Thomas Ken, 1637-1711
Based on Psalm 91:4: “He shall cover thee with his feathers; and under his wings shalt thou trust.”
This is the “Evening Hymn,” whereas [No. 25] is the “Morning Hymn” which Bishop Ken wrote for the devotional use of students at Winchester College. His endeavor was to express in simple, fitting words the thoughts that ought to be in the minds of the boys of the school “and all other devout Christians” in the evening. The two hymns were published in 1695 and have been growing in fame and power these two and one-half centuries. Both concluded with the doxology, “Praise God from whom all blessings flow,” now known and sung throughout Christendom.
MUSIC. The tune, EVENING HYMN, was originally in canon form, i.e., a form in which one voice begins the melody which is then imitated note for note by some other voice, as in a “round.” Tallis, as was customary at the time, started the melody in the tenor, imitated by the soprano. The tune used here is a later and altered form which, in the judgment of this writer, is less interesting than the canonic form used in many hymnbooks. Its choice was an editorial inadvertence.
Thomas Tallis, composer of the tune, died in 1585. The exact date of his birth, probably before 1520, remains uncertain. Styled the “Father of English Cathedral Music,” he was chorister at St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, and later held important posts as organist. He was indisputably the greatest English musician of his age, and EVENING HYMN is his most famous tune.
34. O Gladsome Light, O Grace
Greek 1st or 2d Century
Tr. Robert Bridges, 1844-1930
This is the oldest Christian hymn in common use, belonging to the first or second century. It was sung by the early Christians as a hymn of thanksgiving at the lighting of the candles at the vesper services in the church and probably also in the home. It is still so used in the Eastern churches. St. Basil wrote c. 370 regarding this hymn: “We cannot say who is the father of this expression at the Thanksgiving of the Lighting of the Lamps; but it is an ancient formula which the people repeat.” So in A.D. 370 the hymn was already ancient!
For comments on the translator, Robert Bridges, see [Hymn 32].