Christmas Bells

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I heard the bells on Christmas day

Author: Henry W. Longfellow (1864)
Tune: WALTHAM (Calkin)
Songs of Response
Published in 114 hymnals

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	I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

Piano/Organ
	The Art of the Piano, Volume 2 (Masterfu…

Choral
	I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

Representative Text

1 I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace of earth, good will to men.

2 I thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along th'unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

3 And in despair I bowed my head:
"There is no peace on earth," I said,
"For hate is strong, and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men."

4 Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men."

5 Till, ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime,
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

Baptist Hymnal, 1991

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Author: Henry W. Longfellow

Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth , D.C.L. was born at Portland, Maine, Feb. 27, 1807, and graduated at Bowdoin College, 1825. After residing in Europe for four years to qualify for the Chair of Modern Languages in that College, he entered upon the duties of the same. In 1835 he removed to Harvard, on his election as Professor of Modern Languages and Belles-Lettres. He retained that Professorship to 1854. His literary reputation is great, and his writings are numerous and well known. His poems, many of which are as household words in all English-speaking countries, display much learning and great poetic power. A few of these poems and portions of others have come into common use as hymns, but a hymn-writer in the strict sense of that term he… Go to person page >

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Related Texts

First Line:	I heard the bells on Christmas day
Title:	Christmas Bells
Author:	Henry W. Longfellow (1864)
Meter:	8.8.8.8
Place of Origin:	United States
Language:	English
Copyright:	Public Domain
Liturgical Use:	Songs of Response

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Tune

WALTHAM (Calkin)

All tunes published with 'Christmas Bells'^ top

For Leaders

Bulletin Blurb
Worship Notes
Scores

The inspiration for this hymn, like Horatio Spafford’s “It is Well With my Soul,” came out of tragedy and remorse. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, having an injured son and a dead wife, wrote his poem “Christmas Bells” on Christmas Day. The third verse, which says, “And in despair, I bowed my head: ‘There is no peace on earth,’ I said, ‘For hate is strong and mocks the song Of peace on earth, good will to men,’” shows the depth of despair Longfellow experienced. The fourth verse shows the faith and hope in God that Longfellow had in the face of despair.

Text:

The text for this hymn is based off of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s 1863 poem, “Christmas Bells.” The poem itself was inspired by several painful events in Longfellow’s life. For one, his son Charles joined the Union army without telling Henry before he left. Eventually, Charles was severely wounded in battle. Around the same time, Longfellow’s wife, Frances, tragically died from an accidental fire, which left Henry badly burned as well. Longfellow wrote his poem on Christmas Day, telling of the despair in his heart as he heard the Christmas bells play. Fortunately, this poem ends on an encouraging note, emphasizing hope and peace among men, despite the troubles of the world.

Tune:

The tune WALTHAM was written by John Baptiste Calkin in 1872, during his time as the organist at St. Thomas’s Church in Camden Town. WALTHAM was written for Longfellow’s poem, and became Calkin’s best-known work. Although this tune is primarily used in “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day,” it has been paired with several other texts across the years.

When/Why/How:

As implied by the name, this song should be played in the Christmas season.

Suggested music:

For the organ:

For handbells:

“I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day”

Luke Getz
Hymnary.org

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Timeline

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Arrangements

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Piano/Organ The Art of the Piano, Volume 2 (Masterful Solos for Christmas by Mark Hayes) I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day Christmas with Stephen Nielson (Artistic settings of favorite carols) More Piano/Organ...
Choral I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day Christmas Bells I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day (Choral Score) More Choral...
Handbells I HEARD THE BELLS ON CHRISTMAS DAY Ring New Songs to the Lord, Vol. 2 (easy settings of praise and worship songs blended with traditional hymns) Ring New Songs to the Lord, Vol. 2 (easy settings of praise and worship songs blended with traditional hymns) More Handbells...
PowerPoint I HEARD THE BELLS ON CHRISTMAS DAY (Baptist Hymnal 1991 - 98) I HEARD THE BELLS ON CHRISTMAS DAY (Baptist Hymnal 2008/The Worship Hymnal 187) I HEARD THE BELLS ON CHRISTMAS DAY (Praise! Our Songs and Hymns 196) More PowerPoint...

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Baptist Hymnal 1991 #98

Full Score (PDF)
Bulletin Score (melody only) (PDF)
Bulletin Score (PDF)

The Cyber Hymnal #2815

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Noteworthy Composer score (NWC)
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MIDI file from Baptist Hymnal 1991 #98
Audio recording from Baptist Hymnal 1991 #98
MIDI file from Baptist Hymnal 1991 #98
Audio recording from Baptist Hymnal 2008 #187
Audio recording from The Celebration Hymnal: songs and hymns for worship #267
MIDI file from The Cyber Hymnal #2815
Audio recording from Hymns of Faith #123
MIDI file from Timeless Truths #928

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Baptist Hymnal 2008 (2008), p.274

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Christmas Bells

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I heard the bells on Christmas day

Representative Text

Author: Henry W. Longfellow

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Baptist Hymnal 1991 #98

The Cyber Hymnal #2815

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