This edition was prepared by Barry Johnston — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Harvest Hymn
Staff Notation • Sacred
Preview
0
0
3 editions of this piece
Different typesettings and voicings of the same work. This page shows the main edition; the others are below.
Subscribed as
Want Sunday picks sent to another address too?
Free weekly email
Your choir should not be left out in what's trending
Sunday mass selections, psalms, and trending songs in your area — straight to your inbox.
Harvest Hymn by Jeremiah Ingalls — Lyrics
Elias Smith, A Collection of Hymns, 1804
An harvest, or end of the world
1. The fields are all white, the harvest is near,
The angels all with their sharp sickles appear
To reap down the wheat and gather it in barns,
While the wild plants of nature are left for to burn.
2. Come then, O my soul, meditate on that day,
When all things in nature shall cease and decay;
When the trumpet shall sound, the angels appear
To reap down the earth, both the wheat and the tare.
3. But hear the sad cry ascend to the sky,
Of those in distress and have no where to fly;
They'll call for the rocks and mountains to fall
On their naked souls for to hide them withal.
4. But 'twill all be in vain, the mountains will flee,
The rocks fly like hailstones and shall no more be;
The earth it shall quake, the seas shall retire,
And the solid world then shall be all on fire.
5. But hear the great Judge in that dread alarm,
Read full lyrics
About Harvest Hymn
This striking hymn from Elias Smith's 1804 collection meditates on the biblical imagery of harvest, drawing parallels between the reaping of grain and the final judgment. Jeremiah Ingalls' setting for treble, bass, and tenor voices captures the solemnity and urgency of the text. The STB voicing creates a rich, resonant sound ideal for congregational singing or a choir seeking a powerful anthem. The English text vividly portrays the dual nature of the harvest – the gathering of the faithful and the fate of the unrighteous – urging listeners to contemplate the profound themes of salvation and accountability. Its stark imagery and direct address make it a compelling choice for a choir looking to present a thoughtful and dramatic sacred work.
