Angels

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

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!

Hail the heav'n-born Prince of Peace!

Hail! The Son of Righteousness!

Light and life to all he brings,

Ris'n with healing in his wings.

Mild he lays his glory by,

Born that man no more may die;

Born to raise the sons of earth,

Born to give them second birth.

Hark! The herald angels sing

Glory to the newborn King!

Written by Charles Wesley, brother of Methodist founder John Wesley, "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" was first published in 1739 in Hymns and Sacred Poems; Wesley was the Poet Laureate of the Methodist Church and published more than 6,500 hymns during his lifetime. The version we know today was altered by various people- most notably Wesley's co-worker, George Whitefield, an itinerant Anglican minister who came up with the familiar opening couplet we now sing, When Whitefield- who did not have the ability to pay his college tuition- entered Oxford, he was assigned to work as a servant for other students in exchange for his tuition. He woke them in the morning, carried their books, polished their shoes, and even helped write their assignments. The melody of this carol is based on an energetic chorus composed by Felix Mendelssohn in 1840 as part of a cantata commemorating Bible printer Johann Gutenburg.  (text from the LDS Christmas Songbook)