Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

About this arrangement

Mendelssohn’s tune in G major, with two verses written out. Verse 1 is laid out like a hymn: the right hand plays the tune with two notes below it, and the left hand plays the bass in octaves, walking up G, A, B, C under “Joyful, all ye nations rise”. The turn to D major at “God and sinners reconciled” comes through E7 over G sharp and A7. Verse 2 starts quietly an octave higher, the right hand in octaves or chords and the left hand rolling broken chords in quavers. From “Veiled in flesh” the right hand plays full four-note chords and the left hand drives repeated octave quavers to the end. Watch the words that take two notes: “sing”, “rise” and “skies” in verse 1, and “is” in “Christ is born”.

Practice tip: Practise the left hand of verse 2 on its own: the octave quavers in the last twelve bars need a loose wrist that bounces from the elbow, not stiff fingers. Then add the right-hand chords a bar at a time, keeping the top note, the tune, the loudest.

The words

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 the Virgin's womb. Veiled in flesh the Godhead see; Hail th'incarnate Deity, Pleased as man with men to dwell, Jesus, our Emmanuel. Hark the herald angels sing, Glory to the newborn King.

A short history

Charles Wesley wrote this hymn in 1739, beginning “Hark how all the welkin rings”, the welkin being the sky. His fellow preacher George Whitefield changed the opening to “Hark! the herald angels sing” when he printed it in 1753, and later editors trimmed and reordered the verses into the form sung today.

The tune comes from somewhere quite different. In 1840 Felix Mendelssohn wrote a Festgesang (festival song) for men’s choir and brass for the celebrations in Leipzig of the 400th anniversary of Gutenberg’s printing press. Mendelssohn thought the melody would never suit sacred words. In 1855 the English organist William H. Cummings fitted Wesley’s hymn to it, and that pairing soon became the standard one in English hymn books.

This arrangement sets the first two verses, with a fuller accompaniment the second time.

Quick facts

Tune

Felix Mendelssohn, 1840 (adapted by William H. Cummings, 1855)

Words

Charles Wesley, 1739, altered by George Whitefield, 1753

Level

Advanced (concert arrangements, full texture)

Key

G major

Time signature

4/4

Length

40 bars

Tempo

Joyfully, crotchet = 96

Hands

Both hands on the grand staff: right hand on the treble staff, left hand on the bass staff

Copyright

Public domain tune and words; arrangement by Digital Greenhouse, free for personal, church and classroom use

Questions and answers