It Came Upon the Midnight Clear
It Came Upon the Midnight Clear is a Christmas carol written by Edmund Sears in 1849.
This Christmas carol is also considered a poem. There are two variations of the song which has to do with the third note. The original version has the third note being a C, the second version has the third not written as an A. Both versions sound good to me!
It Came Upon the Midnight Clear
It came upon the midnight clear,That glorious song of old,
From angels bending near the earth,
To touch their harps of gold;
Peace on the earth, good will to men,
From Heaven’s all gracious King
The world in solemn stillness lay,
To hear the angels sing.
Still through the cloven skies they come
With peaceful wings unfurled,
And still their heavenly music floats
O’er all the weary world;
Above its sad and lowly plains,
They bend on hovering wing,
And ever over its Babel sounds
The blessèd angels sing.
For lo! the days are hastening on,
By prophet-seen of old,
When with the ever circling years
Shall come the time foretold.
When love or her and earth shall own
The Prince of Peace their King
And the whole world send back the song
Which now the angels sing.
Fun Facts About Christmas Carols
Christmas Carols were first sung during gatherings for harvest and non-religious celebrations. They started being sung in churches during the later half of the 19th century.Austrian Trade Union Federation members tried to get employers to limit the playing of Christmas music during the weeks leading up to Christmas.
Christmas was outlawed in England from 1647 to 1660.