Is Greensleeves A Christmas Song

Christmas ballad

What Kid Is This?
The Adoration of the Shepherds past Gerard van Honthorst
Genre	Hymn
Written	1865
Text	William Chatterton Dix
Based on	Isaiah 9:half-dozen-7
Meter	8.7.8.7 with refrain
Melody	"Greensleeves"
Published	1871

"What Kid Is This?" is a Christmas carol with lyrics written by William Chatterton Dix in 1865 and set to the tune of "Greensleeves", a traditional English folk song, in 1871. Although written in Great United kingdom, the carol today is more pop in the United States than its country of origin.^[one]

Lyrics [edit]

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

Composition [edit]

The first poesy poses a rhetorical question in the starting time half, with the response coming in the 2nd half. The 2d verse contains some other question that is answered, while the last poesy is a universal appeal to everyone urging them "to accept Christ".^[two] The carol's melody has been described every bit "soulful",^[1] "haunting and beautiful" in nature.^[3]

Context [edit]

The context of the carol centres around the Adoration of the Shepherds who visit during the Nascence of Jesus. The questions posed in the lyrics reflect what the shepherds were perchance pondering to themselves when they encountered Jesus, with the rest of the carol providing a response to their questions.^[1]

Background and influence [edit]

At the time he was writing the lyrics to "What Child Is This?" in 1865, William Chatterton Dix was working every bit the manager of an insurance company.^[4] He was afflicted by an unexpected and astringent illness that resulted in him being bedridden and suffering from severe depression. His virtually-expiry experience brought near a spiritual renewal in him while he was recovering. During this time, he read the Bible comprehensively and was inspired to author hymns like "Alleluia! Sing to Jesus!" and "Every bit with Gladness Men of Old".^[ane] ^[iii] The precise time in 1865 when he wrote the poem "The Manger Throne" is disputed. While the Petrograd Times details how Dix penned the work after reading the Gospel for Epiphany that year (Matthew 2:1–12) recounting the journey of the Biblical Magi;^[5] Vocaliser'southward Library of Vocal: Medium Voice contends that information technology was actually authored during the Christmas of 1865.^[3]

History [edit]

Although written in 1865, "What Child Is This?" was simply outset published half-dozen years later in 1871, when it featured in Christmas Carols Old and New,^[5] a "prestigious"^[six] and "influential"^[seven] collection of carols that was published in the Great britain.^[vi] The hymnal was edited by Henry Ramsden Bramley and John Stainer; even though it is non known with certainty who paired the three stanzas from "The Manger Throne" with the music from "Greensleeves", the tertiary edition of The Christmas Encyclopedia past William D. Crump and Stories of the Great Christmas Carols both propose that Stainer – who was likewise responsible for "harmoniz[ing] the musical setting"^[2] – may have done then.^[one] ^[ii]

References [edit]

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Stories of the Great Christmas Carols. Alfred Music Publishing. pp. 47–48. ISBN9781457419348.
^ ^a ^b ^c Crump, William D. (September 15, 2001). The Christmas Encyclopedia, chloe ed. McFarland. pp. 437–438. ISBN9781476605739.
^ ^a ^b ^c Liebergen, Patrick Grand. (ed.). Vocaliser's Library of Song: Medium Voice. Alfred Music Publishing. p. 164. ISBN9781457421723.
^ Dunham, Mike (December 19, 1993). "Caroling Into Christmas Insurance Salesmen, Teachers Had A Manus In Writing Songs". Anchorage Daily News. p. G1. Retrieved Nov 28, 2014. (subscription required)
^ ^a ^b "Favorite carols accept evolved over ages". Petrograd Times. December 20, 1997. p. 8. Retrieved November 29, 2014. (subscription required)
^ ^a ^b Flanagan, Mike (Dec 19, 1986). "The origins of Christmas Songs". Ottawa Citizen. p. H1. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
^ Oldfield, Molly; Mitchinson, John (December 24, 2013). "QI: some quite interesting facts about Christmas carols". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved December 26, 2013.