How grand and how bright

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How grand and how bright

Author: William Henry Havergal, 1793 - 1870
Tune: [How grand and how bright]
Published in 3 hymnals

Printable scores: PDF, MusicXML
Audio files: MIDI

Representative Text

1. How grand and how bright
That wonderful night,
When angels to Bethlehem came!
They burst forth like fires,
They struck their gold lyres,
And mingled their song with the flame.

2. The shepherds were mazed,
The pretty lambs gazed
At darkness thus turned into light:
No voice was there heard
From man, beast or bird,
So sudden and solemn the sight.

3. And then, when the sound reechoed around,
The hills and the dales all awoke:
The moon and the stars
Stopped their fiery cars,
And listened while Gabriel spoke:

4. I bring you, said he,
From the glorious Three,
Good tidings to gladden mankind;
The Savior is born,
But He lies forlorn
In a manger, as soon you will find.

5. At mention of this,
(The source of all bliss,)
The angels sang loudly and long;
The soared to the sky,
Beyond mortal eye,
But left us the words of their song:

6. All glory to God,
Who laid by His rod,
To smile on the world through His Son:
And peace be on earth,
For this wonderful birth
Wonderful conquests has won;

7. And good will to man,
Though his life’s a span,
And his thoughts so evil and wrong;
Then pray, Christians, pray;
But let Christmas day
Have your sweetest and holiest song.

Here are Havergal’s original lyrics for stanzas where, due to irregularities in meter, they do not fully fit the music:

1. "I bring you," said he,
"From the glorious Three,
Good tidings to gladden mankind;
The Savior is born,
But He lies all forlorn
In a manger, as soon you will find."

2. "All glory to God,"
Who laid by His rod,
To smile on the world through His Son:
"And peace be on earth,"
For this wonderful birth
Most wonderful conquests has won;

3. "And good will to man,"
Though his life’s but a span,
And his thoughts so evil and wrong;
Then pray, Christians, pray;
But let Christmas day
Have your sweetest and holiest song.

Source: The Cyber Hymnal #7613

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Author: William Henry Havergal, 1793 - 1870

Havergal, William Henry, M.A, son of William Havergal, was born at High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, 1793, and was educated at St. Edmund's Hall, Oxford (B.A. 1815, M.A. 1819). On taking Holy Orders he became in 1829 Rector of Astley, Worcestershire; in 1842, Rector of St. Nicholas, Worcester; and in 1860, Rector of Shareshill, near Wolverhampton. He was also Hon. Canon in Worcester Cathedral from 1845. He died April 18, 1870. His hymns, about 100 in all, were in many instances written for special services in his own church, and printed as leaflets. Several were included in W. Carus Wilson's Book of General Psalmody, 1840 (2nd ed., 1842); and in Metrical Psalms & Hymns for Singing in Churches, Worcester, Deighton, 1849, commonly known as the W… Go to person page >

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Text Information

Text Information

First Line:	How grand and how bright
Author:	William Henry Havergal, 1793 - 1870
Language:	English
Copyright:	Public Domain

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Notes

How grand and how bright That wonderful night. W. H. Havergal. [Christmas Carol.] The words and music were written at Astley Rectory, in 1827, and published in Fireside Music, 1858. It was also printed as a carol leaflet and sold by hawkers throughout Worcestershire, where it attained great popularity. It is now known as The Worcestershire Carol. The words were included in Snepp’s Songs of Grace & Glory, 1872.

--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

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