Hymnal (Gray) #46

Text InfoTune InfoTextScoreAudioPage Scan

Psalter Hymnal (Gray) #185

TextPage Scan

Singing the New Testament #14

ScoreAudio

Christian Classics Ethereal Hymnary #133

TextPage Scan

Hymns of Promise #29

Page Scan

Christian Science Hymnal #512

Text

Common Praise (1998) #141

The Book of Praise #158

Text

Ancient and Modern #70

Page Scan

Complete Mission Praise #345

Hymns and Psalms #108

TextPage Scan

One in Faith #632

TextPage Scan

Common Praise #56

TextPage Scan

CPWI Hymnal #70

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The Cyber Hymnal #2828

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The Cyber Hymnal #6699

生命聖詩 - Hymns of Life, 1986 #112

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Rejoice in the Lord #160

Anglican Hymns Old and New (Rev. and Enl.) #363

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Complete Anglican Hymns Old and New #330

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The New English Hymnal #29

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Trinity Psalter Hymnal #30

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Trinity Psalter Hymnal #46B

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Trinity Psalter Hymnal #145C

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Church Hymnary (4th ed.) #303

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Hymns of Glory, Songs of Praise #303

Singing the Faith #205

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The Irish Presbyterian Hymbook #324

Include 92 pre-1979 instances
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