1. Ding-dong! Merrily on high
in heaven the bells are ringing.
Ding-dong! Verily the sky
is riven with angels singing:
Gloria, hosanna in excelsis!
2. E'en so, here below, below,
let steeple bells be swungen;
and i-o, i-o, i-o,
by priest and people sungen!
Gloria, hosanna in excelsis!
3. Pray you, dutifully prime
your matin chime, you ringers;
may you beautifully rhyme
your evetime song, you singers:
Gloria, hosanna in excelsis!
(G. R. Woodward Source)
Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTlY73ej-3I
Gloria! Hosanna in excelsis!
The music seems to have been a secular dance tune from 16th Century France. The words we know, a mix of English and Latin, were written by George Ratcliffe Woodward who appears to have been interested in bellringing. Together they were first published in 1924. Apparently swapping between two languages in this way is referred to as ‘Macaronic’. Personally I think of it as trying to show off. The language used feels a bit as if the writer is trying to make the words seem deliberately archaic.
The whole song is a call to celebration, to enthusiastic praise for what God has done. The songs of the angels in heaven (v1) are to be matched by earthly singing (v2) in a way that’s reminiscent of a number of Bible passages, for example Revelation 7 verses 9-12.
I-o, i-o, i-o apparently is likely to be “a Greek or Latin exclamation of joy or triumph.”
Gloria! = Glory to God!
Hosanna = Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord
Hosanna in excelsis! = Hosanna in the highest!
I tend to think of most church services in the 19th century as quite staid and (to a modern audience) probably a bit boring. It’s probably not surprising that there was suspicion of carols- brought in from outside, ‘owned’ and designed to be sung by the people as a whole rather than a small group of trained singers, they threatened the orderly, ‘proper’ way of things. The early 20th century, when this carol was published in English, seems to have been a time when carols were gaining popularity both as secular music and in ‘carol services’ for the first time- and if you grew up singing certain interminable Victorian hymns, you can see the appeal.
Just as important as the singing in this song though are the bells. Both on earth, which you might expect, but also apparently in heaven. Bells have been used for centuries to call people to worship, and to remind them of the presence of God. Before clocks and watches were widespread this must have been necessary to ensure anyone turned up when it was service time. Bells were also rung at times of celebration and to alert communities that something important was happening (a practice that continued later than you might think- during the Second World War church bells in Britain were only to be run as a sign that the Nazi invasion had begun). The carol sees bells both as a call to worship, and as a mark of celebration themselves.
Exuberant praise might feel out of place this Christmas. Alternatively we might long to make a lot of noise and distract ourselves from everything that’s going on! Neither is wrong. We often need safe spaces to let off steam, but we also shouldn’t forget that things are tough for many people. If singing i-o, i-o, i-o isn’t for you this Christmas, that’s ok. Maybe one of the quieter carols will suit you. But if ‘making a joyful noise to the Lord’ is your thing- go for it! Maybe don’t ring the bells until your neighbours are awake though...
