My annual French Carol Help request

[FrenchCarolHelp]

I still haven't found the Carol, had lots of lovely French carols suggested but still not the one I'm looking for.

Helpfully don't know any of the words.

I know it is French. I think it is traditional.

I know I've watched school choirs sing it on YouTube.

It has the same haunting quality of 'Carol of the Bells'

Whispers at some points and builds to a crescendo.

My embarrassing attempt to put into words what I hear in my head...

'Nous somme, nous some dupee, enchant ...dum dum dum da dum'

The nous somme is repeated and whispered at time.

*for avoidance of doubt I can't speak French

@ghislaine that is the nearest anyone has got, so maybe it isn't a carol, I only know it from a school Carol concert (I asked the school a few years later and the teacher had left and they couldn't remember)

The arrangement, and the way they are singing and the haunting quality are right in that song but the tune and words are different.

Nous sommes trois souverains princes?

Oops, posted too soon. Here is a link:

Have you tried a Spotify playlist ?

I remember learning the words to Il est ne le divin enfant as a 13 year old. 50 years later I still remember the words. We also learned Mon beau sapin roi de foret.

One French children's christmas song that has the words "nous sommes" in is called Le Bon Berger, but I couldn't find much on youtube about it, so it seems unlikely that it's the one if you know there are lots of videos out there. (It also has the same name as a new song which makes it harder to search)

is a solo version

Or, could it be Patapan? That has words in burgundy and french languages and various words ending with 'son' like 'chanson', 'danson' etc that could sound like 'sommes', and it's that same sort of modal, haunting music to some of the others you've said sound similar.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patapan

Oh so close. Patapan is beautiful and the right style but not it. Mix Patapan with Nous sommes trois souverains princes then I'd have it.

The only further information I have though of is that the chorus/repeating verse begins with Nous Sommes, and this line is repeated a lot.
Also can't be very long/difficult as it was sung by British school children who can't speak French.
It was sung in church

I've posted for the last few years trying to find the song and I've never had suggestions that are so close.

Have you looked here?

https://www.lyrics.com/lyrics/Nous%20Sommes

I've fallen down a rabbit hole🙈😂

https://www.frenchlearner.com/songs/french-christmas-songs/

Nous sommes de fond de l'étang

Could it be this? Could the French teacher have given it simple words?

Ideo

This isn't a great version- I had it on a Gregorian chant or medieval Christmas music CD 30 years ago.

None of them 😩I've been down the rabbit holes but can't find it, was excited when one of the lyrics had the nous sommes repeated but it wasn't that.

We're was the school
that it was sung at?

Southern England in a CofE church

Where* appalling grammar

Have a look at French Canadian stuff - there’s a whole other rabbit hole there.

I really hope you find it Op.

Do you remember the name of the teacher (ir know anyone who would?) Perhaps you could find them on the internet and ask them?

Can you remember the tune at all? There are apps you can hum into, even google search apparently does it, or maybe Shazzam?

Nous sommes du pays enchanté ?

I reckon it must be one of these, I'm over invested😂

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/TheChoruss_(soundtrack)

Put "Nous sommes" into www.lieder.net/lieder/search.html and work through the suggestions.

Ok I think I've got an idea....

You need to join a French music teachers Facebook group, as in one based in France. Ask on that. OR find a french parenting forum - would it be called 'filet des mères' - probably not 😄 my french is as good as yours! But there's got to be something. Then post your question on that, using google translate.

What about this?

Could it be the beautiful Cantique de Jean Racine by Faure?