RSS

Tag Archives: Christmas Music

Christmas Music, Part 7 – Hark the Herald Angels Sing

Charles Wesley (1707-1788), the younger brother of John Wesley wrote the words to this Christmas Carol.

Charles was a hymn writer and a poet, also known as one of the people who began the Methodist movement in the Church of England. Hark the Herald Angels Sing appeared in 1739 in a book called Hymns and Sacred Poems.

Wesley envisioned this being sung to the same tune as his hymn, Christ the Lord Is Risen Today, and in some hymnals it is included along with the more popular version.

This hymn was regarded as one of the Great Four Anglican Hymns and published as number 403 in “The Church Hymn Book” (New York and Chicago, USA, 1872).

To celebrate the invention of the printing press, Felix Mendelssohn composed a cantata in 1840 called Festgesang or “Festival Song”. The melody of Mendelssohn’s cantata was then used by William H. Cummings and adapted it to the lyrics of Wesley’s “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 the angelic host proclaim:
“Christ is born in Bethlehem”
Hark! The herald angels sing
“Glory to the newborn King!”

2 Comments

Posted by MaryO on December 7, 2012 in Christmas Music, Posts of Interest, Videos

Tags: Cantata, carol, Charles Wesley, Christ the Lord Is Risen Today, Christmas, Christmas Music, Church of England, Felix Mendelssohn, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, hymn, hymnal, John Wesley, Methodist, music, William H. Cummings

Christmas Music, Part 4 – I Heard The Bells on Christmas Day

04 Dec

“I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” is a Christmas carol based on the 1863 poem “Christmas Bells” by American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The song tells of the narrator’s despair, upon hearing Christmas bells, that “hate is strong and mocks the song of peace on earth, good will to men”. The carol concludes with the bells carrying renewed hope for peace among mankind.

This version is done by Casting Crowns. I chose it because the Pender choir sang this on Christmas Eve with past-Associate Pastor Dan Elmore singing the solo…and I fell in love with this version.

As seen on 2008 TBN Christmas special. “I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day” is available on Casting Crowns’ Christmas album, Peace On Earth.

More traditionally, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir’s version:

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
and wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along
The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Till ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime,
A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound
The carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
And made forlorn
The households born
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;
“There is no peace on earth,” I said;
“For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men.”

2 Comments

Posted by MaryO on December 4, 2012 in Christmas Music, Videos, Webmaster posts

Tags: bells, carol, Casting Crowns, choir, Christmas Eve, Christmas Music, Dan Elmore, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, I Heard The Bells on Christmas Day, Mormon Tabernacle Choir, music, Peace on Earth, solo

Music!

27 Nov

Christmas caroling accompaniments are available for free download from http://www.gbod.org. Save to disk or drive, take the “piano” with you.

From that link:

These piano accompaniments of familiar hymns are provided as free downloads as a joint project of The General Board of Discipleship and United Methodist Communications. They are intended to provide accompaniments for congregational singing for those churches which, for whatever reason, are unable to provide accompaniment for singing. You may find that you can also use them for choir, solo, or Sunday School use, Christmas caroling, or singing at any group setting. All accompaniments are provided without copyright. You may use them for any purpose without charge or having to seek permission.

In almost all cases, we have provided accompaniments from The United Methodist Hymnal (1989), with an introduction and multiple stanzas in the key provided in the hymnal. Occasionally an alternate harmonization is included. Watch for new hymns to be added in the future.

Also most of the Methodist Hymnal is available as sheet music (I guess that term is now defunct!) for the iPad. The app plays each hymn, as well.

Fairfax Festival of Lights and Carols ~ Dec. 1st

26 Nov

Come listen to Pender’s Handbell Choir ring new and old Christmas Music in downtown Fairfax City on December 1st at 5:00 pm.

Join the City of Fairfax for the annual Festival of Lights and Carols on Saturday, December 1, 2012. Be sure to get your reservations for ‘Lunch with Santa’. Enjoy a cup of hot cider and warm up by the yule log as you join in caroling with the Fairfax Jubil-aires and The Joy Ringers beginning at 5 pm in Kitty Pozer Garden followed by the lighting of our Christmas Tree.