Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

For works with similar titles, see Hymn for Christmas Day.

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Versions of
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing (1739)
Charles Wesley et al.

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"Hark! The Herald Angels Sing", originally titled "Hymn for Christmas-Day", is a Christmas carol by Charles Wesley. It was first published in Hymns and Sacred Poems in 1739, and was subsequently altered slightly by several authors including George Whitefield.

Wesley originally intended the hymn to be sung to the anonymous tune Easter Hymn (often credited to John Worgan), but it is nearly always sung instead to the tune Mendelssohn. This latter was written by Felix Mendelssohn for the cantata Festgesang, and was adapted to fit the hymn lyrics by William H. Cummings.

84181Hark! The Herald Angels Sing1739Charles Wesley et al.

Versions of Hark! The Herald Angels Sing include:

"Hymn for Christmas Day", original text by Charles Wesley (1739).
"Emanuel", broadside printing (19th century).
"Herald Angels", broadside printing (19th century).
"Christmas Day" in Our American Holidays - Christmas (1907).
"Hark! the Herald Angels Sing" in The Army and Navy Hymnal (1920).
"Hark! the Herald Angels Sing" in The Child's Own Music Book, (1918).