A Babe Is Born, All Of A Maid

Compare: A Babe Is Born
A babe is born al of a may - Thomas Wright

Words: 15^th Century

Music: Ancient Melody
MIDI / Noteworthy Composer / PDF

Carol 565, Rev. Charles Lewis Hutchins, Carols Old and Carols New
(Boston: Parish Choir, 1916)

1. A Babe is born, all of a Maid
To bring salvation unto us:
No more are we to sing afraid,
Veni, Creator Spiritus

2. Bethlehem, That blessed place,
The Child of bliss then born He was;
He aye to serve God give us grace,
O Lux beata Trinitas.

3. There came three kings out of the East,
To worship there that King so free
With gold and myrrh and frankincense,
A solis ortus cardine.

4. The shepherds heard an Angel cry,
O merry song that night sang he,
Why are ye all so sore aghast,
Jam lucis orto sidere?

5. The Angel came down with a cry,
A fair and joyful song sang he,
And in the worship of that Child,
Gloria Tibi Domine.

Sheet Music from Charles L. Hutchins, Carols Old and Carols New (Boston: Parish Choir, 1916)

Sheet Music from Henry Ramsden Bramley and John Stainer, Christmas Carols New and Old, Third Series (London: Novello, Ewer & Co., ca 1878), Carol #48.

William Henry Husk, Songs of the Nativity (London: John Camden Hotten, 1868):

This Carol is of the time of Henry VI [1421-1471]. The Latin words with which each verse is terminated are the first lines of hymns used in the church service. This mode of writing was very prevalent amongst the mediæval carolists.

Note that Husk precedes his version with this burden:

Noel el el el, now is well
That ever was woe.

See:

• Veni Creator Spiritus
• O Lux Beata Trinitas
• A Sortis Ortus Cardine

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A Babe Is Born

Compare: A Babe Is Born, All Of A Maid
A babe is born al of a may - Thomas Wright

Words: English Traditional, Fifteenth Century

Source: William Henry Husk, Songs of the Nativity (London: John Camden Hotten, 1868)

Also found in Edith Rickert, Ancient English Christmas Carols: 1400-1700 (London: Chatto & Windus, 1914), pp. 49-50.

Nowel el el el, now is well
That ever was woe.

1. A babe is born all of a may,¹
In the salvation of us,
To them² we sing both night and day,
Veni, Creator Spiritus.

2. At Bethlehem that blessed place,
The child is bliss born He was,
Him to serve God give us grace,
O Lux Beata Trinitas.

3. There came three kings out of the East,
To worship the King that is so free,
With gold and myrrh and frankincense,
A solis ortus cardine.

4. The herdsmen heard³ an Angel cry,
A merry song then sung he,⁴
Why are ye so sore aghast?
Jam ortus solis cardine.

5. The Angel(s) came down with a cry,
A fair song then sung he,⁵
In the worship of that child,
Jam ortus solis cardine.

Notes:

1. Maid. Return

2. Rickert gives "Him." Return

3. Rickert gives "herdes herden". Return

4. Rickert gives "they" with the note that this refers to the Angels. Return

5. Rickert gives "they." Return

Rickert also gives the following translations:

• Veni, Creator Spiritus is translated as "Come, Creative Spirit"
• O Lux Beata Trinitas is translated as "O blessed light of trinity."
• A solis ortus cardine is translated as "Arisen from the quarter of the sun."
• Iam ortus solis cardine is translated as "Now the star of light having risen."

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Sheet Music from Martin Shaw and Percy Dearmer, The English Carol Book, Second Series (London: A. R. Mowbray & Co., Ltd., 1919), Carol #33
Key of E Major: MIDI / Noteworthy Composer / PDF
Key of C: MIDI / Noteworthy Composer / PDF

Husk's Note:

This Carol is of the time of Henry VI [1421-1471]. The Latin words with which each verse is terminated are the first lines of hymns used in the church service. This mode of writing was very prevalent amongst the mediæval carolists.

See:

• Veni Creator Spiritus
• O Lux Beata Trinitas
• A Sortis Ortus Cardine
  

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A babe is born al of a may

Words and Music: Traditional English
(From MS. Sloan 2593, fol. 74, v⁰)

Compare:
A Babe Is Born, All Of A Maid (Version 1)
A Babe Is Born (All of a May - Version 2)

Source: Thomas Wright, Specimens of old Christmas Carols, Selected from Manuscripts and Printed Books (London: The Percy Society, 1841)
Also found in William Sandys, Christmas-tide, Its History, Festivities and Carols, With Their Music (London: John Russell Smith, 1852), p. 226.

This carol requires the installation of the "Junius Modern" font for best display.
See notes in F A Q

Nowel el el el, now is wel that evere was woo.

A babe is born al of a may,
In the savasyoun of us,
To hem we syngyn bothe nyõht and day,
Veni creator spiritus.

At Bedlem that blyssid pas,
The chyld of blysse born he was,
Hymn to serve, go õeve us gras,
O lux beata trinitas.

Ther come thre kynges out of the est,
To worchepoe the kyng that is so fre,
With gold and myrre and francincens,
A solis ortus cardine.

The herdes herdyn an aungele cry,
A merye song then sungyn he,
Qwy arn õe so sore a-gast?
Jam ortus solis cardine.

The aungele comyn doun with on cry,
A fayr song then syngyn he,
In the worchepe of that chyld,
Gloria tibi, Domine.