This edition was prepared by Sebastiaan Schippers — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
I heard the bells
Staff Notation • Sacred, Christmas
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I heard the bells by Herbert Brewer — Lyrics
1.
I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
2.
And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along the unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
Read full lyrics
About I heard the bells
Herbert Brewer's setting of I Heard the Bells is a sacred Christmas carol for SATB choir. The text, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, begins with a vision of familiar carols ringing out on Christmas day, repeating the message of peace on earth, good will to men. The choir will express the unfolding idea of this message spreading throughout Christendom and around the world. However, the poem then takes a dramatic turn, contrasting the hopeful message with the violent reality of war, where cannons drown out the peaceful carols. The music would need to reflect this striking juxtaposition of hope and conflict.
