Woodwind Ensemble,Woodwind Trio Bass Clarinet,Flute,Oboe - Level 3 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1329078 Composed by Traditional. Arranged by James M. Guthrie. Chamber,Christian,Christmas,Holiday,Traditional. 6 pages. Jmsgu3 #917049. Published by jmsgu3 (A0.1329078). Hark! The Herald Angels Sing is a well-known Christmas carol with exciting facts surrounding its creation and evolution. Here are some intriguing details about the song:The original song was published as Hark, How All the Welkin Rings in the 1739 Wesley hymnal, Hymns and Sacred Poems. The second line, as written by Charles Wesley, read Glory to the King of kings, not Glory to the newborn King. The change from welkin to herald angels was made by George Whitfield, altering the meaning of Wesley's metaphor.The tune we usually associate with Hark! The Herald was written by Felix Mendelssohn in 1840 and was not intended as a sacred song. Mendelssohn wrote it to commemorate the four-hundredth anniversary of Gutenberg's printing press.The song was initially intended to be sung to the same tune as Charles Wesley's Easter hymn, Christ the Lord Is Risen Today.In 1855, British musician William Hayman Cummings adapted Mendelssohn's secular music to fit the lyrics of Hark! The Herald Angels Sing by Charles Wesley.The hymn highlights the virgin birth, the universal application of the coming of the incarnate Deity to all nations, and the significance of Christ's birth in Bethlehem.These facts shed light on the historical and musical significance of Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, adding depth to its enduring popularity as a Christmas carol.
