The First Noel

"The First Nowell" (sometimes The First Noel or just Noel) is unknown in origin but is generally thought to be English dating back to the sixteenth century, or possibly as early as the 13th century.

There is a misconception that the First Noel was French and it is believed that this is because of the French spelling of Noel as opposed to the olde English Anglo-Saxon spelling of the word as in Nowell. After England was captured by the Normans numerous words were adopted from the Norman French language and Noel was re-spelt as Nowell; early printed versions of this carol use the Nowell spelling. The melody is unusual among English folk melodies in that it consists of one musical phrase repeated twice, followed by a minor variation on that phrase.

In its current form it is of Cornish origin, and it was first published in Some Ancient Christmas Carols (1823) and Gilbert and Sandys Christmas Carols (1833), edited by William B. Sandys and arranged, edited and extra lyrics written by Davies Gilbert.

This arrangement may be freely copied, performed, and recorded by any quartets or choruses for non-commercial use only. For any commercial use please contact the arranger. The spots are available From House of Joseph Music, and is freely available. It is also part of the Free Music Collection.