God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen - English Carol

Vocals & arrangement by Farya Faraji. I usually don’t arrange very well known pieces as this one has been done to death by far better musicians than I, but the fresh snowy forest looked beautiful and I just needed an excuse to film a clip before the snow melted off the trees, and this was the only Christmas-related song I knew off the top of my head so I threw this together quickly in a day while the forest still had that picturesque white look. For what it’s worth, the recent renditions of this traditional English Carol have been very modernised and bombastic, so this can at least provide an example of a more traditional sound representative of the 1800’s to 1900’s when this carol became popular. There are many different versions of this song’s lyrics so I mixed different lyrics from the different printed versions from the the 1700’s to today. Lyrics: God rest you merry, gentlemen Let nothing you dismay For Jesus Christ, our Saviour Was born upon this day, To save us all from Satan’s power When we were gone astray. O tidings of comfort and joy, Comfort and joy, O tidings of comfort and joy. From God that is our Father The blessed angels came Unto some certain shepherds, With tidings of the same; That he was born in Bethlehem The Son of God by name, Now when they came to Bethlehem, Where our sweet Saviour lay, They found him in a manger Where oxen feed on hay. The blessed Virgin kneeling down Unto the Lord did pray. With sudden joy and gladness, The shepherds were beguil’d, To see the Babe of Israel Before his mother mild. O then with joy and cheerfulness Rejoice each mother’s child Now to the Lord sing praises, All you within this place Like we true loving brethren, Each other to embrace, For the merry time of Christmas Is coming on a-pace.