A worshipful and strongly doctrinal hymn, bringing out plainly the doctrine of the atonement as well as the Saviour’s enthronement and glorification.
The authorship is traditionally assigned to John Bakewell, one of John Wesley’s lay preachers. But it is not clear that he wrote all of it. It appeared in 1760 in a collection by M. Madan, and later, in 1776, it was included in Psalms and Hymns by Augustus M. Toplady. Both editors apparently made some changes and omissions in the hymn, resulting in our present version.
MUSIC. IN BABILONE is a Dutch traditional melody, its present arrangement having been made by Professor Julius Röntgen, 1855-1933, of Amsterdam. It appeared in The English Hymnal in 1906 and has since won its way into many American hymn books. It is a joyous, robust melody well suited to carry this hymn.
123. Hark, ten thousand harps and voices
Thomas Kelly, 1769-1854
Based on Heb. 1:6: “Let all the angels of God worship Him.”
The original poem has 7 stanzas. Lowell Mason added the “Hallelujahs” and the “Amen” when he set the hymn to music. Some hymn books have softened the “Hallelujah” to “Allelujah.” The last stanza is a prayer for the hastening of the day when heaven and earth shall pass away, which some may not be able to sing heartily and sincerely.
For comments on Thomas Kelly see [Hymn 119].
MUSIC. HARWELL was written for this hymn in 1840. The original version had the men’s voices introduce lines 5 and 6 with a dotted eighth and a sixteenth note, in unison, while the soprano and altos observed a quarter rest. Later editing changed the tune so all the parts observed the quarter rest.
For comments on the composer, Lowell Mason, see [Hymn 12].