Lyr Req: The Snow Lay On The Ground

Subject: The Snow Lay On The Ground
From: Alice
Date: 12 Dec 01 - 08:45 PM

The Snow Lay On The Ground has been mentioned as a favorite carol in previous threads, but I could not find it in the DT or a forum search. I like it, also. Can someone post the lyrics?

Alice

Subject: Lyr Add: The Snow Lay On The Ground
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 12 Dec 01 - 09:05 PM

The snow lay on the ground
The stars shown bright
When Christ our Lord was born
On Christmas night.
Venite adoremus, dominum,
Venite adoremus, dominum.

Twas Mary, daughter pure
Of holy Anne
That brought into this world
The God made man.
Venite adoremus, dominum,
Venite adoremus, dominum.

Saint Joseph, too, was by,
To tend the child,
To guard him, and protect
his mother mild.
Venite adoremus, dominum,
Venite adoremus, dominum.

And thus that manger pure
Became a throne;
For he whom Mary bore
Was God the Son.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Snow Lay On The Ground
From: Mary in Kentucky
Date: 12 Dec 01 - 09:11 PM

Animaterra, is this the one that can be sung with Adeste Fideles?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Snow Lay On The Ground
From: Alice
Date: 12 Dec 01 - 09:19 PM

I did find an mp3 of it tonight, and that is one reason I wondered if the lyrics were here in the DT. Here's the mp3 page, with the song done (very well) by The Revellers.
I thought they sang more than four verses, but maybe not. I'll have to listen to it again. I was also curious about their note that the source is "Trad. Irish-English, circa 1860" - does anyone know if that is true?

http://www.mp3.com/the_revellers.html

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Snow Lay On The Ground
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 12 Dec 01 - 09:20 PM

I don't see how. It's got its own melody; it's #110 in the Episcopal hymnal. "Music: Venite adoremus, melody adapted by Charles Winfred Douglas (1867-1944)."
Here it is from Cyberhymnal.org!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Snow Lay On The Ground
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 12 Dec 01 - 09:21 PM

Oops, double post. I was responding to Mary!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Snow Lay On The Ground
From: Mary in Kentucky
Date: 12 Dec 01 - 09:21 PM

I found a midi of "The Snow Lay on the Ground" on this page. I was thinking of the tune to "Gesu Bambino" which is sung with Adeste Fideles.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Snow Lay On The Ground
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 12 Dec 01 - 09:21 PM

Oops, double post. I was responding to Mary!

Subject: Lyr Add: The Snow Lay On The Ground
From: Alice
Date: 12 Dec 01 - 09:29 PM

The Revellers sing the verses with a couple more lines than you posted:

Twas Mary, daughter pure
Of holy Anne That brought into this world The God made man.
She layed him in a stall in Bethlehem,
The ass and ox they shared a roof with him.

Venite adoremus, dominum,
Venite adoremus, dominum.

Saint Joseph, too, was by,
To tend the child,
To guard him, and protect
his mother mild.
THe angels all around them sang this song
Venite adoremus dominum.

Venite adoremus, dominum,
Venite adoremus, dominum.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Snow Lay On The Ground
From: Alice
Date: 12 Dec 01 - 09:33 PM

Listening to it again, it may be "the ass and oxen shared a roof with Him" and "The angels hovered 'round and sang this song".

Alice

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Snow Lay On The Ground
From: MMario
Date: 13 Dec 01 - 08:58 AM

Alice - your corrections fit what I remember from singing this in junior choir mumblety years ago.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Snow Lay On The Ground
From: masato sakurai
Date: 13 Dec 01 - 09:18 AM

There's an English refrain instead of "Venite adoremus, dominum."

O come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.
O come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.

~Masato

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Snow Lay On The Ground
From: Alice
Date: 13 Dec 01 - 09:23 AM

Animaterra, the hymnal says the melody is adapted - any info regarding the origin note I quoted from the Revellers track?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Snow Lay On The Ground
From: tremodt
Date: 13 Dec 01 - 07:03 PM

Twas On a cold and wintry night as the snow lay on the ground

Subject: Lyr Add: The Snow Lay On The Ground
From: Alice
Date: 30 Dec 01 - 07:39 PM

As I was looking in an old Saint Gregory Hymnal, I just found the song with an additional verse. The melody in the hymnal is different, though, taken from Grieg, and different from the one I linked to performed by the Revellers.

THE SNOW LAY ON THE GROUND
Saint Gregory Hymnal credits lyrics to Rev. Dr. Lingard, as an Old English Carol

The snow lay on the ground
The stars shown bright
When Christ our Lord was born
On Christmas night.

Twas Mary, daughter pure
Of holy Anne
That brought into this world
The God made man.

She laid him in a stall
At Bethlehem,
The ass and oxen shared
The roof with them.

Saint Joseph, too, was by,
To tend the child,
To guard him, and protect
his mother mild.

The angels hovered 'round
And sang this song,
"Venite, adoremus Dominum."

And then that manger poor
Became a throne;
For He whom Mary bore
Was God the Son.

O come then, let us join,
The heav'nly host, To praise the Father,
Son and Holy Ghost.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Snow Lay On The Ground
From: GUEST,Brían
Date: 30 Dec 01 - 09:05 PM

We sang this in mass today to the melody in the Cyberhymnal. It is a wonderful carol.

Brían

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Snow Lay On The Ground
From: Artful Codger
Date: 07 Dec 09 - 02:04 AM

The Hymns and Carols of Christmas site gives two versions of this song. They include scans of the Grieg score as well as two settings from Rev. Charles Lewis Hutchins' Carols Old and Carols New (both sharing the same text)--all three are different from the traditional Irish tune (as arranged in the Cyberhymnal and numerous other hymnals).

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Snow Lay On The Ground
From: Artful Codger
Date: 07 Dec 09 - 02:18 AM

I should also mention that the Rev. Lingard is credited there with translating the text into English; in that sense, he is the author of the English version.