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It Came Upon the Midnight Clear

Words: Edmund Sears, 1849 · Tune "Carol," Richard Storrs Willis, 1850 · Public domain

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Verse 1

GIt came up-Am7on Cthe Gmidnight clear,

Gthat Cglorious A7song of Dold,

Gfrom angels Am7bend-Cing Gnear the earth

Gto Ctouch their D7harps of Ggold:

B"Peace on the earth, B7good Emwill Bto Emmen,

Emfrom Dheav'n's all-A7gracious DKing."

D7The Gworld in Am7sol-Cemn Gstillness lay,

Gto Chear Amthe D7angels Gsing.

Verse 2

GStill through the Am7clo-Cven Gskies they come

Gwith Cpeaceful A7wings un-Dfurled,

Gand still their Am7heav'n-Cly Gmusic floats

Go'er Call the D7weary Gworld:

Babove its sad B7and Emlow-Bly Emplains

Emthey Dbend on A7hov'ring Dwing,

D7and Gever Am7o'er Cits GBabel sounds

Gthe Cbless-Amed D7angels Gsing.

GWith Empeaceful Cwings Dunfurled,

CAnd Gstill their Dheavenly Gmusic floats

DO'er D7all the  weary Gworld:

GAbove Emits sad  and lowly  plains

EmThey Cbend on Dhovering Cwing,

GAnd Dever o'er  its babel D7sounds

D7The  blessed angels Gsing.

Chords in the key of G

About this hymn

Words
Edmund H. Sears, 1849
Music
CAROL, Richard Storrs Willis, tune composed 1850; the British tune is NOEL, adapted by Arthur Sullivan in 1874
Meter
8.6.8.6 D (Common Meter Double)
In
983 hymnals
Scripture
Luke 2:1-20, Isaiah 2:4, Psalm 46:8-10

The story

Edmund Sears was a Unitarian minister in Wayland, Massachusetts when he wrote this five stanza poem in 1849. It ran in a Boston paper that December. Read the words and you notice something odd for a carol. It barely mentions Bethlehem. Sears turned instead to his own time and its wars, and writers have tied that to the news he was living with, European revolutions and the recent war with Mexico. This was a dozen years before the Civil War. Richard Storrs Willis wrote the tune CAROL in 1850 at Sears's request, though the sources disagree on when tune and text were actually joined. In Britain they sing a different tune entirely.

Where it fits in a service

Often used in Advent and on Christmas Sunday, and it fits services that lean toward peace. The long double stanzas make it a good choice when the congregation is seated and listening.

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The Hymn & Carol Chord Chart Book puts 21 hymns and carols on paper, chords over the words, with a lead sheet and the story behind each one. Full-size pages for the music stand.

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The same chart as a clean one-page PDF — with large-print lyrics, a guitar chart and a Nashville number chart of the same hymn.

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Why these chords work

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Learn it with Henry

Online lessons, by ear, from the author of the book — a camera on the keys and this hymn ready for Sunday.

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