Ding Dong Merrily on High
"Ding Dong! Merrily on High" is a festive Christmas carol that celebrates the joy of the holiday season through imagery of ringing bells and angelic choirs, featuring lyrics in a macaronic style blending English and Latin.[1][2] The melody originates from the 16th-century French dance tune "Branle de l’Official," first published in 1589 in Orchésographie, a treatise on dance by Thoinot Arbeau (the pseudonym of Jehan Tabourot).[2][1] This secular tune, associated with lively dances among peasants and servants, was later adapted for sacred use, transforming its rhythmic energy into a vehicle for holiday proclamation.[2] The lyrics were composed by George Ratcliffe Woodward (1848–1934), an English Anglican priest, hymn writer, and enthusiast of church bell-ringing, who drew inspiration from archaic poetry to evoke heavenly bells and the Gloria in excelsis Deo from the angels' announcement of Christ's birth.[1][2] Woodward first published the carol in 1924 in his anthology The Cambridge Carol-Book: Being Fifty-two Songs for Christmas, Easter, and Other Seasons, with harmonic arrangements contributed by Charles Wood.[1][2] The carol's structure includes three verses that progress from heavenly rejoicing to earthly participation and a call to ringers, unified by a soaring refrain: "Gloria, hosanna in excelsis!"—Latin for "Glory, hosanna in the highest!"—often performed as a melismatic flourish spanning 33 syllables.[1] The full lyrics are as follows:Verse 1A prominent arrangement by Sir David Willcocks, featured in the 1961 collection Carols for Choirs, has helped cement its popularity in choral settings worldwide.[1] The carol is a staple of Christmas services and concerts, notably performed annually by the Choir of King's College, Cambridge, during their A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols broadcast, underscoring its enduring role in evoking festive exuberance and spiritual uplift.[1]
Ding dong! merrily on high
In heav'n the bells are ringing:
Ding dong! verily the sky
Is riv'n with angel singing.
Gloria, hosanna in excelsis![] Verse 2
E'en so here below, below,
Let steeple bells be swungen;
And "Io, io, io,"
By priest and people sungen.
Gloria, hosanna in excelsis![] Verse 3
Pray ye, dutifully prime
Your matin chime, ye ringers;
May ye beautifully rime
Your evetime song, ye singers.
Gloria, hosanna in excelsis![] (Lyrics as composed by George Ratcliffe Woodward)[1][3]
Origins and History
Melody Origins
The melody of "Ding Dong Merrily on High" originates from the "Branle de l'Officiel," a secular French dance tune documented in the 1589 manual Orchésographie by Jehan Tabourot, who wrote under the pseudonym Thoinot Arbeau (1519–1595), a canon of Langres. This work, structured as a dialogue between a master and pupil, serves as a comprehensive treatise on Renaissance dance and music, providing notations, steps, and social contexts for various branles—side-stepping group dances popular across 16th-century Europe. The "Branle de l'Officiel," or "Official Branle," is described as a lively circle or line dance performed in duple meter, involving large steps (doubles) to the left and right, followed by smaller steps (simples) and a concluding leap, often with partners assisting each other in lifts.[2] Arbeau notes its suitability for servants, lackeys, and occasionally gentlefolk in courtly or processional settings, reflecting its roots in both rustic and refined social gatherings of the era.[4] The tune's jaunty, ringing quality, played on instruments like viols or recorders, evoked the clamor of bells or festive processions, aligning with the branle's communal, swaying motions derived from the French verb branler (to sway or shake).[5] Following its publication, the "Branle de l'Officiel" circulated widely in European musical manuscripts and dance collections for over three centuries, remaining a staple of secular repertoire in France, England, and beyond, often appearing in instrumental anthologies and folk traditions without religious connotations.[6] This secular tune was later adapted for sacred use in the early 20th century, transforming its rhythmic energy into a vehicle for holiday proclamation.[2] This evolution preserved the tune's energetic, bell-like motif while adapting it for vocal performance, setting the stage for its pairing with English lyrics in 1924.[7]Lyrics Composition
The lyrics of "Ding Dong! Merrily on High" were composed by George Ratcliffe Woodward (1848–1934), an English Anglican priest, musician, and hymnologist renowned for his efforts in reviving and translating medieval carols and hymns from ancient languages including Greek, Latin, and German.[8] Woodward's work often emphasized the preservation of archaic poetic forms, reflecting his scholarly interest in liturgical music and folk traditions. The carol's text first appeared in print in 1924 as part of Woodward's The Cambridge Carol-Book: Being Fifty-two Songs for Christmas, Easter, and Other Seasons, a compilation he edited alongside the Irish composer Charles Wood, who provided harmonic arrangements for several pieces including this one.[7] This publication marked one of Woodward's key contributions to early 20th-century hymnody, drawing on his extensive experience in curating seasonal songs for church use. Woodward drew inspiration from archaic English poetry and French carol traditions to craft the lyrics in a macaronic style, blending vernacular English verses with a Latin refrain ("Gloria, hosanna in excelsis!") to evoke a sense of joyful antiquity.[1] This approach mirrors the bilingual hymn structures common in medieval European carols, allowing the text to celebrate the angels' proclamation of Christ's birth through exuberant, bell-ringing imagery. The three verses emphasize heavenly and earthly rejoicing, with repeated exclamations like "Ding dong! merrily on high" mimicking the peal of church bells announcing the Nativity.[7] The full lyrics, set to the 16th-century French melody "Branle de l'Officiel," are as follows (original 1924 version):Ding dong! merrily on highModern performances often use variant lyrics in the third verse, such as "Your matin peal, choir ringers" and an additional line "May you in heav'nly host shine evermore!".[1]
In heav'n the bells are ringing:
Ding dong! verily the sky
Is riv'n with Angel singing.
Gloria, hosanna in excelsis! E'en so here below, below,
Let steeple bells be swungen,
And "Io, io, io,"
By priests and people sungen.
Gloria, hosanna in excelsis! Pray you, dutifully prime
Your Matin chime, ye ringers;
May you beautifully rime
Your Eve-time song, ye singers:
Gloria, hosanna in excelsis