Ever since I was a young kid, I can remember singing Hark! The Herald Angels Sing every December around Christmastime. Along with the other classic Christmas hymns like Joy to the World, Silent Night, and, my personal favorite, The First Noel, this song is one that I love to sing repeatedly every holiday season to help me feel close to Jesus Christ as I'm celebrating His birth. I can recall many times where I was either singing it in church with the rest of the congregation, hearing other people perform it as a special musical number in church, or even getting to sing it with my school choir for a winter concert during my senior year.
The music for Hark! The Herald Angels Sing was created by Felix Mendelssohn, a well-known composer from the Romantic Era, with the lyrics being penned by Charles Wesley. Living from 1809-1847, he has composed many piano pieces and even made an overture for A Midsummer Night's Dream. I've definitely performed a couple of his other pieces in choir as well as this one. But even though his other works continue to be performed today by choirs, orchestras, and pianists alike, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing is probably one of his more popular compositions that is still known in the mainstream world and that I can still remember by heart.
With December just around the corner, it's pretty likely that you'll soon hear some different versions of Hark! The Herald Angels Sing. Many of us know this song very well and have fond memories with family and loved ones tied to it. As you listen to it this approaching holiday season, I hope you can find as much joy in it as I do allow it to touch your heart with it's beautiful melody and lyrics.
What a great time to bring up this piece, with the Christmas season right around the corner. This has always been one of my favorites, and to be honest, I had no idea it was composed during the Romantic Era. I feel like now that I understand the history of this song, I will be able to greater appreciate it when I hear it in the coming month. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI agree with the above comment and I find the time when you posted this serendipitous. There are several blogs about Poe sandwiching your post (and I love Poe, so its not necessarily a bad thing) but this is probably one of my Christmas hymns and like the sound that penetrates one season a year, your post penetrated through the dreariness of Poe. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThis is my very favorite Christmas song! Unlike you, I did not grow up with any religion being taught in the home, so this song was probably the closest thing I got to knowing anything about Christ and Christmas. When Charlie Brown's friends all sing this to him, at the end of "A Charlie Brown Christmas," my heart was filled with pure joy.
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