"it came upon the midnight clear" (1849) â sometimes rendered as "it came upon a midnight clear" â is a poem and christmas carol written by edmund sears, pastor of the unitarian church in wayland, massachusetts. sears' lyrics are most commonly set to one of two melodies: "carol," composed by richard storrs willis, or "noel," adapted from an english melody. ==history==  edmund sears composed the five-stanza poem in common metre doubled during 1849. it first appeared on december 29, 1849 in the christian register in boston.it came upon the midnight clear sears is said to have written these words at the request of his friend, william parsons lunt, pastor of united first parish church, quincy, massachusetts. ==melody== in 1850, richard storrs willis, a composer who trained under felix mendelssohn, wrote the melody called "carol." this melody is most often set in the key of b-flat major in a six-eight time signature. "carol" is the most widely known tune to the song in the united states.the united methodist hymnal, Â© 1989lutheran book of worship, Â© 1978the official unitarian-universalist hymnal, "singing the living tradition", Â© 1993 in the united kingdom the tune called "noel", which was adapted from an english melody in 1874 by arthur sullivan, is the usual accompaniment. this tune also appears as an alternate in the hymnal 1982, the hymnal of the united states episcopal church. ==lyrics== the full song comprises five stanzas. some versions, including the united methodist hymnal and lutheran book of worship, omit verse three, while others (including the hymnal 1982) omit verse four. several variations also exist to sears' original lyrics.   {{quotation| :it came upon the midnight clear, :that glorious song of old, :from angels bending near the earth, :to touch their harps of gold: :"peace on the earth, goodwill to men,1 :from heaven's all-gracious king." :the world in solemn stillness lay, :to hear the angels sing. :still through the cloven skies they come, :with peaceful wings unfurled, :and still their heavenly music floats :o'er all the weary world; :above its sad and lowly plains, :they bend on hover
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