"Away in a Manger" is a Christmas carol first published in 1885 in Philadelphia and used widely throughout the English-speaking world. In Britain it is one of the most popular carols, a 1996 Gallup Poll ranking it joint second.[1]
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The song was first published with two verses in an Evangelical Lutheran Sunday School collection, Little Children's Book for Schools and Families (1885), where it simply bore the title "Away in a Manger" and was set to a tune called "St. Kilda," credited to J.E. Clark.[2]
For many years the text was credited to the German Protestant reformer Martin Luther. Research has shown, however, that this is nothing more than a fable.[3] In the book Dainty songs for little lads and lasses for use in the kindergarten, school and home, by James R. Murray [James Ramsey Murray (1841–1905)[4]], (Cincinnati, The John Church Co., 1887) it bears the title "Luther's Cradle Hymn" and the note, "Composed by Martin Luther for his children, and still sung by German mothers to their little ones."[5] A possible reason for the spurious attribution to Luther is that the 400th anniversary of his birth was in 1883. The words were either based on a poem written for this anniversary or were credited to Luther as a clever marketing gimmick.[6] This song has never been found in Luther's works.
The third stanza, "Be near me, Lord Jesus" was first printed in Gabriel's Vineyard Songs (1892), where it appeared with a tune by Charles H. Gabriel (simply marked "C"), thus these words are probably by Gabriel. Gabriel credited the entire text to Luther and gave it the title "Cradle Song." This verse is sometimes attributed to Dr. John McFarland, but since the popular story dates his contribution to 1904 (postdating the 1892 printing by 12 years), his contribution is highly questionable.[7]
Of the 41 settings listed by Richard S. Hill in his article entitled "Not so far away in a Manger, forty-one settings of an American carol," published in the Music Library Association Notes (second series) III, no. 1 for December 1945,[3] the one most commonly printed in the U.S. is Murray's, which is typically given the name "Mueller." The first half of the melody is identical to the beginning of the second theme of Waltz #4, transposed down a fourth, in G'schichten aus dem Wienerwald, Op. 325 by Johann Strauss Jr., composed 19 years earlier.[8]
The tune "Cradle Song" was written by William J. Kirkpatrick for the musical Around the World with Christmas (1895) and is an adaptation of the melody originally composed in 1837 by Jonathan E. Spilman to "Sweet Afton". One example is Sergio Franchi, who covered it on his Billboard Top 40 RCA Victor album, The Heart of Christmas.[9]
Thus, there are two different melodies for "Away In A Manger". Each setting has a harmony version for S, A, T, B.
The two tunes actually fit together quite well. An arrangement by Christopher Erskine combining both settings (harmony), first heard in 1996 in Canberra at the annual pair of joint Carol Services in Manuka, performed by the choirs of St Paul's Church (Anglican) and St Christopher's Cathedral (Roman Catholic). In this version the Kirkpatrick setting is sung by one choir, and the Murray setting by the other choir, alternating through the first two verses. Both settings are sung together for the third verse.
A very popular arrangement in Britain, is Sir David Willcocks' version of the carol. This version is often performed by the English choirs.