Sheet Music
Free lead sheets for those looking for something to play.
Based on the poem written by Irish poet Patrick Kavanagh named after Raglan Road in Ballsbridge, Dublin. The poem was put to music when the poet met Luke Kelly of The Dubliners in a pub in Dublin, who set it to the music of the traditional song “The Dawning of the Day”.
A song that has been sung as a lulliby in my family for generations and continues on to the next ones. Composed by Michael William Balfe for his 1843 opera The Bohemian Girl.
Originally composed by Adolph Adam using the text from Placide Cappeau’s Cantique de Noël. The literal translation to English go a little something like this:
I’m glad they chose to tweak the lyrics to the final version.
This one goes out to my Polish friends! It’s called “Sleep Little Jesus” in English.
Hush little Jesus, my little pearl,
Hush my favourite little delight.
Hush little Jesus, hush, hush
But you lovely mother, solace him in tears
Very simple chord progression, but depending on who plays this, I find that I never know when each verse continues. That’s why I always fly solo on this one… me and my drum.
This always makes me think of A Claymation Christmas Celebration‘s “Here we come a-waffling”. Good stuff.
I really think we should bring back the word “Hark!”. It’s a pretty nifty word. “Nifty”, that’s another word that should make a comeback too.
Fun Fact: Mendelssohn composed the music to this carol to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Johann Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press. It wasn’t until William H. Cummings came along and plugged in the words we know so well today to the melody.