Angels We Have Heard on High
A French carol about the shepherds and the angels' Gloria at Jesus' birth.
The words are public domain. We print a hymn only after checking it word for word against a dated old printing, and this one hasn’t been checked yet. Hymnary has it now.
“Angels We Have Heard on High” at HymnaryAbout this hymn
The carol tells of angels singing over the fields, shepherds asking why they sing, and everyone going to Bethlehem to see the newborn Christ. Each stanza ends with the Latin 'Gloria in excelsis Deo', glory to God in the highest.
It rests on Luke 2:8-20, the angels' announcement to the shepherds and the shepherds' visit to the manger.
It is sung at Christmas. It comes from a French carol printed in 1855; the English version appeared in 1862 in Crown of Jesus Music.
For musicians and planners
| Words | French carol, 1855 | Public domain |
|---|---|---|
| Translation | James Chadwick (free imitation), adapted by Henri F. Hemy, 1862 | Public domain |
| Tune | GLORIA · Traditional French carol | Public domain |
Checked 2026-09-27 against hymnary.org text, tune and person pages (attribution and rights only). The words are not transcribed here yet.
Hymn numbers checked against Hymnary.org’s index of Evangelical Lutheran Worship. Full record: Hymnary.