The mid 1860s must have been quite a time for music in Heaven. First, we see Henry W. Longfellow awakening to the sounds of Christmas bells on Christmas morning in 1863. Then we see Phillips Brooks standing outside the Church of the Nativity on Christmas Eve of 1865 and listening to the bells ring in Bethlehem. Great men having great thoughts. But the common man was also moved by the holiness of the season. So it is that we find a 29 year old maritime insurance executive in Glasgow, Scotland named William Chatterton Dix. It is 1865. He is lying in his bed, sick, as they say, unto death. Not particularly religious, it is this near death experience that brings him to the Lord. For the rest of his life, he writes poems and prose and songs lifting up Jesus while maintaining his secular career. He is one of the drivers behind a revival within the Church of England. Not specifically trained as a writer, his poems and songs are considered amateurish to the elevated writers of the day, but his words connect with the common man in a way others cannot.

          In the 1860s, Great Britain was ruled by Queen Victoria. The country was a somber place at that time, mostly because the Queen was somber. Great advances were made, largely due to the colonies abroad. In all of this the Roman Catholics were put down and, in some cases, imprisoned. Victoria was much loved, but the rest of the government was harsh. Hymns and religious poetry and writings reflected this crushing attitude. Into this came Dix, with his lighthearted writing and his hopeful poetry.

          He saw hypocrisy in the Church of England and he banded together with other believers to give an alternative. So inspired was he by his own recovery that he could hardly contain himself, causing many to see hope rather than despair.

          As he emerged from his illness, and with the newness and excitement of his salvation, he began to write. And write. And write. Poetry. Prose. He wrote words for songs and played them in his head using popular tunes of the day. One of the great criticisms of his work was that some of the melodies were little more than drinking songs or had lewd words in them. Dix didn’t care. So intent was he to produce new works, and not really being a musician himself, he helped himself to the melodies mostly heard in the pubs. His new words raised Jesus high and the people began to sing the new songs.

          The churches in the cities mostly stayed with what they considered traditional music, but the churches in the countryside, many of which had only hand instruments, eagerly embraced the new music. Dix was not the only one doing the composing, but it was he who hit on probably the best of the new music.

          By 1871 the Church of England could no longer stem the tide of revivalism that gripped the country. Dix had not yet published any of his songs, but now the Church asked him to contribute to a new songbook called Christmas Carols Old and New. And here was published for the first time, these words;

 

What Child is this who, laid to rest,
On Mary’s lap is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet,
While shepherds watch are keeping?
This, this is Christ the King,
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing;
Haste, haste to bring Him laud,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.

Why lies He in such mean estate,
Where ox and ass are feeding?
Good Christians, fear, for sinners here
The silent Word is pleading.
Nails, spear shall pierce Him through,
The cross be borne for me, for you;
Hail, hail the Word made flesh,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.

 

So bring Him incense, gold, and myrrh,
Come peasant, king to own Him;
The King of kings salvation brings,
Let loving hearts enthrone Him.
Raise, raise a song on high,
The virgin sings her lullaby;
Joy, joy for Christ is born,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.

 

         A far cry from the heavy and cumbersome songs of the day. Most thought this new music would pass away. But the simplicity of the song, the earnest wonder of a new Christian and the desire to Raise, raise a song on high, makes “What Child is This?” one of the great songs of the season.