Born in Chicago, Illinois he was taught piano as a child and was part of his high school chorus. Luboff studied at the University of Chicago after which he wrote programs and sang for a Chicago radio station. In the mid-1940s, Luboff moved to New York City to expand his musical horizons but it would be in Hollywood where he would achieve national fame, doing the choral and vocal arrangements for a number of motion pictures. In 1950, he established the Walton Music Corporation to publish his musical works. However, he is best remembered as the founder and conductor of the Norman Luboff Choir, recognized worldwide as one of the leading choral groups of the 1950s, 60s and 70s. The choral group toured extensively and recorded more than seventy-five albums. The holiday albums Songs of Christmas (1956) and Christmas with the Norman Luboff Choir (1964) were perennial bestsellers for years, and the former remains in print as a compact disc re-release. Luboff and his choir also won the 1961 Grammy Award for Best Performance by a Chorus.
The Choir's "Songs of the Cowboy" and "Songs of the Trail" albums were released on CD in 1999 as "Cowboy's Dream" with 25 tracks.
Norman Luboff died of cancer at his home in Bynum, North Carolina in 1987. The Norman Luboff Collection was donated to the Music Division of the United States Library of Congress in 1993 by Mrs. Gunilla Marcus-Luboff.
Hark The Herald Angels Sing
The Norman Luboff Choir Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
"Glory to the new-born King!
Peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled."
Joyful, all ye nations, rise,
Join the triumph of the skies,
With th' angelic host proclaim,
"Christ is born in Bethlehem."
"Glory to the new-born King!
Christ, by highest heaven adored,
Christ, the everlasting Lord,
Late in time behold him come,
Offspring of the favored one.
Veiled in flesh, the Godhead see,
Hail, th'incarnate Deity,
Pleased, as man, with men to dwell,
Jesus, our Emmanuel!
Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the new-born King!
Hail! the heaven-born
Prince of peace!
Hail! the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all he brings,
Risen with healing in his wings
Mild he lays his glory by,
Born that man no more may die,
Born to raise the son of earth,
Born to give them second birth.
Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the new-born King!"
The first verse of "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" is a call to attention for all people to join the angels in proclaiming the glory of the newborn king, Jesus Christ. The song asserts that his arrival on earth was the means of reconciliation between God and sinners, and as such peace on earth and mercy mild can now reign once more. The song then urges all nations to join the heavenly hosts in singing and proclaiming the good news of the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem.
The second verse of the song continues praising Jesus, describing him as the one who is adored by the highest heaven and the everlasting Lord. This verse also focuses on the incarnation of Jesus into human form, acknowledging that he was born of a favored woman, and is both fully God and fully human. He came to earth to live among people as one of them, as Jesus, also known as Emmanuel, which means "God with us."
The final verse of the song celebrates the resurrected Jesus, the Prince of peace, and the Son of Righteousness, who brings light and life to all. The lyrics recognize the goodness of the resurrection, bringing healing and new birth to people. Jesus humbly lived among humanity, glorified by his resurrection, which secures hope for all who believe in him. Thus, the entire song is a song of praise for Jesus' incarnation, death, and ultimately, his resurrection.
Line by Line Meaning
Hark! the herald angels sing,
Listen! the angels who announce messages of great joy are singing,
"Glory to the new-born King!
"Praise and honor to the newly born king!
Peace on earth, and mercy mild,
May peace and gentle forgiveness reign on earth,
God and sinners reconciled."
"God and those who have committed sins are brought together in harmony."
Joyful, all ye nations, rise,
All people from all nations should rise up in joy,
Join the triumph of the skies,
Join in the triumphant song from the angelic choir in the sky,
With th' angelic host proclaim,
Proclaim with the angelic beings,
"Christ is born in Bethlehem."
"Christ has been born in Bethlehem."
Hark! the herald angels sing,
Listen! the angels who announce messages of great joy are singing,
"Glory to the new-born King!"
"Praise and honor to the newly born king!
Christ, by highest heaven adored,
Christ, who is worshipped by the highest heaven,
Christ, the everlasting Lord,
Christ, the eternal ruler,
Late in time behold him come,
He has come at a later time,
Offspring of the favored one.
Descendant of the chosen one.
Veiled in flesh, the Godhead see,
See the divine essence concealed in human form,
Hail, th'incarnate Deity,
Greetings to the divine being who has taken on human form,
Pleased, as man, with men to dwell,
Happy to live among humanity as a human,
Jesus, our Emmanuel!
Jesus, who is known as our "God with us!"
Hark! the herald angels sing,
Listen! the angels who announce messages of great joy are singing,
"Glory to the new-born King!"
"Praise and honor to the newly born king!"
Hail! the heaven-born
Greetings! the one who was born of heaven,
Prince of peace!
The ruler who brings peace!
Hail! the Son of Righteousness!
Greetings! the son who embodies righteousness!
Light and life to all he brings,
He brings light and life to all,
Risen with healing in his wings
He has risen with healing power,
Mild he lays his glory by,
He humbly sets aside his divine glory,
Born that man no more may die,
Born so that humanity may no longer die,
Born to raise the son(s) of earth,
Born to lift up humanity,
Born to give them second birth.
Born to give them a new spiritual birth.
Hark! the herald angels sing,
Listen! the angels who announce messages of great joy are singing,
"Glory to the new-born King!"
"Praise and honor to the newly born king!"
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Charles Wesley, Felix Mendelssohn
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Bronx Silver Age Comics
I'm 45 and this reminds me as well of growing up in the Bronx, NY with my family. Thanks!
Johannes Valter di Vizzini
Bronx guy here. too. In 1968, the banks gave this album as a bonus with a different cover, called "Christmas in New York"----we got ours from the bank near the 177th St. station in Parkchester
briank06261973
I favorited this. I have also found Silent Night done by the Norman Luboff Choir on Youtube. Takes me back to my childhood, as my mother played this 8-track tape every year until it simply wore out.
Aemilia Carol PhoneTube
This is upbeat music
briank06261973
My mother had the Norman Luboff Choir on 8 track in the 1970s. Shows you how old I am (38).
Henry Levy
I have been looking for a versio of this and finally found it.
James A. Fitzpatrick
I still have this LP.