Friday 16 December 2011
Tune of the Day: Il est né, le divin enfant
Traditional French Christmas carol
The tune for this carol first appeared in print in R. Grosjean's Airs des noêl lorrain (1862), where it is called “Ancien air de chasse” (“Old hunting air”). It is indeed the case that an old Normandy hunting tune known as “Tête bizarde”, though in 6/8, is melodically very similar.
English translations of this carol include “He Is Born, the Holy Child”, “He Is Born, The Heav'nly Child”, “He Is Born, The Divine Christ Child”, and many others.