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So nebes Anhel

Boh predvicnyj

This Christmas hymn can be found in the Metropolitan Cantor Institute's Byzantine Catholic Hymnal for Nativity and Theophany (2007). The text is that of Monsignor William Levkulic (see below), who also published an English setting, Angels from heaven. See Mennyböl az angyal for version in the Hungarian language.

Sources

This hymn was included in the Užhorod Pisennik (1913) as hymn number 44, with five verses. It was not included in either the 1932 Greek Catholic collection Kolady, or Father Stefap Papp's Duchovňi Pisňi (1969).

A four part harmonization and seven verses can be found on page 107 of Prof. George Kacan's Kolady (1958).

In 1969, Monsignor William Levkulic published the first two verses (without music) in the booklet Christ is Born: Glorify Him. This version was reprinted in Byzantine Liturgical Chant (1970) and in the Hymns section of The Divine Liturgy, a Book of Prayer (1978).

In some parishes, a slightly different text is sung, in which the first verse begins "S nebes anhely", and end with "s darami, so darami."

English translations

In 1969, Monsignor William Levkulic published an English translation of the first three verses, Angels from heaven, in the booklet Christ is Born: Glorify Him. (The third verse corresponds to verse 3 of the original hymn, even though that verse was not provided in the accompany Slavonic text.) This setting was reprinted in Byzantine Liturgical Chant (1970, with music) and in the Hymns section of The Divine Liturgy, a Book of Prayer (1978, without music).