Il Est Né Le Devin Enfant - arranged for piano by Jim Paterson

Il est ne le Divin Enfant (The Divine Child is Born) is a traditional French carol, which originated in the Provence Region. The lyrics seem to have appeared during the 19th century, though the melody is thought to be much older. The carol is usually sung in French but there are translations of the lyrics into other languages including English. It is one of the most well-known French carols, familiar in various countries, and regularly sung by children and adults, and a version was recorded by Siouxsie and the Banshees. The French composer Gabriel Fauré also wrote an arrangement of the carol for voices accompanied by a small chamber group consisting of oboe, harp, organ, 2 cellos & double bass.

The piano arrangement can be downloaded using the links on the left hand menu as PDF Sheet Music or as Midi or MP3 files. In addition the following sheet music pages allow a range of other instruments to play the carol together with a piano or guitar accompaniment or as a small group of instruments: Piano or Keyboard, Guitar (with Tabs and Chords), Piano Accompaniment, Main (instruments in C), High (instruments in C), Low instruments in C - e.g. Bassoon or Cello, instruments in B-flat e.g. Clarinet or Trumpet, instruments in F - Cor Anglais or French Horn, Alto Saxophone and Viola.

Biographical Note:

I learned this carol at Primary School. The school put together a Christmas concert for parents which included a traditional Nativity story and Carol singing. The children were put into groups and learned (by rote) Christmas Carols from different countries to be performed at the concert. I was in the group which learned this French Carol and we performed a dance while singing.

Jim Paterson