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Edition by David Anderson
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Added Jul 29, 2026
Format: Staff
Language: English
Pages: 16 pages
This edition was prepared by David Anderson — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.

A carol of bells by Charles Villiers Stanford — Lyrics

Ring, °joyous bells of London, (Christmas) Swing wildly with a will, Sing loudly over sea and strand Until your voices reach the land, Where all the bells are still. The carillons of Ypres, The chimes of Arras town, They hear you and they throb to you, But cannot even sob to you, (Toll sadly. bells of London, Your sisterbells are undone), The Huns have torn them down. Swing, Christmas bells; ring London bells; Sing on without abating, (Sing through this dark December,) And tell them we °are waiting, (remember) “Greetings to all!” Boom the bells of St. Paul; “Our loves never vary,'’ Vow the bells of St. Mary; “Our hearts are aglow,” Growls the great bell of Bow; “’Tis far you are from us,” Clash the bells of St. Thomas; “And long you are gone,”
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About A carol of bells

Stanford’s A Carol of Bells offers a poignant yet ultimately hopeful reflection on the Christmas season. The SATB choir sings in English, taking the listener from the joyous ringing of London’s bells to the silenced carillons of war-torn Flanders. The text contrasts the festive spirit of Christmas with the grim reality of conflict, where “the Huns have torn them down.” Yet, it moves towards an enduring message of remembrance and enduring love, with the bells of London’s great churches asserting that “Our loves never vary” and “Our hearts are aglow.” It is a powerful secular piece for mixed choir, weaving together imagery of celebration and commiseration.