Wonderful Night!

For Christmas

Words : Dr. Joh. Frederick Meyer (1772-1848);
Translation: Rev. Milo Mahan, D. D.

Music: See Below

Source: Carol 373, Rev. Charles Lewis Hutchins, Carols Old and Carols New (Boston: Parish Choir, 1916)

1. Wonderful night! Wonderful night!
Angels and shining immortals
Thronging Thine ebony portals,
Fling out their banners of light!
Wonderful, wonderful night!¹

2. Wonderful night! Wonderful night!
Dream'd by prophets and sages,²
Manhood redeem'd for all ages,
Welcome Thy hallowing might!
Wonderful, wonderful night!

3. Wonderful night! Wonderful night!
Down o'er the stars to restore us,
Leading His flame-wingéd chorus
Comes the Eternal to sight:
Wonderful, wonderful night.

4. Wonderful night! Wonderful night!
Thee did the day-star adorning,
Christen with dew of the morning,
Eve of a day ever bright; --
Wonderful night! Wonderful night!

5. Wonderful night! Wonderful night!
Sweet be thy rest to the weary,
Making the dull heart and dreary
Laugh in a dream of delight;
Wonderful, wonderful night.

6. Wonderful night! Wonderful night!
Let me, as long as life lingers,
Sing with the cherubim singers,
"Glory to God in the height,"
Wonderful, wonderful night.

Notes:

1. Or: "Wonderful night! Holy night!" (Tufts, below). Whittier (below) gives "Wonderful, wonderful night! Wonderful, wonderful night." Return

2. Or: "Dreamed of by prophets and sages!" (Whittier, below). Return

A. B. Goodrich, A New Service And Tune Book For Sunday Schools (New York: Gen. Prot. Episc. S. S. Union and Church Book Society, 1863, New Edition, Enlarged, 1866), #151, p. 140.

Sheet Music "Christmas Eve" by Dr. Conrad Kosher from J. H. Hopkins, ed., Great Hymns of the Church Compiled by the Late Right Reverend John Freeman Young (New York: James Pott & Company, 1887), #51, p. 82.

Carol 373, Charles L. Hutchins, Carols Old and Carols New (Boston: Parish Choir, 1916)
MIDI / Noteworthy Composer / PDF / XML

Sheet Music Arrangement by C. H. Whittier (Boston: O. Ditson & Co., 1885)

Source: Library of Congress, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, America Singing: Nineteenth-Century Song Sheets.
(American Memory, Performing Arts-Music)

Sheet Music Arrangement by John W. Tufts (1885)

Source: Library of Congress, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, America Singing: Nineteenth-Century Song Sheets.
(American Memory, Performing Arts-Music)

Correction:

I had previously been under the mistaken impression that Bishop John Freeman Young had been the author of the hymn "Wonderful Night." However, in Great Hymns of the Church (J. H. Hopkins, ed., New York: James Pott & Co., 1887), credit for the lyrics is given to Dr. Joh. Frederick Meyer (1772-1848); the translation was provided by the Rev. Milo Mahan, D. D.; the tune "Christmas Eve" was composed by Dr. Conrad Kocher.

Doug Anderson
January 18, 2007

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