“While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks”

is a traditional Christmas carol describing the Annunciation to the Shepherds,  with words attributed to Irish hymnist, lyracist, and England’s  Poet Laureate Nahum Tate. I

The exact date of Tate’s composition is not known. It was the only Christmas hymn authorised to be sung by the Anglican Church; before 1700 only the Psalms of David were permitted to be sung. It is based on the Gospel of Luke 2:8–14.

This Arrangement Uses: