When was what child is this written

Dix became very sick and was in bed for a long time recovering. He had plenty of time to pray and read the Word of God and from this experience his life was truly changed for the better. He began to write hymns, three we may be familiar with today: As with Gladnes s, Men of Old , Alleluia! Sing to Jesus and What Child is This? What Child is This? In the beginning of the hymn, Mary is in the manger with the Christ-child on her lap, surrounded by angels and shepherds.

We do not sing the second verse much around Christmas time but maybe we should. Nails and spears will pierce Him, the cross be borne for me, for you. The true purpose of Christmas, of Christ coming to the manger as a baby, growing up to experience LIFE as we know it so He could understand our suffering.

But the exact meaning of the song has been debated for centuries. According to this school of thought, the singer was mistaken and Lady Greensleeves took offense at his assumption.

Regardless, the song was immensely popular. Let it thunder to the tune of 'Greensleeves'! The melody proved so enduring that people even began adding their own words to the song. English insurance company manager William Chatterton Dix wrote one such set of lyrics while undergoing a spiritual awakening in He scribbled out a poem called "The Manger Throne" while he recovered from a near fatal illness and a bout of depression , according to the Hymns and Carols of Christmas.

He cobbled those together, slapped them onto the tune of "Greensleeves," and created a classic Christmas carol with a rather unusual history. For you. World globe An icon of the world globe, indicating different international options. Get the Insider App. Click here to learn more. Dodsley, Fig. To the new tune of Greensleeues. Trinity College Dublin, MS , p. Transcription by Hymnology Archive.

The Ballet version is considered to be the ultimate predecessor for all modern printings of the tune, probably because of the work of William Chappell in transcribing and publishing it in and see the bibliography below , and the work of Bramley and Stainer in popularizing it through their series of carol books, — It is believed to have been written in the s.

In this example, the melody begins at measure 84 in the second instrument then is passed to the first instrument. Given the six-part polyphonic texture, the shift between instruments, and a potentially spritely tempo, a listener could be forgiven for not hearing the allusion.

One other sixteenth century source worth noting is a manuscript sometimes known as the Dowland Lute Book, or Collection of Songs and Dances for the Lute , ca. This is an arrangement for two lutes.