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O Little Town of Bethlehem
Phillips Brooks’ words to the tune his church organist Lewis Redner wrote for them in 1868: the whole first verse, with a half step down and back in the first bar and an octave leap before “Are met in thee tonight.”
O Little Town of Bethlehem pairs Phillips Brooks' words with the tune his church organist Lewis Redner wrote for them in 1868, the version most sung in America. You sing the whole first verse in four phrases, 57 notes in about 40 seconds. The first bar dips a half step below a repeated note and comes back, the third phrase rests on three repeated notes, and the last phrase opens with a leap of an octave.
How to do it
- Listen to the count-in; the piano plays the opening phrase on its own and then plays with you.
- On “little town of,” sing the half step down and back as a small, exact dip.
- In the third phrase, hold the long note on “dream-” and keep the next two notes at the same height.
- Before “Are met in thee tonight,” hear the octave above and jump straight up to it.
Coach's tip: Keep the half step down on “town” small – it’s a neighbor note, not a new pitch. Before “Are met,” hear the octave above and jump straight to it.
What to watch out for
The half step under the repeated note tends to come out too wide, which pulls the whole bar flat; think of it as a tiny lean, not a new note. The octave leap on “Are” is easy to undershoot, so aim at the top without scooping. The phrases are long for a hymn, so breathe at the end of each line, not in the middle. If the top note strains, lower your saved range.
Who it's for
Level 2, for singers who can already handle an octave leap and want a calm, legato carol. Warm up with Major scale (octave) and Octave leap 1-8-1. No program lists it. The daily training brings it up more often if you chose the Classical & choir style. It sits well in the main block of a session.
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