One of the few carols by American writers, this lovely hymn was composed by Phillips Brooks in 1868 while he was Episcopal Rector of the Church of the Holy Trinity in Philadelphia. In 1865 he had visited the village of Bethlehem. His Sunday School classes asked him for a Christmas song, and after writing this, he took it to the church organist for a tune. The organist, Lewis H, Redner, says he heard this melody in a dream on Christmas Eve and finished the arrangement in time for the service next day.
No comments:
Post a Comment