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Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

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Christmas carol

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Worship of the Shepherds, 1539, byBronzino
Genre	Christmas carol
Written	1739
Text	Charles Wesley, adapted byGeorge Whitefield and others
Based on	Luke 2:8–14
Meter	7.7.7.7 D with refrain
Melody	"Vaterland, in deinen Gauen" fromFestgesang byFelix Mendelssohn, adapted byWilliam H. Cummings

"Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" is an EnglishChristmas carol that first appeared in 1739 in the collectionHymns and Sacred Poems. The carol, based onLuke 2:8–14, tells of anangelic chorus singing praises to God. As it is known in the modern era, it features lyrical contributions fromCharles Wesley andGeorge Whitefield, two of the founding ministers ofMethodism, with music adapted from "Vaterland, in deinen Gauen" ofFelix Mendelssohn'scantataFestgesang (Gutenberg Cantata).

Wesley had written the original version as "Hymn for Christmas-Day" with the openingcouplet "Hark! how all theWelkin (heaven) rings / Glory to the King of Kings".^[1] Whitefield changed that to today's familiar lyric: "Hark! The Herald Angels sing, / 'Glory to the new-born King'".^[2] In 1840—a hundred years after the publication ofHymns and Sacred Poems—Mendelssohn composed a cantata to commemorateJohannes Gutenberg's invention ofmovable type, and it is music from this cantata, adapted by the English musicianWilliam H. Cummings to fit the lyrics of "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing", that is used for the carol today.^[3]^[2]

Textual history

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The original hymn text was written as a "Hymn for Christmas-Day" byCharles Wesley, included in the 1739John Wesley collectionHymns and Sacred Poems.^[4] The first stanza (verse) describes the announcement ofJesus's birth. Wesley's original hymn began with the opening line "Hark how all the Welkin rings". This was changed to the familiar "Hark! the Herald Angels sing" byGeorge Whitefield in his 1754Collection of Hymns for Social Worship.^[5] A second change was made in the 1782 publication of theTate and BradyNew Version of the Psalms of David. In this work, Whitefield's adaptation of Wesley's hymn appears, with the repetition of the opening line "Hark! the Herald Angels sing/ Glory to the newborn king" at the end of each stanza, as it is commonly sung today.^[6] The hymn has aRoud Folk Song Index number of 8337.

"Hymn for Christmas-Day" (Charles Wesley, 1739)^[7]	Adaptation by George Whitefield (1758)^[8]	Carols for Choirs (1961)^[9]
HARK how all the Welkin rings "Glory to the King of Kings, "Peace on Earth, and Mercy mild, "GOD and Sinners reconcil'd! Joyful all ye Nations rise, Join the Triumph of the Skies, Universal Nature say "CHRIST the LORD is born to Day!	HARK! the Herald Angels sing Glory to the new-born King! Peace on Earth, and Mercy mild, God and Sinners reconcil'd. Joyful all ye Nations rise, Join the Triumphs of the Skies; Nature rise and worship him, Who is born at Bethlehem.	Hark! The herald-angels sing "Glory to the newborn king; Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled" Joyful all ye nations rise, Join the triumph of the skies With the angelic host proclaim "Christ is born in Bethlehem" Hark! The herald-angels sing "Glory to the new-born king"
CHRIST, by highest Heav'n ador'd, CHRIST, the Everlasting Lord, Late in Time behold him come, Offspring of a Virgin's Womb. Veil'd in Flesh, the Godhead see, Hail th' Incarnate Deity! Pleas'd as Man with Men t' appear JESUS, ourImmanuel here!	Christ by highest Heav'n ador'd, Christ the everlasting Lord; Late in Time behold-him come, Offspring of the Virgin's Womb. Veil'd in Flesh the Godhead see, Hail th' incarnate Deity! Pleas'd as Man with Men t'appear, Jesus our Emmanuel here.	Christ, by highest heaven adored Christ, the everlasting Lord, Late in time behold Him come Offspring of a Virgin's womb: Veiled in flesh the Godhead see, Hail the incarnate Deity Pleased as man with man to dwell Jesus, our Emmanuel Hark! The herald-angels sing "Glory to the newborn King"
Hail the Heav'nly Prince of Peace! Hail the Sun of Righteousness! Light and Life to All he brings, Ris'n with Healing in his Wings. Mild he lays his Glory by, Born—that Man no more may die, Born—to raise the Sons of Earth, Born—to give them Second Birth.	Hail the Heav'n-born Prince of Peace Hail the Sun of Righteousness! Light and Life around he brings, Ris'n with Healing in his Wings. Mild he lays his Glory by, Born that Men no more may die; Born to raise the sons of Earth, Born to give them second Birth.	Hail the Heaven-born Prince of Peace! Hail the Sun of Righteousness!^[a] Light and life to all He brings, Risen with healing in His wings; Mild He lays His glory by Born that man no more may die Born to raise the sons of earth Born to give them second birth Hark! The herald angels sing "Glory to the new-born king"
Come, Desire of Nations, come, Fix in Us thy humble Home, Rise, the Woman's Conqu'ring Seed, Bruise in Us the Serpent's Head. Now display thy saving Pow'r, Ruin'd Nature now restore, Now inMystic Union join Thine to Ours, and Ours to Thine.	Come, Desire of Nations, come, Fix in us thy heav'nly Home; Rise the Woman's conqu'ring Seed, Bruise in us the Serpent's Head.
Adam's Likeness, LORD, efface, Stamp thy Image in its Place, SecondAdam from above, Reinstate us in thy Love. Let us Thee, tho' lost, regain, Thee, the Life, the Inner Man: O! to All Thyself impart, Form'd in each Believing Heart.	Adam's Likeness now efface, Stamp thy Image in its Place; Second Adam from above, Work it in us by thy Love.

Melodies

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Mendelssohn melody

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Sung by the United States Army Band Chorus

In 1855, British musicianWilliam Hayman Cummings, organist atWaltham Abbey Church,^[11] adaptedFelix Mendelssohn's secular music fromFestgesang to fit the lyrics of "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" written by Charles Wesley.^[12] Wesley had originally envisioned the words being sung to the same tune as his Easter hymn "Christ the Lord Is Risen Today".^[13]

"Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" was regarded as one of theGreat Four Anglican Hymns and published as number 403 inThe Church Hymn Book (New York and Chicago, 1872).^[14]

In Britain, "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" has popularly been performed in an arrangement that maintains the basic original William H. Cummings harmonisation of the Mendelssohn tune for the first two verses, but adds asoprano descant and alast verse harmonisation for the organ in verse three by SirDavid Willcocks. This arrangement was first published in 1961 byOxford University Press in the first book of theCarols for Choirs series. For many years it has served as therecessional hymn of the annual service ofNine Lessons and Carols atKing's College Chapel, Cambridge.^[15]

$% There are many different arrangements; % this is from https://imslp.org/wiki/File:PMLP576994-Hark_the_Herald_Angels_Sing_Full_Score.pdf \header { tagline = ##f } \layout { indent = 0 \context { \Score \remove "Bar_number_engraver" } } global = { \key f \major \numericTimeSignature \time 4/4 \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t } soprano = \relative c' { \global c4 f f4. e8 | f4 a a (g) | c c c4. bes8 | a4 g a2 | c,4 f f4. e8 | f4 a a (g) | c4 g g4. e8 | e4 d c2 | \repeat unfold 2 { c'4 c c f, | bes a a (g) | } d'4 d d c | bes a bes2 | g4 a8 (bes) c4. f,8 | f4 g a2 | d4. d8 d4 c | bes a bes2 | g4 \tempo 4=102 a8 (bes) c4. f,8 | f4 g f2 \bar "|." } alto = \relative c' { \global c4 c c4. c8 | c4 f f (e) | f e d g | f4 e f2 | c4 c c4. c8 | a4 f' f2 | e4 d e4. c8 | c4 b c2 | \repeat unfold 2 { c4 c c f | g f f (e) | } bes'4 bes bes a | g fis g2 | e4 e4 f4. c8 | c4 e f2 | bes4 bes bes a | g fis g2 | c,4 e4 f4. f8 | c4 c c2 } tenor = \relative c { \global a'4 a a4. g8 | f4 c' c2 | c4 c d d | c c c2 | a4 a a4. g8 | f4 c' d2 | c4 d c4. g8 | a4 f e2 | \repeat unfold 2 { c'4 c c c | c c c2 } | d4 d d d | d c bes2 | c4 c c4. a8 | a4 c c2 | <d bes>4 q q <c a> | <bes g> <a fis> bes2 c4 c c4. a8 | a4 bes a2 } bass = \relative c { \global f4 f f4 c | a4 f c'2 | a4 a bes bes | c4 c f2 | f4 f f c | d4 c b4. (g8) | a4 b c4 <e, e'> | f4 g c2 | \repeat unfold 2 { c'4 c c a | e f c2 } | bes4 bes bes bes | bes d g2 | bes4 bes a f | c4 c f2 | bes,1~ | bes4 d g (f) e bes' a f | c4 c f2 } verseOne = \lyricmode { \set stanza = "1." Hark! the her -- ald an -- gels sing, "\"Glo" -- ry to the new -- born King; peace on earth, and mer -- cy mild, God and sin -- ners rec -- on -- "ciled!\"" \break Joy -- ful, all ye na -- tions rise, join the tri -- umph of the skies; With th'an -- gel -- ic host pro -- claim "\"Christ" is born in Beth -- le -- "hem!\"" Hark! the her -- ald an -- gels sing, "\"Glo" -- ry to the new -- born "king.\"" } verseTwo = \lyricmode { \set stanza = "2." Christ, by high -- est heav'n a -- dored, Christ, the ev -- er -- last -- ing Lord! late in time be -- hold him come, Off -- spring of the Vir -- gin's womb: veiled in flesh the God -- head see; hail th'in -- car -- nate De -- i -- ty, pleased as man with men to dwell, Je -- sus, our Em -- man -- u -- el! } verseThree = \lyricmode { \set stanza = "3." Hail, the heav'n -- born Prince of Peace! Hail the Sun of Right -- eous -- ness! Light and life to all he brings, ris'n with heal -- ing in his wings. Mild He lays his glo -- ry by, born that we no more may die, born to raise us from the earth, born to give us sec -- ond birth. } \score { \new ChoirStaff << \new Staff \with { midiInstrument = "brass section" } << \new Voice = "soprano" { \voiceOne \soprano } \new Voice = "alto" { \voiceTwo \alto } >> \new Lyrics \lyricsto "soprano" \verseOne \new Lyrics \lyricsto "soprano" \verseTwo \new Lyrics \with { \override VerticalAxisGroup #'staff-affinity = #CENTER } % a little less spacing \lyricsto "soprano" \verseThree \new Staff \with { midiInstrument = "tuba" } << \clef bass \new Voice = "tenor" { \voiceOne \tenor } \new Voice = "bass" { \voiceTwo \bass } >> >> \layout { } \midi { \tempo 4=112 } }$

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Advent adaptation

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Mendelssohn's melody has been used for a 1990Advent song in German, "In das Warten dieser Welt" (Into the waiting of this world) by Johannes Jourdan. It is part of regional sections of the common Catholic hymnalGotteslob and songbooks.^[16]

Handel melody

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Handel's tune inJudas Maccabaeus

An uncommon arrangement of the hymn to the tune "See, the Conqu'ring hero comes" from Handel'sJudas Maccabaeus, normally associated with the hymn "Thine Be the Glory", is traditionally^[17] used as the recessional hymn of the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols atSt Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin. This is broadcast live each year on Christmas Eve onRTÉ Radio 1. The usual (first) three verses are divided into six verses, each with chorus. The arrangement features a brass fanfare with drums in addition to the cathedral organ, and takes about seven and a half minutes to sing. The Victorian organistW. H. Jude, in his day a popular composer, also composed a new setting of the work, published in hisMusic and the Higher Life.^[18]

Footnotes

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Notes

^This line is a reference toMalachi 4:2 ("But for you who revere my name the sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall."), but is often mistakenly changed to "Son of righteousness".^[10]

Citations