"Once In Royal David's City" was written by the Irish
hymn writer and poet Cecil Frances Alexander. At the
time of publication the poet was still Miss Cecil
Humphreys. Her hymnbook "Hymns for little Children"
(1848) contained the poem therein. The English organist
Henry John Gauntlett discovered the poem and went about
setting it to music. Miss Humphreys subsequently
married the Anglican clergyman William Alexander. She
also wrote the popular hymn "All Things Bright and
Beautiful".
At t...(+)
"Once In Royal David's City" was written by the Irish
hymn writer and poet Cecil Frances Alexander. At the
time of publication the poet was still Miss Cecil
Humphreys. Her hymnbook "Hymns for little Children"
(1848) contained the poem therein. The English organist
Henry John Gauntlett discovered the poem and went about
setting it to music. Miss Humphreys subsequently
married the Anglican clergyman William Alexander. She
also wrote the popular hymn "All Things Bright and
Beautiful".
At the Kings College Chapel in Cambridge, every
Christmas eve the hymn "Once in Royal David's city" is
used as the processional hymn. King's college choir
made a recording of the hymn, its first ever recording,
in 1948 for EMI.
Lewis, Alastair (1974 - )
SHEET MUSIC