You’ve heard it in every shopping mall from November to January. It’s the soaring anthem that signals the peak of a Christmas Eve service. But honestly? The man who wrote the original words would probably cover his ears if he heard us singing it today. Hark the herald angels sing is one of those rare cultural artifacts that became a masterpiece only because people kept messing with the creator’s "perfect" vision.
Most people assume this carol dropped out of the sky fully formed. It didn’t.
It started as a somber, slow poem written by Charles Wesley in 1739. Wesley was the prolific hymn-writer of the Methodist movement, a man who took his theology very seriously and his rhythm even more so. When he published it in Hymns and Sacred Poems, it wasn't a joyful shout. It was a dense, pensive meditation.
The Lyric That Charles Wesley Never Wanted
Let’s get the biggest misconception out of the way first. Wesley’s original opening line wasn’t about herald angels. It was: "Hark! how all the welkin rings / Glory to the King of Kings." Yes. Welkin.
It’s an archaic term for the sky or the heavens. If we were still singing his version, you’d be standing in a candlelit church trying to explain to a six-year-old what a "welkin" is.
About fifteen years after Wesley published it, a guy named George Whitefield—Wesley’s friend and a powerhouse preacher in his own right—decided "welkin" was a bit much. Whitefield changed the line to Hark the herald angels sing.
Wesley was furious.
He felt that "herald angels" was theologically inaccurate. If you look at the Gospel of Luke, the angels aren't technically "singing" as heralds in the way we imagine; they are a "heavenly host" saying or praising. Wesley was a stickler for the text. He hated the edit so much that he spent years complaining about people changing his lyrics without permission. He even put a disclaimer in his later hymn books basically telling people to stop "mending" his work because they weren't capable of making it better.
History, however, sided with the edit. Whitefield’s version had a "hook." It was catchy. It painted a picture. It turned a theological poem into a public anthem.
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Mendelssohn and the Music He Explicitly Forbid
If Wesley’s ghost is annoyed about the lyrics, Felix Mendelssohn is probably spinning in his grave over the tune.
For the first hundred years or so, this song was sung to a variety of slow, plodding melodies. It didn't have that "march-like" energy we know today. Then comes 1840. Mendelssohn, the famous German composer, writes a cantata called Festgesang to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the printing press.
Specifically, the melody we now use for Hark the herald angels sing was written to honor Johannes Gutenberg.
Mendelssohn was very clear about this specific piece of music. He wrote a letter stating that while the tune was catchy, it should never be used for sacred or religious words. He thought it was too bright, too "soldier-like," and entirely inappropriate for a church setting. He literally said it would never work for a hymn.
Fourteen years after Mendelssohn died, an English organist named William H. Cummings ignored the composer's wishes entirely.
Cummings realized that the meter of Wesley’s (now Whitefield’s) words fit perfectly with the second movement of Mendelssohn’s Gutenberg tribute. He mashed them together in 1855. It was an instant hit. The contrast is hilarious if you think about it: the lyricist hated the lyrics, and the composer hated the idea of the music being used for the lyrics.
Sometimes, the public knows better than the artists.
Why the Theology Actually Matters
Beyond the drama of the writers, the song sticks around because it’s surprisingly "meatier" than other carols. Jingle Bells is about a sled. Frosty is about a melting snowman. Even Silent Night is mostly atmospheric.
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Hark the herald angels sing is different.
It’s a crash course in 18th-century Christology. When you sing "Veiled in flesh the Godhead see," or "Pleased as man with men to dwell," you’re repeating complex arguments about the Incarnation that church fathers spent centuries fighting over. Wesley was a master of "condensed theology." He could pack the entire concept of the Christus Victor—the idea of Christ overcoming death—into a single stanza.
"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."
It’s punchy. It’s rhythmic. It’s essentially a sermon you can whistle.
The Evolution of the "Third Verse"
You might notice that different hymnals or pop versions (from Mariah Carey to Bing Crosby) use different verses. Wesley originally wrote ten short stanzas. Over time, these were condensed into the three or four long ones we use now.
One of the "lost" verses is actually quite dark. It talks about "bruising the head of the serpent." It’s a reference to Genesis, but it doesn't exactly scream "festive holiday cheer," so most modern editors just cut it. They kept the "Sun of Righteousness" and the "Healing in His wings" (a nod to the prophet Malachi) because those images feel more like light and hope.
Influence on Modern Pop Culture
It’s hard to overstate how much this song anchors our idea of Christmas. Think about A Charlie Brown Christmas.
At the end, when the kids finally see the beauty in the scraggly tree, what do they sing? They don’t sing a pop hit. They sing Hark the herald angels sing. That moment works because the song carries a weight of "timelessness," even though, as we’ve seen, it was a bit of a Frankenstein’s monster of different parts.
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The song has been covered by everyone. Pentatonix did a version. Frank Sinatra did a version. Each one struggles with the same thing: the high note.
The "Glory to the newborn king" finish requires a significant vocal range. It’s a "shout" song. It demands a level of energy that most hymns don't. That’s likely why it’s survived. It’s fun to sing. You get to use your full lung capacity.
Common Mistakes in Performance
If you’re listening closely this year, you’ll hear people mess up the phrasing.
Most people sing: "Hark the herald angels sing [breath] Glory to the newborn king." Technically, the "Hark" is an imperative. You’re telling people to listen. But the way Mendelssohn’s music is structured, it forces the singer to rush through the "Hark" to get to the "Herald." It changes the emphasis from a command to a label.
Also, look out for the "late" Hallelujahs. Some modern arrangements add a string of Hallelujahs at the end of the chorus. This wasn't in any of the original versions—Wesley would have hated it for being repetitive, and Mendelssohn would have hated it for ruining the cadence of his march. But again, the song belongs to the people now.
How to Appreciate the Carol This Year
When you hear Hark the herald angels sing this season, don't just let it be background noise. Think about the weird, accidental history that brought it to your ears.
- Listen for the "Welkin": Remind yourself that "the sky is ringing," just as Wesley intended before he was edited.
- Acknowledge the Gutenberg Connection: Realize that the "heavenly" tune was actually written to celebrate a printing press. It’s a celebration of human technology as much as it is a religious anthem.
- Check the Lyrics: If you’re in a church service, look at the third verse. Look for the words "Second Birth" or "Sun of Righteousness." It’s an ancient way of talking about the winter solstice—the return of the sun/son.
The song is a reminder that great things are rarely perfect at the start. It took a grumpy poet, a bold editor, a dead composer, and a persistent organist to create the version we love.
If you want to dive deeper into the musical structure, look up the "Mendelssohn" tune in any standard hymnal. You'll see it listed as "Mendelssohn" or "Festgesang." Seeing the notes on the page helps you realize just how much of a military march it actually is. It’s a song of triumph. It’s meant to be loud.
So, when the chorus hits, don't hold back. Sing it with the energy of a 19th-century soldier and the theological precision of a frustrated Methodist. It’s what the song deserves after 280 years of being "mended."
Practical Next Steps for Further Discovery:
- Compare Versions: Listen to the 1965 Charlie Brown version side-by-side with a traditional cathedral choir like King's College, Cambridge. Note how the tempo changes the entire "mood" of the theology.
- Read the Original: Look up Charles Wesley's 1739 Hymns and Sacred Poems (available via the British Library or Google Books) to see all ten original stanzas.
- Analyze the Score: Search for Mendelssohn's Opus 68 to hear the original "Gutenberg" cantata and see how the melody was used before it became a Christmas staple.