Once in Royal David's City
“Once in Royal David’s Ciety was written by Cecil Frances Alexander, famous writer of Hymns for Little Children (1848). Her approach was to present the basic tenets of the Anglican Church—the Three Promises, the Apostles’ Creed, the Lord’s Prayer—all for a child’s edification and with a simpler poetic approach. One of her most famous hymns from the collection has come to be associated with Christmastime, “Once in Royal David’s city” (Hymn 11). However, Alexander does not highlight it as a Christmas hymn but, rather, a verse explanation of the creedal line, “Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, Born of the Virgin Mary.” Here, Jesus’ birth is initially given enigmatically and to heighten His lowly origin:
Once in royal David’s city
Stood a lowly cattle shed.
Where a mother laid her Baby
In a manger for His bed:
Mary was that mother mild,
Jesus Christ her little Child… (v. 1)
Suspense is built and then finally lines 5-6 reveal the “mother” and “Baby” to be the most important “Mother” and “Baby” in Christiandom. Alexander honors both the Incarnation and the humanity of Jesus:
He came down to earth from Heaven,
Who is God and Lord of all… (v. 2)
Beyond these verses, however, the focus of His birth quickly changes to His human childhood, much in keeping with Watts’ and the Taylors’ approach, and the attention He gave to His human mother as model to all human children (since “He is our childhood’s Pattern”):
And through all His wondrous childhood,
He would honour and obey,
Love and watch the lowly maiden
In whose gentle arms He lay.
Christian children all must be
Mild, obedient, good as He. (v. 3)
Especially important to Alexander is to highlight the innate connection between the Christ Child and the children who will sing the hymn: “He was little, weak, and helpless,/ Tears and smiles like us He knew.” (v. 4). Her simple rhetoric and engaging ababcc rhyme scheme keep it within their grasp. Yet she gradually reminds the child-singer of His divinity in the final couplet:
And He leads His children on
To the place where He is gone. (v. 5)
Christ “so dear and gentle” is now “Lord in Heaven.” Her focus, then, is less to venerate Christmastime than the Christ who avails Himself to all children.
Its reputation was greatly enhanced by the haunting tune “Irby” written for it by H. J. Gauntlett (1849). It is often the custom to begin the song with a solo voice for verse 1, then add a few more voices to each verse for a gradual built-up to the final verse, an approach I followed for our concert and recording. Hannah Mooney was our opening soloist for the first verse; Lilli Girdley and Arianna Boehme joined her on the second; Stella West, Mabel Lainsbury, Charleigh Kamps joined on the third verse; and Topanga Stingley and Madeleine Edwards joined for a full choir of nine singers on the last verse.