The Herald Angels Sing" is an English Christmas carol that first appeared in 1739 in the collection Hymns and Sacred Poems.

In this work, Whitefield's adaptation of Wesley's hymn appears, with the repetition of the opening line "Hark!

Joyful all ye Nations rise, Join the Triumph of the Skies, Universal Nature say "CHRIST the LORD is born to Day!

The herald-angels sing "Glory to the newborn king; Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled" Joyful all ye nations rise, Join the triumph of the skies With the angelic host proclaim "Christ is born in Bethlehem" Hark!

Christ, by highest heaven adored Christ, the everlasting Lord, Late in time behold Him come Offspring of a Virgin's womb: Veiled in flesh the Godhead see, Hail the incarnate Deity Pleased as man with man to dwell Jesus, our Emmanuel Hark!

Mild he lays his Glory by, Born—that Man no more may die, Born—to raise the Sons of Earth, Born—to give them Second Birth.

The herald angels sing "Glory to the new-born king" Come, Desire of Nations, come, Fix in Us thy humble Home, Rise, the Woman's Conqu'ring Seed, Bruise in Us the Serpent's Head.

Come, Desire of Nations, come, Fix in us thy heav'nly Home; Rise the Woman's conqu'ring Seed, Bruise in us the Serpent's Head.

In 1855, British musician William Hayman Cummings, organist at Waltham Abbey Church,[11] adapted Felix Mendelssohn's secular music from Festgesang to fit the lyrics of "Hark!

[12] Wesley had originally envisioned the words being sung to the same tune as his Easter hymn "Christ the Lord Is Risen Today".

For many years it has served as the recessional hymn of the annual service of Nine Lessons and Carols at King's College Chapel, Cambridge.

Mendelssohn's melody has been used for a 1990 Advent song in German, "In das Warten dieser Welt" (Into the waiting of this world) by Johannes Jourdan.

The arrangement features a brass fanfare with drums in addition to the cathedral organ, and takes about seven and a half minutes to sing.