Washington's War and the Carol

The same year twenty-one-year-old George Washington began fighting in the French and Indian War, a Christmas carol became popular. It was written by Charles Wesley, born on the eighteenth day of December in 1707. He was the brother of John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, and together they served as missionaries among the Indians and settlers in Georgia. Charles Wesley's Christmas carol, written in 1739, begins:

Hark the herald angels sing,
Glory to the new-born 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

The History of Hark the Hearld Angels Sing

Well....actually, it didn't begin that way. Charles Wesley, a prolific writer of poetry and hymns, along with his brother, wrote a new hymn in 1739 that resounded, "Hark How All the Welkin Rings." Welkin, you query! What is a Welkin! That surely doesn't sound "Christmas" at all. Wesley, in this poem, was utilizing the vivid portrayal of the old king's herald who would have called out to the crowds to announce the birth of a new king. Welkin was the old English term for heavens. Hence, Charles was painting a word picture of heaven singing out the arrival of the King of kings, the baby Jesus. On through ten poetic stanzas he described the glorious coming of the Messiah.

The Lyrics of Hark the Herald Angels Sing

But...again...this is not how we got our beloved "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" carol. The story continues a few years later when George Whitefield arrived at Oxford as a beginning student. None other than the Wesley brothers became young Whitefield's spiritual mentors. They all grew as dynamic evangelists in their own right, but Whitefield still looked to the brothers as elder statesmen. With respect, he told John: "I am but a novice; you are acquainted with the great things of God." Though later they would part ways due to doctrinal differences, they still held each other in high esteem. Whitefield, just before he died, wrote to Charles, and John preached his funeral in 1770. Before his death, though in 1754, Whitefield took his friends' hymn, and, much to their chagrin, edited and revised it to lighten the tone and allow for a personal experience within the song. Whitefield's publication "Collection of Hymns for Sacred Worship" became the popular Great Awakening era songbook, and just as you might have thought, Whitefield included the Christmas hymn, "Hark the Herald Angels Sing!"

The Music of Hark the Herald Angels Sing

But what of the musical score? Nearly 100 years later, William Hayman Cummings, British musician, reworked Fredrick Mendelssohn's symphony with the Whitefield edits and produced what we now know today as "Hark the Herald Angels Sing." This rendition was first sung on Christmas Day 1855 at Waltham Abbey. Remarkably, Mendelsohn had written the music for the 1840 Leipzig Gutenberg Festival to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Johann Gutenberg's printing press. This musical masterpiece,

commemorating the instrument used to widely spread the written Word of God around the world,

would be woven together

with the words of from the "Poet of Methodism"

and the edits of the Great Awakening preacher

during Washington's War against the French

to bring people together

from around the world

to herald the birth of the Saviour King.

Now that's truly a Christmas miracle!