Thing! Dong! Merrily on High

Thing! Dong! Merrily on High ( Ding, dong, happy up high , Ding! Dong! Happy always , Hosanna in excelsis ) is an English Christmas carol . Its boisterous, cheerful melody rings out to the bells ringing in heaven , which celebrate the birth of the Savior , Jesus Christ . His refrain is the Latin Gloria, Hosanna in excelsis!

The text is by George Ratcliffe Woodward (1848–1934) from the 20th century, while the melody is a French dance from the 16th century. The Christmas carol first appeared in 1924.

The melody first appeared for a secular dance known as le branle de l'Official in the work Orchésographie (1589), a dance book by Thoinot Arbeau (pseudonym for Jehan Tabourot , 1519–1593).

A popular choral setting is by Charles Wood . More recent arrangements have been made by Mack Wilberg , music director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir , and David Willcocks .

text

English	translation
Thing! dong! merrily on high In heav'n the bells are ringing: Ding dong! verily the sky Is riv'n with Angel singing. REFRAIN Gloria, Hosanna in excelsis! Gloria, Hosanna in excelsis! E'en so here below, below, Let steeple bells be swungen, And “Io, io, io!” By priest and people sungen. REFRAIN Pray you, dutifully prime Your matin chime, ye ringers; May you beautifully rime Your evetime song, ye singers. REFRAIN	Ding, dong, happy up high, the bells ring in heaven. Ding, dong, verily heaven is filled with angels' song. KEHRVERS Gloria, Hosanna in excelsis! Gloria, Hosanna in excelsis! Also down here let the bells ring in the church tower and sing "Jo, jo, jo!" By the priest and the congregation. REVERSE We ask you, bell ringer, to ring your carillon in the morning; Let your song verses rhyme nicely in the evening , you singers. REVERSE

Web links

Hymns and Carols of Christmas ( Charles Wood and George Ratcliffe Woodward. London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1924)
Sound sample a (Mack Wilberg); b (David Willcocks); c (Charles Wood); d (from the sketch The Visitors from Monty Python's Flying Circus - from 5:20 am )

Individual evidence

↑ cf. Ordinarium (Sanctus)
^ ^A ^b The Cambridge Carol Book: Being Fifty-Two Songs For Easter, Christmas, And Other Seasons
↑ Thoinot Arbeau: Orchesographie. Et traicte en forme de dialogve, par leqvel tovtes personnes pevvent facilement apprendre & practiquer l'honneste exercice des dances. Iehan des Preyz, Lengres 1589, p. 91 f. ( Digitized version ).
↑ 22. Autres branles morgués , HTML transcription of the orchésography , accessed on November 30, 2015.
↑ Swings and sung are older English verb forms.
↑ Cf. the verses at gerth.de : Ding, dong, happy all time [...]

[1] . Ordinarium (Sanctus)

[hymnsandcarols-2] A ^b The Cambridge Carol Book: Being Fifty-Two Songs For Easter, Christmas, And Other Seasons

[3] Thoinot Arbeau: Orchesographie. Et traicte en forme de dialogve, par leqvel tovtes personnes pevvent facilement apprendre & practiquer l'honneste exercice des dances. Iehan des Preyz, Lengres 1589, p. 91 f. ( Digitized version ).

[4] 22. Autres branles morgués , HTML transcription of the orchésography , accessed on November 30, 2015.

[5] Swings and sung are older English verb forms.

[6] Cf. the verses at gerth.de : Ding, dong, happy all time [...]