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Away in a Manager (Mueller) "Away in a Manger" was first published in the late nineteenth century and used widely throughout the English-speaking world. In Britain, it is one of the most popular carols; a 1996 Gallup Poll ranked it joint second. Although it was long claimed to be the work of German religious reformer Martin Luther, the carol is now thought to be wholly American in origin. The two most-common musical settings are by William J. Kirkpatrick (1895) and James Ramsey Murray (1887). The most popular musical setting in the United States is commonly known as "Mueller". The melody was first published, under the title "Luther's Cradle Hymn", by James R. Murray in his collection Dainty Songs for Little Lads and Lasses (1887). James Ramsey Murray (1841 - 1905) was an American composer and author including of songbooks. His work includes hymns and Christmas music and was published by Root & Cadyas well as S. Brainard Sons. Murray included a claim that the hymn was "[c]omposed by Martin Luther for his children". As a result, Murray's melody appeared, without credit, in several subsequent publications. By 1914, the melody was attributed to "Carl Mueller" and this attribution was repeated several times in other publications. The identity of "Carl Mueller" is unknown, but the tune is widely known as "Mueller" as a result.
Lyrics by William J. Kirkpatrick
Away in
a manger, no crib for a bed,
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