Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Overview
 
“Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” is a Christmas carol
Christmas carol
A Christmas carol is a carol whose lyrics are on the theme of Christmas or the winter season in general and which are traditionally sung in the period before Christmas.-History:...

 that first appeared in 1739 in the collection Hymns and Sacred Poems, having been written by Charles Wesley
Charles Wesley
Charles Wesley was an English leader of the Methodist movement, son of Anglican clergyman and poet Samuel Wesley, the younger brother of Anglican clergyman John Wesley and Anglican clergyman Samuel Wesley , and father of musician Samuel Wesley, and grandfather of musician Samuel Sebastian Wesley...

. This is not the version widely known today. A sombre man, Wesley had requested and received slow and solemn music for his lyrics, not the joyful tune we now expect. What is more, Wesley's original opening couplet is "Hark! how all the welkin
Welkin
Welkin is an archaic, English term; it refers to the sky, the upper air, the firmament, the heavens or the Celestial sphere. Especially the highest celestial sphere e.g...

 rings / Glory to the King of Kings".

The popular version is the result of alterations by various hands, notably George Whitefield
George Whitefield
George Whitefield , also known as George Whitfield, was an English Anglican priest who helped spread the Great Awakening in Britain, and especially in the British North American colonies. He was one of the founders of Methodism and of the evangelical movement generally...

, Wesley's co-worker, who changed the opening couplet to the familiar one, and Felix Mendelssohn
Felix Mendelssohn
Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Barthóldy , use the form 'Mendelssohn' and not 'Mendelssohn Bartholdy'. The Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians gives ' Felix Mendelssohn' as the entry, with 'Mendelssohn' used in the body text...

.
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