Little star of Bethlehem!
Do we see Thee now?
Do we see Thee shining
O’er the tall trees?

Little Child of Bethlehem!
Do we hear thee in our hearts?
Hear the Angels singing:
Peace on earth, good will to men!
Noel!

O’er the cradle of a King,
Hear the Angels sing:
In Excelsis Gloria,
Gloria!

From his Father’s home on high,
Lo! for us He came to die;
Hear the Angels sing:
Venite adoremus Dominum.

Words and Music: Charles Ives, 1894

Eventually published as one of his “114 Songs” in 1922, Number 100: ‘A Christmas Carol’ by Charles Ives is now one of the best known of his hundreds of compositions that range from Symphonies to Marching Band music and Choral Psalms. As well as being an accomplished athlete at Yale, Ives became an insurance executive by profession and wrote a seminal work ‘Life Insurance with Relation to Inheritance Tax’ in 1918. He was married to Harmony Twitchell.