Advent, Christmas and other Sacred Harp tunes of the season

From the 1991 Edition of The Sacred Harp (Denson book),
Revised Cooper Edition of The Sacred Harp (2012),
and The Shenandoah Harmony (2012)

If angels sung a Savior's birth, we well may imitate their mirth.

Tune name 1991 Edition Cooper Shenandoah Text hints
Angel's Hymn 5t "The Virgin's promised son is born…" 
Anthem on the Beginning 553 "In the beginning was the Word."
Anthem on the Savior 355 "He … was born of the Virgin Mary, and was cradled in a manger."
Babe of Bethlehem 103 "But in the hay the stranger lay with swaddling bands around him." 
Bennington 408t "Shepherds, rejoice! lift up your eyes…" 
Bonnie Doon 332 "It is the Star of Bethlehem…" 
Boston 245 "Methinks I see a heav'nly host of angels on thei wing…"
Carol 448 "While shepherds watched their flocks by night…" 
Charlston 262 "While shepherds watched their flocks by night…" 
Christmas Anthem 225 225 "Angelic armies tune their harps…"
Christmas Hymn 387 "Then let us be merry, cast sorrow away…" 
Cookham 81 "'Hark!' the herald angels sing…"
Frewsburgh 50 "To shepherds, as they watched by night…" 
Georgia 386 "Hark! Hark! what news the angels bring…" 
Glory Shone Around 98 180 "While shepherds watched their flocks by night…"
Hark, Hark 111 "Hark! Hark! what news the angels bring…" 
Hull 139 "The promised Son to us is giv'n…" 
Joyful News 244 "Joy to the world! The Lord is come!"
Jubilee 144 144 "Glory, honor and salvation: Christ, the Lord is come to reign"
Judea 388 "A virgin unspotted the prophet fortold…" 
Martyrs 374 "The year rolls round and steals away" (new year's)
Messiah 131t 131t "He comes, He comes!"
Milford 273 "If angels sung a Savior's birth…we well may imitate their mirth" [1]
Morning Star 220 "How spendid shines the morning star…"
Nativity 350 A Christmas title
New Bethlehem 252 "While shepherds watched their flocks by night…"
New Hosanna 412 412 "Hail the morn for unto us a Savior's born."
Northborough 214 "Behold the spendor, hear the shout…" 
Northfield 155 155 "How long must this bright hour delay?"
Oxford 306 306 "Shepherds, rejoice! lift up your eyes…" 
Plenary 162 162 "Auld Lang Syne" is often sung to this tune
Portuguese Hymn 223 223 "Haste with songs of triumph, to Bethlehem haste… "
Rapturous Scene 62 "Hark, how cherubic armies shout and glory leads the song!" 
Raymond 441 [2] "Hark, the glad sound! the Savior comes…"
Redemption 457 "Mary, the wondrous virgin, bears"
Rejoice 433 "Shepherds, rejoice! lift up your eyes…" 
Royal Band, The 360 360 "The angels in glory repeat the glad story…"
Shepherd's Star, The 175 81 "Hail the blest morn when the great mediator…" [3]
Shepherds Arise 408b "Shepherds arise! Be not afraid…"
Shepherds Rejoice 152 291 "Shepherds, rejoice! lift up your eyes…" 
Sherburne 186 186 "While shepherds watched their flocks by night…"
Shiloh 438b "Methinks I see a heav'nly host of angels on their wing…"
Shining Star 461 "While shepherds watched their flocks by night…"
Sky, The 389 "Join the full chorus of the sky."
Sounding Joy 272 "Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns"
Star in the East [3] 132 "Go worship the Babe in the manger"
Voice to the Shepherds 239 "Go, shepherds and visit the wonder…" 
Wabash 61 A winter song: "'Tis winter now…"
Walworth 54 "Christians, awake! Salute the happy morn"
Winter 38 A Winter/Spring text
Wonder, The 292 A meditation on "The love of God unspeakable—'tis a wonder"
Wondrous Love 159 159 "When I was sinking down, Christ laid aside his crown for my soul."

Many contributors, witting or not, including Chris Brown, Paul Figura, Rachel Hall, Tammy Heinsohn, Berkley Moore, Peter Ross, Terre Schill, Samuel Sommers, Jenna Faith Strizak and Matthew Wojcik. Any and all errors are mine, of course. And Samuel Sommers notes:

Other Advent songs [from the 1991 edition] would include 49b, 117, 130, 149, 151, 232, 250, 291, 421, 438, 495, 502, 567, and 572. Other advent hymns might include 102, 121, and 299. But when you consider that traditional sermon topics for Sundays in Advent are the Four Last Things (death, judgment, heaven and hell) one must grope to find a Sacred Harp tune which isn't an Advent song.

—Will Fitzgerald, Christmas, 2005 (revised, Nov. 2006, December 2015, December, 2021.

This file in
CSV format.

1: Written as an Easter hymn. Chris Brown and Matthew Wojcik noted that Milford's poetry was "An Hymn for Easter Day," which explains why "If Angels sung a Savior's birth/on that auspicious morn/We well may imitate their birth/Now he again is born."

2: Tune is similar to Cooper Book 198, but a different text.

3: The Cooper Book's Star in the East> is the same as the Shenandoah Harmony's The Shepherd's Star