View source for Hark the Herald Angels Sing (song)

{{quote | text={{Bible verse|John|1|14|lang=WEB}}   ([[John 1:14]])}}
{{Infobox_Contents |
topic_name = Hark the Herald Angels Sing! |
subtopics = [[Hark the Herald Angels Sing (alternative lyrics)]] |
opinion_pieces = {{short_opinions}} |
}} 

"Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" is a [[Christmas carol]] written by [[Charles Wesley]], the brother of [[John Wesley]]. It appeared in [[Hymns and Sacred Poems]] in 1739. The original opening line was "Hark! how all the welkin rings"; the version known today is the result of alterations by various hands.

The tune that is now used was composed by Felix Mendelssohn in 1840, as part of the cantata Festgesang ("Festival Song") honoring printer [[Johann Gutenberg]] and commemorating the invention of his printing press. The cantata was presented at the great festival held at Leipzig. Festgesang's second chorus, "Gott ist Licht" ("God is Light"), was adapted in 1855 by William Hayman Cummings.

The most popular arrangement of the Mendelssohn tune for "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" is probably that by David Willcocks (published 1961) which adds a descant for the third verse.

The song is a staple in Christmastime movies and TV shows that carry a religious message to some degree, usually as a spirited finale:

*It is the next-to-last song in the film It's a Wonderful Life.
*It is sung by an off-screen choir at the end of the 1951 film A Christmas Carol a.k.a. Scrooge.
*It is sung by the kids at the end of A Charlie Brown Christmas.

It was also cited briefly in Tom Lehrer's song, "A Christmas Carol", satirizing the over-commercialization of the holiday:
 "Hark! The Herald Tribune sings,"
 "Advertising wondrous things!"