The Huron Carol (Twas in the Moon of Wintertime)

The Huron Carol

Christmas Hymn, Canada.

“The Huron Carol” (or “Twas in the Moon of Wintertime”) is a Canadian Christmas hymn, written probably in 1642 by Jean de Brébeuf, a Jesuit missionary at Sainte-Marie among the Hurons in Canada.

This is also Canada’s oldest Christmas song.

Table of Contents

Karaoke Video

Lyrics

‘Twas in the moon of wintertime when all the birds had fled
That mighty Gitchi Manitou sent angel choirs instead;
Before their light the stars grew dim and wondering hunters heard the hymn,
Jesus your King is born, Jesus is born, in excelsis gloria.

Within a lodge of broken bark the tender babe was found;
A ragged robe of rabbit skin enwrapped his beauty round
But as the hunter braves drew nigh the angel song rang loud and high
Jesus your King is born, Jesus is born, in excelsis gloria.

The earliest moon of wintertime is not so round and fair
As was the ring of glory on the helpless infant there.
The chiefs from far before him knelt with gifts of fox and beaver pelt.
Jesus your King is born, Jesus is born, in excelsis gloria.

O children of the forest free, O seed of Manitou
The holy Child of earth and heaven is born today for you.
Come kneel before the radiant boy who brings you beauty peace and joy.
Jesus your King is born, Jesus is born, in excelsis gloria.

Click on the button to watch a karaoke video and download a PDF file with lyrics to this song for free.

Free karaoke MP3 download

To download your free instrumental mp3 of this song, click or tap on the following button, then choose “Save link as…”

“The Huron Carol” (instrumental, 2:46 – 2/4 – 54 bpm)

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Singing Christmas with our Kids, Vol.1

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Christmas is a time to rejoice, and singing certainly does bring that. This is your chance to teach your children some all-time favorite carols and sing them along yourself, too.

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Sheet Music

To save this free music sheet of “The Huron Carol” to your computer, right click (or tap and hold, on mobile devices) and choose “Save Image As…”.

The Huron Carol sheet music - notes and chords

Free Printable PDF with Music sheet and Lyrics

The Huron Carol sheet music PDF

To download a ready-to-print PDF of this song for music activities with a music sheet, lyrics and a drawing for kids to paint, right click (or tap and hold) on the following link, then choose “Save link as…”.

The Huron Carol | Free PDF download – Singing Bell

Teaching ideas

If you teach the song to children whose music level is something more than basic, then it is interesting to pay attention to the final cadence which is characterized by the major third. This is called picardy cadence, or picardy third, although it is not clear if the term comes from the homonym french region, or from the french word “picard” which means, in this case, “sharp”. Anyway, it is a cadence often used at the contrapuntal music of the Middle Ages.

The-Huron-Carol-Singing-Bel
The Huron Carol

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