Sheet Music: Besançon Carol

TitleBesançon Carol
Alternate titlesPeople, Look East
Carol of Advent
Shepherds! Shake Off Your Drowsy Sleep
Shepherds, The Chorus Come And Swell!
Berger, Secoue Ton Sommeil Profond
ComposerTraditional French
InstrumentationFlute trio
KeyD major
RangeE4–D6
Time signature6/8
Tempo84 BPM
Performance time0:35
Difficulty leveleasy
Download printable scorePDF Sheet Music (50 kB) (preview)
Download audio tracksMIDI (change tempo/key) MP3 (290 kB)
Play-along accompanimentMIDI (change tempo/key) MP3 (331 kB)
Date added2021-12-14
Last updated2021-12-14
Download popularity index☆☆☆☆☆ 5.5 (very popular)
Categories
Christmas carols, Hymn tunes, Traditional/Folk

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Tuesday 14 December 2021

Tune of the Day: Besançon Carol

Traditional Christmas carol, arranged for three flutes

This old melody, named after the city of Besançon in eastern France, may well date back to the 17th century. One of its earliest known appearances is, as “Berger, secoue ton sommeil profond” (“Shepherd, shake off your drowsy sleep”), in a collection titled Recueil de Noëls anciens au patois de Besançon (1842). Today, the melody is better known as the vehicle for the Advent carol “People, Look East”, which was written in 1928 by English author Eleanor Farjeon.

Many thanks to Mark for contributing this arrangement for flute trio!