Henry W. Baker, 1821-77
An ardent prayer for universal peace. This noble hymn was contributed by the author to Hymns Ancient and Modern, London, 1861, a notable book of which Baker was chief editor.
For comments on the author, Henry W. Baker, see [Hymn 143].
MUSIC. QUEBEC. For comments on this tune and its composer see [Hymn 171].
353. Let there be light, Lord God of hosts
William Merrill Vories, 1880—
A good peace hymn.
The author, William Merrill Vories, was born in Leavenworth, Kansas. He is the founder of an independent mission in the province of Omi, Japan. Vories published the present poem February, 1909, in the Advocate of Peace. Since that time, it has found a place in a number of hymn books. The copyright, appropriately enough, is held by the American Peace Society.
MUSIC. PENTECOST, a dignified tune, simple in structure, was first used with the hymn, “Veni Creator,” and appeared in Thirty-two Hymn Tunes, Composed by Members of the University of Oxford, 1868. It was revised by Arthur Sullivan who set it to Monsell’s hymn, “Fight the good fight with all thy might,” for the tune lends itself to spirited rendition as well as the more devotional and contemplative as required by the present hymn.
The composer, Rev. William Boyd, 1847-1928, was born in Jamaica and educated at Oxford where Baring-Gould was his tutor. The latter asked him to compose a tune to “Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire,” for a meeting of Yorkshire coal miners on the Day of Pentecost. The result was this tune to which he gave the name PENTECOST. Boyd was ordained priest in 1882 and from 1893 until his retirement in 1918, he was vicar of All Saints, Norfolk Square, London.