Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella is a traditional 17th-century Provençal Christmas carol. As a lively dance tune, it tells the story of two milkmaids, Jeanette and Isabella, who discover the Christ Child in a manger.
Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella (French translation: Un Flambeau, Jeannette, Isabelle) is a Christmas carol which originated from the Provence region of France in the 17th century. The carol was first published in France and was subsequently translated into English in the 18th century. The carol first appeared in print in 1688 in a collection of twelve Provençal Christmas carols by Nicolas Saboly. The popularity of the melody is attested by its use four years later by Marc- Antoine Charpentier for the drinking song, Qu'ils Sont Doux, Bouteille Jolie in a 1672 revival of Molière's Le Médecin Malgré Lui. To this day on Christmas Eve in Provence, children dress as shepherds and milkmaids, bringing torches and candles while singing the carol on their way to Midnight Mass.
