Edmund Hamilton Sears
Edmund Hamilton Sears (April 6, 1810 – January 14, 1876) was an American Unitarian parish minister and author who wrote a number of theological works influencing 19th-century liberal Protestants. Today, Sears is primarily known as the man who penned the words to "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear" in 1849. It has been sung to two tunes, one by Richard Storrs Willis and another adapted by Arthur Sullivan from a traditional English air. Sears originally wrote the song as a melancholy reflection on his times while a minister in Wayland, Massachusetts, US. However, "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear" has since become a popular Christmas carol. |
Birth and Death Data: Died January 14, 1876
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1914 - 1954
Roles Represented in DAHR: lyricist
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | C-15262 | 12-in. | 10/7/1914 | It came upon the midnight clear | Victor Oratorio Chorus | Vocal chorus, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Victor | CVE-15262 | 12-in. | 8/27/1926 | It came upon the midnight clear | Trinity Choir | Chorus, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Victor | C-20826 | 12-in. | 10/2/1917 | It came upon the midnight clear | Victor Mixed Chorus | Vocal chorus and soloists, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Victor | BVE-33155 | 10-in. | 8/10/1925 | Calm on the listening ear of night | Shannon Quartet | Male vocal quartet, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Victor | BS-75067 | 10-in. | 2/9/1933 | Songs for children (Hymns) | Elsie Baker ; Myrtle C. Eaver ; Olive Kline ; Lambert Murphy ; Elliott Shaw | Mixed vocal quartet, with piano | lyricist | |
| Victor | PBS-09061 | 10-in. | 12/2/1936 | It came upon the midnight clear | Homer Hall Glee Club | Male vocal chorus, with electric organ and celeste | lyricist | |
| Victor | BS-026904 | 10-in. | 9/8/1938 | It came upon the midnight clear | Lew White | Mixed vocal chorus, with violin, organ, and harp | lyricist | |
| Victor | D5RC-1576 | 12-in. | 12/6/1945 | Christmas hymns, part 1 | RCA Victor Chorale ; Robert Shaw | Mixed vocal chorus, unaccompanied | lyricist | |
| Victor | D7VB-1593 | 10-in. | 8/27/1947 | It came upon the midnight clear | Dick Leibert | Organ solo | lyricist | |
| Victor | D9VB-0724 | 10-in. | 8/20/1949 | O come, all ye faithful (Adeste fideles) | Mitchell Boys Choir ; Bob Mitchell | Boys vocal chorus, with organ | lyricist | |
| Columbia | CO51500 | 10-in. | 5/8/1954 | It came upon the midnight clear | Chuck Wagon Gang | Mixed vocal quartet, with guitar | lyricist | |
| Columbia | 81178 | 10-in. | 8/15/1923 | It came upon the midnight clear | Criterion Quartet | Male vocal quartet, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Columbia | W144656 | 10-in. | 9/10/1927 | It came upon the midnight clear | American Singers | Male vocal quartet, with instrumental quartet | lyricist | |
| Brunswick | 6440-6442 | 10-in. | approximately September 1921 | It came upon the midnight clear | Cathedral Choir | Male vocal chorus, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Brunswick | E20087-E20089 | 10-in. | 9/11/1926 | It came upon the midnight clear | Cathedral Choir | Male vocal chorus, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Edison | 4133 | 10-in. | 9/21/1915 | It came upon the midnight clear | The Carol Singers | Mixed vocal chorus, with orchestra | lyricist |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Sears, Edmund Hamilton," accessed January 3, 2026, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/106230.
Sears, Edmund Hamilton. (2026). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved January 3, 2026, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/106230.
"Sears, Edmund Hamilton." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2026. Web. 3 January 2026.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Edmund Sears
Discogs: Edmund Hamilton Sears
Allmusic: Edmund Hamilton Sears
IMSLP: Edmund Hamilton Sears
IMDb: Edmund Hamilton Sears
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Sears, Edmund H. (Edmund Hamilton), 1810-1876 - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n90650592
Wikidata: Edmund Sears - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q5339812
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/58238085
MusicBrainz: Edmund Sears - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/e3081870-f29a-4fc1-a7e7-ea9a7549b78b
Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/269940 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/269940
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