Originally written on January, 6th, 2022.
The hymn “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” was composed in 1739 by one of the founders of the Methodist Church, George Wesley. The hymn was intended as a Christmas carol and was meant to be performed to a slow, solemn tune that Wesley had commissioned. The lyrics most commonly performed today have undergone several changes from the text Wesley originally wrote. The first changes were made by Wesley’s colleague in the Methodist Church, George Whitefield, in 1753, but several additional changes have been made since then.
The tune originally intended for the lyrics is long forgotten and buried, and in its place is performed the second movement of the cantata Festgesang, which Felix Mendelssohn composed in 1840. In 1855, William H. Cummings adapted Mendelssohn’s tune to the lyrics, and that is the version we know with the lyrics today.
The lyrics are based on the Gospel of Luke, chapter 2, which tells of the arrival of the Savior. The lyrics begin with the word “Hark,” which at that time was a kind of opening word to catch the attention of those listening. The opening sentence of the English lyrics would therefore translate to: “Listen to the song of the angels.” When I was writing down and learning to play the version that accompanies this article, I went looking for Icelandic lyrics to replace the English ones. I found none, so I ask the music teacher in the staff room at Breiðagerðisskóli if he knows the lyrics to “Hark! The Herald...” and he answers: “Yes, ‘Hark up, Haraldur’” [a pun on the word Hark/Harkaðu]. I add a line: “here a pandemic will rage.” At the end of the workday, I receive an email from the music teacher, who had composed a continuation that is all about the trouble that the coronavirus is causing these years. I take the liberty of publishing that text here as well. Actually, the music teacher remembered an excellent Icelandic text by Ingólfur Jónsson from Prestbakki, “Friður, friður frelsarans” [Peace, peace of the Savior].
