Angels from the Realms of Glory
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"Angels from the Realms of Glory" is a Christmas carol written by English poet James Montgomery.[1] It was first printed in the Sheffield Iris on Christmas Eve 1816, though it only began to be sung in churches after its 1825 reprinting in the Montgomery collection The Christian Psalmist and in the Religious Tract Society's The Christmas Box or New Year's Gift.[1]
Before 1928, the hymn was sung to a variety of tunes, including "Regent Square", "Lewes" by John Randall, and "Wildersmouth" or "Feniton Court" by Edward Hopkins.[1] In the United States, the hymn is today most commonly sung to the tune of "Regent Square" by Henry Smart.[1] In the United Kingdom, however, the hymn came to be sung to the French carol tune "Iris"[2] (Les anges dans nos campagnes, the tune used for "Angels We Have Heard on High") after this setting was published in the Oxford Book of Carols[1], except that the "Gloria in excelsis Deo" refrain is sung in place of Montgomery's original "Come and worship Christ the new-born King' refrain.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e Bradley, Ian. The Penguin Book of Carols. Penguin (1999), p27–29. ISBN 0140275266.
- ^ Angels from the Realms of Glory
