A 1966 Gallup Poll ranked "Away In A Manger"
the second most popular Christmas carol in Britain. Yet, the origins of this
hymn—both the music and words—are shrouded in mystery.
It was originally believed by many that the words for "Away
In A Manger" were written by Martin Luther, the German
religious reformer.
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James R. Murray
|
James R. Murray titled the tune as “Luther’s Cradle Hymn” in 1887. He not
only claimed Martin Luther wrote the song, but that he sang it to his children
every night before they went to sleep. Due to Luther’s popularity, this story helped
the song become even more beloved.
German families of that time period found this claim to
be surprising. They not only did not sing “Away In A Manger” to their children at bedtime, they had never
even heard of the song until it arrived in Europe…from the United States. In
fact, once the English words were translated into German, the meter of the
words did not match that of the music. Although Martin
Luther’s writings might have influenced the words of this carol, its origin was not
Germany.
Instead, it appears that the hymn—words and music--originated
in America. This was suggested by Methodist hymnologist
Fred Gealy (1894-1976). The original two-stanza form probably originated in
Pennsylvania in Little Children’s Book for Schools and Families, a
Sunday school collection published in 1885 by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
North America. Although most likely written in the mid 1800’s in America
but we have no one to legally
attribute it to.
 |
Jonathan E. Spilman
|
The Find-a-Grave listing for Jonathan E. Spilman
identifies him as having written the first musical version. From Kentucky, he
was lawyer, minister, and composer. An adaptation of the music from the song
for which he was best known, "Flow Gently, Sweet Afton," was
used in earlier versions of this carol. More than 41 adaptations of Spilman's
1837 melody exist.
By Christmas of 1883,
"Luther's Cradle Song" was already being performed as a recitation as
part of a Sunday School celebration in a church in Nashville.
The most popular musical setting in the United States
is commonly known as "Mueller". The melody was first published, under
the title "Luther's Cradle Hymn", by James R. Murray in his 1887 collection
Dainty Songs for Little Lads and Lasses.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4Jcl_ax2OE
In Britain, Ireland and Canada, the more popular
version is "Cradle Song"—a slight variation of Spilman's original
work. This 1895 arrangement written by
the American composer, William J. Kirkpatrick, was first published as part of
the 1895 collection Around the World with Christmas. Kirkpatrick's melody was later
published in numerous hymnbooks. Because of that, the words of the hymn were
first carried beyond the United States. This music remains the most popular outside
the United States.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnwO_0DrpCk&list=RDAnwO_0DrpCk&start_radio=1
The
words for this hymn are taken from William J. Kirkpatrick’s 1895 publication:
Away
in a manger, no crib for a bed,
 |
William J. Kirkpatrick
|
The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head.
The stars in the bright sky looked down where he lay,
The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.
The cattle are lowing, the
baby awakes,
But little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes.
I love thee, Lord Jesus! look down from the sky,
And stay by my cradle till morning is nigh.
Be near me, Lord Jesus; I ask thee to stay
Close by me forever, and love me I pray.
Bless all the dear children in thy tender care,
And take us to heaven to live with thee there.
The final stanza, added later, follows the pattern of many
hymns by using the form of prayer, petitioning Jesus’ presence in the first
part of the stanza and blessing of “all the dear children in thy tender care.”
The final petition requests that Jesus would “fit us for heaven to live with
thee there.”
To end, I encourage you to take a few minutes to rest
and enjoy the peace of Christmas by listening to your favorite Christmas
carols/hymns (not that “Jingle Bells”, Santa ho-ho stuff) and remember the
reason for the season.
Beulah was released last Friday and is now
available as an ebook and at no additional cost with a Kindle Unlimited
subscription. It will soon be available in paperback. To find the book description
and current purchase options,
please CLICK HERE
My
other Christmas romance for 2023 is
Vinegar Pie by Varinia.
It is available as an ebook, including
at no additional cost with a Kindle Unlimited subscription. It is also
available in paperback. To find the book description and purchase options,
please CLICK HERE
Sources:
Kathleen
Rice Adams writings
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/18085431/jonathan-edward-spilman
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Away_in_a_Manger
https://www.hopeinthehealing.com/2020/12/25/away-in-a-manger-history-and-a-mystery/
https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/history-of-hymns-away-in-a-manger
https://bereketkelile.medium.com/the-story-behind-away-in-a-manger-dd459c0f05d3
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