"What Child Is This?" is a

Christmas carol A Christmas carol is a carol (a song or hymn) on the theme of Christmas, traditionally sung at Christmas itself or during the surrounding Christmas holiday season. The term noel has sometimes been used, especially for carols of French ori ...

with lyrics written by

William Chatterton Dix William Chatterton Dix (14 June 1837 – 9 September 1898) was an English writer of hymns and carols. He was born in Bristol, the son of John Dix, a local surgeon, who wrote ''The Life of Chatterton'' the poet, a book of ''Pen Pictures of Popul ...

in 1865 and set to the tune of "

Greensleeves "Greensleeves" is a traditional English folk song. A broadside ballad by the name "A Newe Northen Dittye of ye Ladye Greene Sleves" was registered by Richard Jones at the London Stationer's Company in September 1580,Frank Kidson, ''English Fol ...

", a traditional

English folk song The folk music of England is a tradition-based music which has existed since the later medieval period. It is often contrasted with courtly, classical and later commercial music. Folk music traditionally was preserved and passed on orally wit ...

, in 1871. Although written in Great Britain, the carol today is more popular in the United States than its country of origin.

Lyrics

Composition

The first verse poses a

rhetorical question A rhetorical question is one for which the questioner does not expect a direct answer: in many cases it may be intended to start a discourse, or as a means of displaying or emphasize the speaker's or author's opinion on a topic. A common example ...

in the first half, with the response coming in the second half. The second verse contains another question that is answered, while the final verse is a universal appeal to everyone urging them "to accept

Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, names and titles), was ...

". The carol's melody has been described as "soulful", "haunting and beautiful" in nature.

Context

The context of the carol centres around the Adoration of the Shepherds who visit during the

Nativity of Jesus The nativity of Jesus, nativity of Christ, birth of Jesus or birth of Christ is described in the biblical gospels of Gospel of Luke, Luke and Gospel of Matthew, Matthew. The two accounts agree that Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judaea (Roman ...

. The questions posed in the lyrics reflect what the shepherds were possibly pondering to themselves when they encountered

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

, with the rest of the carol providing a response to their questions.

Background and influence

At the time he was writing the lyrics to "What Child Is This?" in 1865,

was working as the manager of an insurance company. He was afflicted by an unexpected and severe illness that resulted in him being bedridden and suffering from severe depression. His

near-death experience A near-death experience (NDE) is a profound personal experience associated with death or impending death which researchers claim share similar characteristics. When positive, such experiences may encompass a variety of sensations including detac ...

brought about a spiritual renewal in him while he was recovering. During this time, he read the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

comprehensively and was inspired to author hymns like " Alleluia! Sing to Jesus!" and "

As with Gladness Men of Old "As with Gladness Men of Old" is an Epiphany hymn, written by William Chatterton Dix on 6 January 1859 (Epiphany) while he was ill in bed. Though considered by many as a Christmas carol, it is found in the Epiphany section of many hymnals and sti ...

". The precise time in 1865 when he wrote the poem "The Manger Throne" is disputed. While the ''

St. Petersburg Times The ''Tampa Bay Times'', previously named the ''St. Petersburg Times'' until 2011, is an American newspaper published in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. It has won fourteen Pulitzer Prizes since 1964, and in 2009, won two in a single ...

'' details how Dix penned the work after reading the

Gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

for

Epiphany Epiphany may refer to: * Epiphany (feeling), an experience of sudden and striking insight Religion * Epiphany (holiday), a Christian holiday celebrating the revelation of God the Son as a human being in Jesus Christ ** Epiphany season, or Epiph ...

that year (Matthew 2:1–12) recounting the journey of the

Biblical Magi The biblical Magi from Middle Persian ''moɣ''(''mard'') from Old Persian ''magu-'' 'Zoroastrian clergyman' ( or ; singular: ), also referred to as the (Three) Wise Men or (Three) Kings, also the Three Magi were distinguished foreigners in the G ...

; ''Singer's Library of Song: Medium Voice'' contends that it was actually authored during the Christmas of 1865.

History

Although written in 1865, "What Child Is This?" was only first published six years later in 1871, when it featured in ''Christmas Carols Old and New'', a "prestigious" and "influential" collection of carols that was published in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. The hymnal was edited by

Henry Ramsden Bramley Henry Ramsden Bramley (4 June 1833 – February 1917) was an English clergyman and hymnologist perhaps best known for his collaborations with the composer Sir John Stainer.

and

John Stainer Sir John Stainer (6 June 1840 – 31 March 1901) was an English composer and organist whose music, though seldom performed today (with the exception of ''The Crucifixion'', still heard at Passiontide in some churches of the Anglican Communi ...

; even though it is not known with certainty who paired the three stanzas from "The Manger Throne" with the music from "Greensleeves", the third edition of ''The Christmas Encyclopedia'' by William D. Crump and ''Stories of the Great Christmas Carols'' both suggest that Stainer – who was also responsible for "harmoniz ngthe musical setting" – may have done so.

References

External links

What Child is This
on Hymnary.org with all representative texts *Fre
sheet music
of ''What Child Is This?'' for SATB from ''Cantorion.org''

on TradTune.com
What Child is This?
by Thomas Hewitt Jones at OUP
What Child Is This?
by Sojourn Music
What Child is This?
by Jessie Galante & Giuseppe Galante {{Authority control Christmas carols Burl Ives songs Glen Campbell songs Sissel Kyrkjebø songs 1871 songs Songs written by William Chatterton Dix Songs about Jesus Epiphany music Songs based on poems