Annotation:Il est Né

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IL EST NÉ (He is Born). French, Air or March (cut time). G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. A popular traditional French Christmas carol employed here as a contra march. The air was printed in R. Grosjean's Airs des noêl lorrain (1862), under the title "Ancien air de chasse", and, indeed, it has been traced to an old Normandy hunting tune called "Tête bizarde", dating to the 17th century. Although the meter differ (the latter is in 6/8), the melodic contours are similar. The text of this carol was first published in Dom G. Legeay's Noêls anciens (1875–1876). A Mohawk version, "Rotonni NiioRoie Mia", was collected from Harriet and Carol La France of the St. Regis Mohawk reservation at Rogensuburg in the United States

Depuis plus de quatre mille ans,
Nous le promettaient les Prophetes;
Depuis plus de quatre mille ans,
Nous attendions cet heureux temps.

Chorus:
Il est ne, le divin Enfant,
Jouez, hautbois, resonnez, musettes;
Il est ne, le divin Enfant;
Chantons tous son avenement!

Source for notated version:

Printed sources: Miller & Perron (New England Fiddler's Repertoire), 1983; No. 167.

Recorded sources:

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