Hark The Herald Angels Sing

It’s one of the most beloved Christmas melodies. But how much do you know about the timeless carol ‘Hark! The Herald Angels Sing’?

As is the case with a lot of vocal music, the lyrics and melody for this beloved carol came from two different sources.

The lyrics for ‘Hark! The Herald Angels Sing’ were written by Methodist Charles Wesley in 1739, and they first appeared in the collection Hymns and Sacred Poems. But Charles Wesley’s words were sung to a somewhat gloomy melody.

Today, we sing Wesley’s words to the best-known, joyous tune written by one, Felix Mendelssohn.

It’s one of the most widely sung carols, a favourite among buskers and choristers. And yet, you may well be unaware of the fascinating story behind it.

 It’s angelic, it’s joyful, it’s triumphant. It is without doubt the best descant of all time.

The Christmas carol ‘Hark! The Herald Angels Sing’ was written by Charles Wesley (who composed over 600 hymns), while the melody was written by Felix Mendelssohn. We have also decided its descant, written by the late Sir David Willcocks, is one of the greatest descants ever written.

Here’s why: firstly, it really doesn’t mess around. As soon as we reach the final ‘Hail the heav’n born Prince of peace’ verse, we’re knocked over the head with the angelic sound of the sopranos hitting some seriously sparkling top Gs.

Then, the choir descend on ‘Mild, he lays his glory by’ – but the timpani comes in with a threatening drumroll, so we know it’s not time to go home yet (in a musical sense, y’know).

Then there’s the final line, screamed out in festive exultation: ‘Glo-o-o-ry to-o-o the new born KIIINNG!’.

What is ‘Hark! The Herald Angels Sing’ actually about? 

Well, the purpose of the carol was to explore the spiritual theme of ecotheology, linking Christ’s intention to redeem not only humankind, but nature as a whole.

Hear it in the words ‘Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled’ in verse one, and ‘Light and life to all He brings, Ris’n with healing in His wings’ in verse three.

Are there other adaptations of this carol?

Wesley’s original words for the carol began with the lyrics, ‘Hark how all the Welkin rings, Glory to the King of Kings’, before being rewritten by George Whitefield in 1754 – to begin with the couplet we know today – and again in 1782, giving us the complete text we sing now.

The tune we know today was adapted by the English composer William H. Cummings from a melody in Felix Mendelssohn's 1840 choral cantata Festgesang.

Today, the version of ‘Hark! The Herald Angels Sing’ that we’re familiar with generally stays true to the fine details of Cummings’ adaptation (particularly its harmonisation). 

But over the years, composers have written descants for the final verse. Perhaps the most famous is the one written by Sir David Willcocks in 1961 for the annual Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at King's College, Cambridge. 

So, what are the words to the most recent version of this jubilant piece? 

Lyrics to Hark! The Herald Angels Sing 

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 th’angelic host proclaim:
“Christ is born in Bethlehem.”
Hark! The herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King!”

Christ by highest heav'n 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'n-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Son 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.
Hark! The herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King!”

O Holy Night” is one of the most beloved Christmas songs of all time

Composed by Adolphe Adam in 1847, the carol’s music was originally set to a French poem, ‘Minuit, chrétiens’ (Midnight, Christians) and released under the name ‘Cantique de Noël’.

Adam was a French composer and music critic who wrote mostly operas and ballets. Alongside the operaGiselle (1841), ‘O Holy Night’ is one of his best known works.

Placide Cappeau, the author of the French lyrics, was a wine merchant and poet. Although he was never particularly religious, Cappeau was asked in 1843 to write a Christmas poem to celebrate the recent renovation of the church organ in his home town. He obliged and, soon after, Adolphe Adam composed the accompanying music.

O Holy Night” is one of the most beloved Christmas songs of all time. Its fascinating story began in France, yet eventually spread around the world.

In 1847, Placide Cappeau, a commissioner of wines in a small French village, and a known poet, was asked by hisg parish priest to write a poem for their Christmas mass. When he finished “Cantique de Noel,” Cappeau turned to his friend Adolphe Charles Adams to compose music for it. The song was sung at Christmas Eve mass.

Initially, “O Holy Night” was widely loved throughout France and made its way into many Catholic Christmas services. But when Cappeau later left the church and joined the socialist movement, and it was discovered that Adams was a Jew, the Catholic church uniformly denounced the song. But by then it had become a Christmas favorite, and although banned in church, the French people continued to sing it.

A decade later, songwriter John Sullivan Dwight introduced the song in America. An abolitionist, he was moved by the lyrics “Truly He taught us to love one another; His law is love and His gospel is peace. Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother; And in His name all oppression shall cease.” The English lyrics quickly became popular, especially in the North during the Civil War.

Meanwhile, back in France, legend has it that on Christmas Eve in 1871, in the midst of intense fighting between French and German soldiers during the Franco-Prussian War, an unarmed French soldier jumped out of the trenches and walked onto the battlefield singing the first lines of “O Holy Night” in French. A German soldier soon joined in and fighting ceased for the next 24 hours in honor of Christmas.

Years later, Reginald Fessenden—a young college professor and former chief chemist for Thomas Edison—figured out that by combining two frequencies, radio could do more than transmit Morse code. It would be possible to speak! On Christmas Eve 1906, Fessenden made history as he spoke into a microphone over the airwaves “And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.” 

Shocked radio operators on ships and wireless business owners suddenly flocked to their units to hear over their tiny speakers someone reading the Christmas story from the Book of Luke. A Christmas miracle!

Fessenden then picked up his violin and performed the first song sent through the airwaves by radio—“O Holy Night.”

O Holy Night 

(original English lyrics)

O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of our dear Saviour’s birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
Till He appear’d and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

  Fall on your knees! O hear the angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born.
O night divine, O night, O night Divine.

Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,
Here come the wise men from Orient land.
The king of Kings lay thus in lowly manger;
In all our trials, born to be our friend.

He knows our need, to our weakness no stranger,
Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!
Behold your King, Before Him lowly bend!

Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother;
And in His name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us praise His holy name.

Christ is the Lord! O praise His Name forever,
His pow’r and glory, evermore proclaim!
His pow’r and glory, evermore proclaim!

Christmas Eve Traditions

 

Christmas Eve is on December 24 and marks the culmination of the Advent period before Christmas that starts on the fourth Sunday before Christmas Eve. Many churches mark the end of Advent with midnight church services. During modern times, it is popularly celebrated on the night before Christmas Day.

The tradition of celebrating Christmas Eve derives partly from Christan liturgy starting at sunset, which is inherited from Jewish tradition and based on the Book of Genesis’s Story of Creation, saying the first day starts in the evening and ends in the morning. It is also believed that Jesus, or Jesus of Nazareth, was born at midnight in the region of Palestine. Many historical conceptions on ancient traditions contributed to the development of eve celebrations, which persisted in the early Christian calendar.

Christmas Eve marks the end of the Advent season, the period of preparation for Christmas, which begins on November 30, or November 15 in the East. It was on this night that the shepherds keeping watch over their flocks outside Bethlehem saw the bright star in the sky that signaled the birth of Jesus Christ. This is why many churches have services beginning on the fourth Sunday before Christmas. From the 12th to the 15th century, due to the Holy Inquisition, Christian traditions were made mandatory. During the 16th century, the church was influenced by the Winter Solstice celebrations and began Christmas preparations the night prior.

In many parts of Europe, people believe that at midnight on Christmas Eve, animals briefly possess the power of speech. It might have been the traditional association of the ox and the donkey in the Nativity scene that gave rise to such superstitions, but the concept of talking animals is probably pagan in origin. A closely related belief, widespread in England and Europe, is that cattle rise in their stalls at midnight on Christmas Eve, or kneel to worship the Christ child.

Despite its Christian significance, there are a number of pagan and supernatural beliefs connected with Christmas Eve. In Scandinavian countries, it is believed that the dead revisit their former homes on Christmas Eve. People make sure that their parlors are tidy and that a good fire is burning before they go to bed. They often light candles, set the table, and leave out plenty of food for their ghostly visitors. They also make sure that the seats of their chairs have been dusted. When they get up in the morning, they wipe the chairs again with a clean white towel. If they find any dirt on the seat, it means that a relative fresh from the grave sat there during the night.

The Bible does not clearly answer this question. Evidently, the first Christians didn’t make a point of celebrating the birth of Christ. If they knew the precise date of his birth, they didn’t make an issue of it. One writer notes that various leaders in the early church suggested the following dates for Jesus’ birth: January 2, January 6, March 21, March 25, April 18, April 19, May 20, May 28, November 17. All we can take from this is that the precise date was hidden and unknown to them even though they were much closer to the historical event than we are.

The traditional date of December 25 goes back as far as A.D. 273. Two pagan festivals honoring the sun were also celebrated on that day and it is possible that December 25 was chosen to counteract the influence of paganism. To this day some people feel uncomfortable with Christmas because they think it is somehow tainted by the pagan festivals held on that day. But Christians have long believed that the gospel not only transcends culture, it also transforms it. In A.D. 320 one theologian answered this criticism by noting, “We hold this day holy, not like the pagans because of the birth of the sun, but because of him who made it.”

Having said that, you may ask, “Does it really matter?” In one sense, of course, the answer is no. No doctrine of the Christian faith rests upon knowing the exact day and year of Christ’s birth. And no stress is put upon the date of his birth in the New Testament. No one is ever told to celebrate Christmas. The emphasis always rests on the fact of his birth, not the date. But that doesn’t tell the whole story. Christianity is a faith based on certain historical facts. Let us on this Christmas Eve rejoice in this great truth:

Origins of Christmas Eve

For centuries, Christmas was celebrated not as a single day, but as a whole season in parts of the world, beginning with this day, December 24, Christmas Eve. Perhaps the practice of celebrating the evening before the big day is an echo from ancient Jewish reckoning. Among earlier Jews, a day began at six in the evening and ran until six the following evening. Had not Moses written: "An evening and a morning were the first day"?

Christmas means "Christ-mass." Although the date is a guess, the tradition of observing it goes back to at least the fourth century. Under the influence of the church, Christian traditions replaced pagan solstice festivals throughout Europe. Often the more innocent pagan practices (such as bringing in a Yule log, decorating with holly and the like) were carried over into the Christmas observance, transfigured with new meaning.

Christmas Eve Traditions

Christmas Eve (the evening before Christmas day) was then celebrated with roaring fires, story-telling, feasting, drinking, dancing, and sometimes clowning. Sir Walter Scott described its festive air in a poem:

On Christmas Eve, the bells were rung;
On Christmas Eve, the mass was sung.
...
The damsel donned her kirtle sheen,
the hall was dressed with holly green;
...
All hail'd with uncontroll'd delight,
And general voice the happy night
That to the cottage, as the crown,
Brought tidings of salvation down.

 

The History of Christmas Eve

Things weren't always so pleasant, however. On Christmas Eve, 1521, with the Reformation gaining steam in Germany, crowds rioted in Wittenberg. Against the orders of Elector Frederick, Andreas Carlstadt had given them both the bread and wine at mass. Zealous for more "reformation," the mob smashed church lamps, sang ridiculous songs to drown out the choir and intimidated the priests.

Luther is supposed to have cut the first Christmas tree. The story may be apocryphal, but we know that on Christmas Eve, 1538, he was in a jolly mood, singing and talking about the incarnation. Then he sighed, saying, "Oh, we poor men, that we should be so cold and indifferent to this great joy which has been given us."

Despite Luther's lament, others would make warm memories on Christmas Eve. In his memoirs, Sir John Reresby told how he invited his poor tenants for a feast on Christmas Eve, 1682. During World War I, the famous Christmas Truce began for many troops on Christmas Eve, 1914, demonstrating the power for good that is inherent in the season.

Portions of this article were adapted from Christmas Eve Then and Now by Dr. Ray Pritchard from Christianity.com

Once In Royal David’s City

From its composer and lyrics to why it can send fear into the hearts of the hardiest boy sopranos, here’s everything you need to know about the timeless Christmas carol ‘Once in Royal David’s City’.

‘Once in Royal David’s City’ originated as a poem, written by the Irish poet Cecil Frances Alexander in 1848. She published it in her hymnbook, Hymns for little Children.

Alexander, who is credited by many as the greatest hymn-writer in the English language, is also remembered for writing ‘All Things Bright and Beautiful’.

A year later, an English organist by the name of Henry John Gauntlett discovered the poem and set it to music, creating the beloved Christmas carol we know today.

Once in Royal David’s City” is a song that had humble beginnings, but now holds a place of prominence each year in one particular service that is broadcast around the world by the BBC World Service and American Public Media.

The carol is the opening processional hymn for the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols held on Christmas Eve at King’s College Chapel, Cambridge in England. This has been the tradition since 1919.

The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols was first held on Christmas Eve 1918, following World War I, which ended on November 11, 1918. A change in the order of service made the following year, including a rearrangement of the lessons, led to the service beginning with the hymn “Once in Royal David’s City.”

As the choir proceeds up the nave of the magnificent chapel towards the choir stalls and the altar, the first verse of the carol is sung as a solo by a boy chorister. The second verse is sung by the choir, and the congregation joins in the third verse. The arrangement, by Dr. Arthur Henry Mann, the organist at King’s from 1876 and 1929, is beautiful and moving.

According to tradition, the soloist for the first verse is chosen by the choirmaster immediately prior to the service. This is an honor for the individual choirboy and also a blessing because, with such short notice, it gives him little time to become nervous.

The History behind “Once in Royal David’s City”

“Once in Royal David’s City” was written as a poem by Cecil Frances Alexander.

Alexander was born in Dublin, Ireland in April 1818, the third child and second daughter of Major John Humphreys of Norfolk and Elizabeth Frances Reed. She began writing verse in her childhood.

What Is the Significance of These Lyrics?

Knowing this poem was written for children gives sense to the lyrics. “Once” is similar to how a fairy tale starts, as in “Once upon a time.” However, I am sure Alexander never intended for the Christmas story of Jesus’ birth to be thought of as a fairy tale or make-believe.

Other lyrics also seem to be directed at children and educating them in their behavior: “Christian children all must be/ Mild, obedient, good as He” and “For he is our childhood’s pattern/ Day by day, like us He grew.” Although nowadays we encourage children to behave well and to be good children for their parents, the Victorian era in particular expected children to have impeccable behavior and to be “seen and not heard.”

The verses, or stanzas, also suit the hymn being used as a processional carol, as used in the service at King’s College Cambridge. With: “Once in Royal David’s city/ Stood a lowly cattle shed” to “We shall see Him; but in heaven/ Set at God’s right hand on high.”  The verses lead those listening from the baby in the manger in the opening lines to the magnificence of Jesus in heaven set at God’s right hand in the final verse.

Some critics have found the last verse too sentimental, and omit it. Others have attempted to rewrite the end of verse three saying it is “neither real or psychologically sound.” Thus changing “Christian children all must be/ Mild, obedient, good as he” to: “Yet this child, our Lord and brother/ brought us love for one another.”

Who performs ‘Once in Royal David’s City’?

Traditionally, the first verse of the carol is sung a cappella by a boy soprano – now more often a female soprano soloist – before the full choir and organ join in for the second verse.

Since 1919, the Choir of King’s College Cambridgehas used ‘Once in Royal David’s City’ as its opening carol for the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols.

The service takes place in the historic King’s College Chapel Cambridge on Christmas Eve at 3pm each year and is broadcast live on UK radio.

Every year one boy is chosen on the day, seconds before they’re supposed to sing, as the soloist. As is legend, the choirmaster points at his chosen singer as the broadcast starts. Talk about the nightmare before Christmas...

What are the lyrics to ‘Once in Royal David’s City’?

Once in Royal David’s city
Stood a lowly cattle shed,
Where a mother laid her Baby
In a manger for His bed:
Mary was that mother mild,
Jesus Christ her little Child.

He came down to earth from heaven,
Who is God and Lord of all,
And His shelter was a stable,
And His cradle was a stall;
With the poor, and mean, and lowly,
Lived on earth our Saviour holy.

And through all His wondrous childhood
He would honour and obey,
Love and watch the lowly maiden,
In whose gentle arms He lay:
Christian children all must be
Mild, obedient, good as He.

For he is our childhood’s pattern; 
Day by day, like us He grew;
He was little, weak and helpless,
Tears and smiles like us He knew;
And He feeleth for our sadness,
And He shareth in our gladness.

And our eyes at last shall see Him,
Through His own redeeming love;
For that Child so dear and gentle
Is our Lord in heaven above,
And He leads His children on
To the place where He is gone.

Not in that poor lowly stable,
With the oxen standing by,
We shall see Him; but in heaven,
Set at God’s right hand on high;
Where like stars His children crowned
All in white shall wait around.

God rest ye Merry Gentlemen

 God Rest You Merry Gentlemen" is a traditional English Christmas carol. It is also known as "Tidings of Comfort and Joy", the phrase that ends each stanza of the lyrics. This carol is an affirmation of the birth and salvation in Christ, recounting His nativity event and the love of God.

The hymn is one of the oldest known Christmas carols.

Over the centuries, times and meanings have changed.  The song we sing today does not have the same meaning that it did to the English peasants in the 15th Century.

In the 15th Century church, songs of joy and happiness were allowed.  The songs were somber and usually written in Latin.

The people counteracted this by singing Christmas songs in the streets.  The nightwatchmen are said to sing God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen as they walked the streets of London.

In the Middle Ages the word “merry” meant great and mighty.  The word “rest” meant keep or make at this time.  So, the nightmen were really saying, “God make you mighty, gentlemen.”

Think back through history, and how England was known as “Merry old England” at the time this song originated.

Soldiers were told to eat and drink because tomorrow they would conquer hence the term “eat, drink and be merry”.

Ace Collins wrote ““God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen’s” lyrics reveal that the song’s unknown writer knew the story of Jesus’ birth well. He included the high points of the gospel throughout the carol’s verses. The writer also fully understood the power of Christ and what His arrival meant to all who embraced it.”

While the song is believed to originate back to the 15th Century, evidence is lacking.  The first broadsheet of the song was published around 1760 in London.

Charles Dickens referenced the song in his classic A Christmas Carol.  “… at the first sound of ‘God bless you, merry gentlemen! May nothing you dismay!’, Scrooge seized the ruler with such energy of action that the singer fled in terror, leaving the keyhole to the fog and even more congenial frost.”

Wikipedia says the song is a Roud Folk Song and part of the Roxburghe Collection.

God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen has been a traditional Christmas carol since the mid-18th Century.  This may be due to Queen Victoria’s love for carols, which found their way into the Anglican Church and soon spread to America and Europe.  The upbeat melody also helped to keep the popularity of the song alive.

So, God keep you mighty, Gentlemen!

It Came Upon a Midnight Clear” The story behind the Carol

Choir of Kings College 

 The Christmas carol, It Came Upon a Midnight Clear, is one of the very few that doesn’t actually mention the birth of the Savior. The life of the author will help us see why the message of the angels is more the focus of this beloved carol. 

Edmund Sears, a pastor in Wayland, Massachusetts, wrote the poem in 1849 after suffering a breakdown. Sears was experiencing a time of sadness with the revolution in Europe and the war with Mexico in the U.S., he saw everything around him as full of “sin and strife”.  The hymn below was printed in the Christian Register, a Boston paper published on December 29, 1849. The third stanza, which we rarely see, shows how worried Edmund Sears was about the world situation. 

“But with the woes of sin and strife

The world has suffered long;

Beneath the angel-strain have rolled

Two thousand years of wrong;

And man, at war with man, hears not

The love-song, which they bring:

O hush the noise, ye men of strife,

And hear the angels sing!”

Surely Edmund Sears would be worried about the state of affairs in the world today! This past year of 2022 has brought us so much uncertainty that when November rolled around, (or even before!) many were already decorating their homes for Christmas! People would post on social media pictures of their Christmas trees and lights and say, “Why not!” 

We are also facing (about to use my least favorite and overused word of the last couple of years) unprecedented and perilous times. It seems anything goes when it comes to finding a reason to celebrate or bring life to a dark world. 

This season of Christmas, full of hope, reminds us all of the Savior that was born so long ago. He didn’t stay in the manger, but gave His very life for YOU and me and one day soon we will reign with Him and the “whole world give back the song which now the angels sing”. 

There was much to be hopeful for then, the angels were bringing a message of good cheer! Be prayerful and ask God to put someone in your path to share this Good News: There is much to be hopeful for NOW…Jesus Christ is about to return for His Bride, the Church. For lo, the days are hastening on!

 It came upon the midnight clear,
    That glorious song of old,
From angels bending near the earth
    To touch their harps of gold;
“Peace on the earth, good will to men
    From heaven’s all-gracious King” –
The world in solemn stillness lay
    To hear the angels sing.

2. Still through the cloven skies they come
    With peaceful wings unfurled,
And still their heavenly music floats
    O’er all the weary world;
Above its sad and lowly plains
    They bend on hovering wing,
And ever o’er its Babel-sounds
    The blessed angels sing.

3. But with the woes of sin and strife
    The world has suffered long;
Beneath the angel-strain have rolled
    Two thousand years of wrong;
And man, at war with man, hears not
    The love song which they bring; –
O hush the noise, ye men of strife,
    And hear the angels sing!

4. And ye, beneath life’s crushing load,
    Whose forms are bending low,
Who toil along the climbing way
    With painful steps and slow,
Look now! for glad and golden hours
    Come swiftly on the wing; –
Oh, rest beside the weary road
    And hear the angels sing!

5. For lo! the days are hastening on
    By prophet bards foretold,
When, with the ever circling years
    Shall come the age of gold;
When Peace shall over all the earth,
    Its ancient splendors fling,
And the whole world give back the song,
    Which now the angels sing.

May you find peace in Jesus even though the world around us is in crazy chaos. Rest beside the weary road and hear the angels sing.

Source : Hopeinthehealing.com