John de Luca, the editor of the New Living Parish Hymn Book, informed us that this was a Languedoc Noel – a regional traditional French carol – translated by James Chadwick and set to LES ANGES DANS NOS CAMPAGNES. It’s a carol we always use with our usual guitar only backing and it works fine.
The backing I did when I covered it in AOV 2 all those years ago was not entirely serious. This one is BIAB fake organ and a little more traditional.
1 Angels we have heard on high
Sweetly singing o’er the plains,
And the mountains in reply
Echoing their joyous strains.Refrain
Gloria, in excelsis Deo!
Gloria, in excelsis Deo!2 Shepherds, why this jubilee?
Why your joyous strains prolong?
Say what may the tidings be
Which inspire your heavenly song?Refrain
3 Come to Bethlehem and see
Him whose birth the angels sing;
Come, adore on bended knee,
Christ, the Lord, the newborn King.Refrain
This is a pretty typical arragement and the one here differs only slightly.
Looking at the chords given, and considering this is not a John de Luca arrangement, there are still some differences from those in AOV. Guitarists are all playing this one capo 3 in D anyway, but there are some interesting options chosen.