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Track(s) taken from CDA66668

Hark! the herald angels sing – Mendelssohn

First line:
Hark! the herald angels sing
composer
tune taken from second movement of Festgesang, 1840
arranger
last verse descant and harmony
author of text
author of text
author of text

Westminster Cathedral Choir, James O'Donnell (conductor), Iain Simcock (organ)
Recording details: June 1993
St Jude-on-the-Hill, Hampstead Garden Suburb, London, United Kingdom
Produced by Mark Brown
Engineered by Antony Howell
Release date: October 1993
Total duration: 3 minutes 5 seconds
 

Other recordings available for download

King's College Choir Cambridge, Philip Ledger (conductor)
King's College Choir Cambridge, Daniel Hyde (conductor), Matthew Martin (organ)

Reviews

‘An extremely well-sung traditional carol collection. The concert makes a great appeal by the quality of the singing and the beautiful digital recording’ (The Penguin Guide to Compact Discs)

‘A model of its kind’ (The Times)

‘Celestial’ (San Francisco Examiner)
Charles Wesley’s words to Hark! the herald angels sing, later supplemented by others, first appeared in Hymns and Sacred Poems in 1739. A Mendelssohn enthusiast, William Cummings (1831–1915) cast about for a suitable tune and settled on the second number in Mendelssohn’s Festgesang (Festive Hymn), a work originally composed for male voices and brass in 1840 to mark a festival at Leipzig commemorating the invention of printing. The descant and alternative harmony in the last verse are by Philip Ledger.

from notes by Wadham Sutton © 1993

Other albums featuring this work

100 Years of Nine Lessons & Carols
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Christmas through the ages
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In the bleak midwinter
Studio Master: KGS0060-DDownload onlyStudio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available
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