Facts About "Angels From The Realms Of Glory"

“Angels from the Realms of Glory” is a Christmas carol written by James Montgomery and published on Christmas Eve of 1816 in Sheffield Iris, an early weekly newspaper published on Tuesdays in Sheffield, England. It was first sung in church activities in 1825 after it was published in The Christian Psalmist, the Montgomery collection and The Christmas Box or New Year’s Gift. There were a variety of tunes that were associated with the hymn. A few of them are Henry Smart’s “Regent Square,” John Randall’s “Lewes,” and Edward Hopkins’s "Wildersmouth" or "Feniton Court." The most familiar tune used in the United States is the “Regent Square,” while in the United Kingdom, the carol is usually sung using “Iris” or Les anges dans nos campagnes, the tune used for “Angels We Have Heard on High.” There are also times when Montgomery's original lyric "Come and worship Christ the new-born King" is replaced by "Gloria in excelsis Deo".

James Montgomery was a Scottish-born hymn writer, poet, and editor born on November 4, 1771, at Irvine, Ayrshire, Scotland. James studied at Fulneck, Leeds, where he was trained for the ministry. Secular studies were banned at Fulneck, but it did not stop him from reading poetry and writing his epics. He wrote his best hymns when he was young. The most popular hymns he had written were "Angels from the realms of glory," "Songs of praise the angels sang," "Hail to the Lord's Anointed" and "Go to dark Gethsemane." He was among the front liners of Christian poets. He was a poetic genius, not to mention his strong religious and Scripture knowledge and his sincere devotion to the Lord.

The first to third stanzas of the hymn were referenced from Luke 2 and Matt. 2. The fourth stanza is from Joel 3:2 and Phil. 2:10. James based the lyrics from the famous French Christmas carol, "Angels We Have Heard on High." The lyrics were about all the creatures created by God to worship the birth of His son Jesus.