Brightest and best of the sons of the morning
General information
This is an hymn by Reginald Heber, first published in the periodical The Christian Observer, 1811, Volume 10, No. 11, p. 697.
Apparently, Heber's hymn was put to music first in 1830, in The Christian Lyre, in the song Star in the East, where Heber's first (and fifth) stanza becomes the chorus, with an anonymous first stanza (Hail the blest morn, see the great Mediator); Heber's stanzas two through four become the following stanzas of Star in the East.
Heber originally wrote this hymn for the Feast of the Epiphany. It did not appear in hymnals until after Heber’s death.
Settings by composers (manually updated)
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Settings by composers (automatically updated)
- Anonymous — Brightest and best of the stars of the morning English Unison
- Crys Armbrust — Brightest and best English SATB
- Joseph Barnby — Brightest and best of the sons of the morning English SATB
- Henry Walford Davies — Brightest and best of the sons of the morning English SATB
- Deodatus Dutton — Star in the East English TB
- James Proctor Harding — Brightest and best of the stars of the morning English SATB
- Edward John Hopkins — Brightest and best English SATB
- Traditional — Brightest and best English SATB
- Samuel Sebastian Wesley — Brightest and best English SATB
Text and translations
English text The Christian Observer, 1811 |
Christian Secretary, 1822 |
Evangelical Hymns, 1829 |
The Christian Lyre, Supplement, 1831 |
English text The Hymnal, 1982 |
Brightest and best dawn on our darkness, |
References
- Canfield, P., Editor. 1822. The Christian Secretary 1(47):188.
- Cleland, Thomas, Editor. 1828. Evangelical Hymns for Private, Family, Social, and Public Worship. Lexington, Kentucky: T. T. Skillman.
- Heber, Reginald. 1811. Hymns Appropriate to the Sundays and Principal Holidays … Epiphany. The Christian Observer 10(119):697.
- Spring, Gardner, Compiler. 1823. The Brick Church Hymns, Designed for the Use of Social Prayer Meetings and Families. New York, New York: Members of Brick Church.