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=                  It Came Upon the Midnight Clear                   =
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                             Introduction                             
======================================================================
"It Came Upon the Midnight Clear", sometimes rendered as "It Came Upon
a Midnight Clear", is an 1849 poem and Christmas carol written by
Edmund Sears, pastor of the Unitarian Church in Wayland,
Massachusetts. In 1850, Sears' lyrics were set to "Carol", a tune
written for the poem the same year at his request, by Richard Storrs
Willis. This pairing remains the most popular in the United States,
while in Commonwealth countries, the lyrics are set to "Noel", a later
adaptation by Arthur Sullivan from an English melody.


                               History                                
======================================================================
Edmund Sears composed the five-stanza poem in common metre doubled
during 1849. It first appeared on December 29, 1849, in 'The Christian
Register' in Boston, Massachusetts.

Sears served the Unitarian congregation in Wayland, Massachusetts,
before moving on to a larger congregation at First Church of Christ,
Unitarian, in Lancaster, also known as The Bulfinch Church, for its
design by Charles Bulfinch. After seven years, he suffered a breakdown
and returned to Wayland. He wrote 'It Came Upon the Midnight Clear'
while serving as a part-time preacher in Wayland. Writing during a
period of personal melancholy, and with news of revolution in Europe
and the United States' war with Mexico fresh in his mind, Sears
portrayed the world as dark, full of "sin and strife", and not hearing
the Christmas message.



Sears is said to have written these words at the request of his
friend, William Parsons Lunt, pastor of United First Parish Church,
Quincy, Massachusetts, for Lunt's Sunday school. One account says the
carol was first performed by parishioners gathered in Sears' home on
Christmas Eve, but to what tune the carol was sung is unknown as
Willis' familiar melody was not written until the following year.

According to Ken Sawyer, Sears' song is remarkable for its focus not
on Bethlehem, but on his own time, and on the contemporary issue of
war and peace. Written in 1849, it has long been assumed to be Sears'
response to the just ended Mexican-American War. The song has been
included in many of the Christmas albums recorded by numerous singers
in the modern era.


                                Melody                                
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In 1850, Richard Storrs Willis, a composer who trained under Felix
Mendelssohn, wrote the melody called "Carol". This melody is most
often set in the key of B-flat major in a 6/8 time signature. "Carol"
is still the most widely known tune to the song in the United States.


\new Staff <<
\clef treble \key bes \major {
\time 6/8 \partial 8
\relative f' {
f8 | d'4 a8 c bes g | f4 g8 f4 f8 | g a bes bes c d | c4.~ c4 \bar""
\break
f,8 | d'4 a8 c bes g | f4 g8 f4 f8 | g4 g8 a g f | bes4.~ bes4
\bar"" \break
d8 | d4 d,8 d e fis | g4 a8 bes4 d8 | c bes a g a g | f4.~ f4
\bar"" \break
f8 | d'4 a8 c bes g | f4 g8 f4 f8 | g4 g8 a g f | bes4.~ bes4
\bar"|." %repeat of the second line - if these two aren't the same,
then it means somebody has vandalized ...
}
}
%\new Lyrics \lyricmode {
%}
>>
\layout { indent = #0 }
\midi { \tempo 4. = 54 }


In Commonwealth countries, the tune called "Noel", which was adapted
from an English melody in 1874 by Arthur Sullivan, is the usual
accompaniment. This tune also appears as an alternative in 'The Hymnal
1982', the hymnal of the United States Episcopal Church.


\new Staff <<
\clef treble \key f \major {
\time 4/4 \partial 4
\relative f' {
f8 g | a4 g f g8 a | bes4 a g c | c a bes8 c d4 | c2. \bar"" \break
a8 bes | c4 c a f | bes a g f8 g | a bes c4 a g | f2. \bar""
\break
f4 | e d e g | f4. e8 d4 a' | g f e d | c2. \bar"" \break
c4 | c' bes a g8 a | bes4 a g f8 g | a bes c4 a g | f2.
\bar"|."
}
}
%\new Lyrics \lyricmode {
%}
>>
\layout { indent = #0 }
\midi { \tempo 4 = 86 }


                                Lyrics                                
======================================================================
The full song comprises five stanzas. Some versions, including the
'United Methodist Hymnal' and 'Lutheran Book of Worship', omit verse
three, while others (including 'The Hymnal 1982') omit verse four.
Several variations also exist to Sears' original lyrics.


                               See also                               
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* List of Christmas carols


                            External links                            
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*
*[http://vmirror.imslp.org/files/imglnks/usimg/6/6a/IMSLP562974-PMLP906993-Sullivan_midnight_clear.pdf
Setting by Arthur Sullivan] at IMSLP


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Original Article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It_Came_Upon_the_Midnight_Clear


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