This carol was written by James Montgomery. It was first published in a local newspaper – the Sheffield Iris on Christmas Eve in 1816. Originally sung to a number of melodies, the music most associated with this carol is a French melody ‘Iris’. The refrain ‘Gloria in Excelsis Deo’ was added in the version published in ‘The Oxford Book of Carols’ (1928), thus establishing the most widely recognised version of this carol. Duration: 4.00
