# Please identfy this hymn **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 24, 2009, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-identfy-this-hymn/522414 "2009-12-24T03:38:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![History\_Monk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/67e7ee/32.png) [@History\_Monk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/History_Monk)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2009, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-identfy-this-hymn/522414/1 "2009-12-24T03:38:02Z")
What hymn is this version of “O Little Town of Bethlehem” to the tune of? [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2b3LteDXkg&feature=related](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2b3LteDXkg&feature=related) Thanks! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Das\_Glasperlenspiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/das_glasperlenspiel/32/2944_2.png) [@Das\_Glasperlenspiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Das_Glasperlenspiel)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2009, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-identfy-this-hymn/522414/2 "2009-12-24T03:53:10Z")
The tune is “Forest Green” - I had never heard “O Little Town of Bethlehem” sung to that tune until recently. ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2009, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-identfy-this-hymn/522414/3 "2009-12-24T03:59:53Z")
The name of the tune is “Forest Green.” Ralph Vaughn Williams is the one who set the words to “O Little Town of Bethlehem” to it. It’s an English folk tune. ETA: \*\*Das Glasperlenspiel \*\*beat me to it! ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2009, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-identfy-this-hymn/522414/4 "2009-12-24T04:10:46Z")
**St Louis** is the tune that almost every American knows for the carol, but most hymnals I have seen include **Forest Green** as an alternate tune. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2009, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-identfy-this-hymn/522414/5 "2009-12-24T08:27:49Z")
**Forest Green** is the go-to setting of _O Little Town_ in England. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2009, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-identfy-this-hymn/522414/6 "2009-12-24T09:05:09Z")
Yep, to me that tune _is_ “O Little Town of Bethlehem”. I’ve never heard it sung to any other tune. ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2009, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-identfy-this-hymn/522414/7 "2009-12-24T11:12:04Z")
> [@Polycarp](#): > > **St Louis** is the tune that almost every American knows for the carol I wasn’t aware the tune had a life of its own outside the carol! Could you expound on this a bit more? ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2009, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-identfy-this-hymn/522414/8 "2009-12-24T11:56:10Z")
> [@Ximenean](#): > > Yep, to me that tune _is_ “O Little Town of Bethlehem”. I’ve never heard it sung to any other tune. Me too. I was going facetiously to suggest it’s being sung to the tune of “O Little Town of Bethlehem”. I had no idea that the adoption of the tune was so recent. ---
**Author:** ![Charley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/97f17d/32.png) [@Charley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charley)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2009, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-identfy-this-hymn/522414/9 "2009-12-24T14:18:06Z")
Another ‘me, too’ - the only time I’ve ever heard any other tune was the Cliff Richard version a few years ago (which I actually really liked - I’m a sucker for ChritmasCliff). ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2009, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-identfy-this-hymn/522414/10 "2009-12-24T18:41:07Z")
Walford Davies did a splendid [arrangement](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzwX3YTs9v8) of his own, but it’s more for choirs than for congregations. ---
**Author:** ![History\_Monk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/67e7ee/32.png) [@History\_Monk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/History_Monk)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2009, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-identfy-this-hymn/522414/11 "2009-12-24T22:35:28Z")
That’s really interesting. I’m USian, and I’ve never heard it to this tune. I had no idea it was different in England. (There I go being an insular American again…) Are any other hymns to “Forest Green?” I could have sworn another fairly common (non-Christmas) song had the same tune. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2009, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-identfy-this-hymn/522414/12 "2009-12-24T22:41:03Z")
Well, this clears up a mystery for me. I’ve wondered why Keith Emerson’s “Variations on O Little Town of Bethlehem” bore no resemblance to the tune I’ve associated with those words all my life. He is of course using the “Forest Green” melody. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus\_alba](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quercus_alba/32/4061_2.png) [@Quercus\_alba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus_alba)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2009, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-identfy-this-hymn/522414/13 "2009-12-25T07:19:23Z")
> [@History\_Monk](#): > > That’s really interesting. I’m USian, and I’ve never heard it to this tune. I had no idea it was different in England. (There I go being an insular American again…) > Are any other hymns to “Forest Green?” I could have sworn another fairly common (non-Christmas) song had the same tune. “I Sing the Mighty Power of God” was set to this tune in at least one church hymnal of my past. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2009, 8:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-identfy-this-hymn/522414/14 "2009-12-25T08:58:56Z")
Courtesy of Bob Rivers, here’s another version of “O little town of Bethlehem.” (I think I like this one best.) > **[Bob Rivers - The Bob Rivers Show](https://bobrivers.com/)** Jenny (Bar band veteran) ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2009, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-identfy-this-hymn/522414/15 "2009-12-25T10:18:18Z")
> [@History\_Monk](#): > > That’s really interesting. I’m USian, and I’ve never heard it to this tune. I had no idea it was different in England. (There I go being an insular American again…) > Are any other hymns to “Forest Green?” I could have sworn another fairly common (non-Christmas) song had the same tune. You could set a whole slew of other hymns to the same tune as long as they share the same metre. [hymnary.org](http://hymnary.org) lists: O little town of Bethlehem All Beautiful the March of Days I sing th’almighty power of God As Men of Old Their First Fruits Brought Canticle of Zachary I Love You, Lord, My Strength, My Rock Amid The Thronging Worshippers Blessed Be the God of Israel Come, Let Us Join Our Friends Above Eternal God, Whose Power Upholds Eternal Spirit, God of Truth Make Room within My Heart, O God O God, No Longer Hold Thy peace O Sing of Christ O Spirit of the living God We Come with Joy When Jesus Walked Beside the Shore