| Hark! The Herald Angels Sing |
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"Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" is a Christmas Hymn or Carol written by Charles Wesley , the brother of John Wesley . It appeared in ''Hymns and Sacred Poems'' in 1739. The original opening line was "Hark! how all the welkin rings"; the version known today is the result of alterations by various hands. One of the original tunes that "Hark! How all the welkin rings" was sung to was also used as a tune for " Amazing Grace ". Many hymns in the eighteenth century consisted merely of printed words without music. It was left to those leading the singing to choose an appropriate tune based on the Metre of the verse. Wesley himself, however, envisioned that his lyrics would be sung to the same tune as his Easter hymn, "Christ the Lord is Risen Today." ''' "Glory to the new-born King; Peace On Earth and mercy mild, God and Sin ners Reconciled !" Joyful, all ye nations, rise. Join the triumph of the skies. With th'angelic hosts proclaim Hark! the herald angels sing, Glory to the new-born King! The tune that is now almost universally used for this carol is of considerable interest. It was composed by Felix Mendelssohn in 1840, as part of the Cantata ''Festgesang'' ("Festival Song") honoring printer Johann Gutenberg and commemorating the invention of his Printing Press . The cantata was presented at the great festival held at Leipzig . ''Festgesang'''s second chorus, "Vaterland, in deinem Gauen", was adapted in 1855 by William Hayman Cummings . Mendelssohn said of the song that it could be used with many different choruses but that, ironically, it should never be used for Sacred Music . The reason for this could be that the melodic and harmonic structure of the tune are so similar to the Gavotte of Bach's Orchestral Suite No. 4 that Mendelssohn (who has always been linked with the music of Bach) might simply have adapted Bach's music for his chorus, as proposed by Nigel Poole with his (transposed) arrangement of the Gavotte as ''Bach's Christmas Carol'' . {Link without Title} The most popular arrangement of the Mendelssohn tune for "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" is probably that by Sir David Willcocks (published 1961 in Carols For Choirs ) which adds a Descant for the third verse, in addition to the basic Cummings harmonisation for the first two verses. This Hymn is the recessional hymn at the Festival of Nine Lessons And Carols in King's College, Cambridge . POPULAR MEDIA Singer Mariah Carey recorded a version of the hymn for her holiday album '' Merry Christmas '' (1994). Pianist Bradley Joseph arranged a unique upbeat version of ''Hark! The Herald Angels Sing'' on his 2000 album, '' Christmas Around The World ''. Popular English band Busted recorded their own version, which came as a bonus track in one of their singles. The song is a staple in Christmas time movies and TV shows that carry a religious message to some degree, usually as a spirited finale:
:"Hark! The Herald Tribune sings," :"Advertising wondrous things!"
:"Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" :"They're Pinky... They're Pinky and the Brain"
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