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- Les anges dans nos campagnes (Angels We Have Heard on High)
Les anges dans nos campagnes (Angels We Have Heard on High)
A French Christmas carol printed in Paris in 1842, sung on “lah”: a verse with repeated notes and dotted rhythms, then the refrain “Gloria in excelsis Deo” twice, with a run of 16 notes on “Glo-.”
Les anges dans nos campagnes is a French Christmas carol. Its modern version, words and music, was first printed in Paris in 1842 in a collection of hymns edited by Louis Lambillotte. The melody is credited to “W. M.” The words grew from an older carol printed in 1805. The app sets it in a major key: 85 notes, about 51 seconds at 96 beats per minute, in 4/4 time. The French words appear only in the French version of the app, so you sing it on “lah.” The refrain is the Latin “Gloria in excelsis Deo.”
How to do it
- Wait for the two count-in clicks. The piano plays the first phrase alone, then plays along with you.
- Sing the four-line verse on “lah”: repeated notes on the third, dotted long-short rhythms and a short two-note figure.
- Breathe before the refrain. “Glo-” is one run of 16 notes in three similar descending groups.
- Sing the refrain twice. The first ends a step above the root, the second on the root.
Coach's tip: Breathe before each “Gloria”: the run steps down in three similar groups of notes, so sing it on one vowel and keep it light. The first refrain ends a step above the root, the second on the root.
What to watch out for
The run on “Glo-” is the main challenge. It needs a full breath before you start, and it should stay even and light, not heavy. Think of three similar groups, each moving down a step. Don't sing it faster than the piano. The drop of a fifth inside “ri-a,” from the second degree down to the fourth below the root, often lands flat, so hear the low note before you sing it. The dotted rhythms in the verse can turn into equal notes. Stop if you feel strain.
Who it's for
Level 2, for singers who can follow a longer tune and want to work on breath control and light, fast descending notes. Prepare with Long run 8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 and Long phrase on one breath (12 s), or follow with Legato line on one breath. No program lists it. The daily training offers it only from 1 December to 6 January, but it is in the library all year.
Opens the app in your browser. Free to start, no account needed. Put on headphones first.
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