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
- Anonymous Unison
- Crys Armbrust SATB (replaces v. 4 with variant 1)
- Joseph Barnby SATB
- Henry Walford Davies SATB
- Deodatus Dutton SB or TB
- James Proctor Harding SATB
- Edward John Hopkins SATB
- Traditional SATB
- Samuel Sebastian Wesley SATB
- Deodatus Dutton — Star in the East English TB
Text and translations
English text The Christian Observer, 1811 |
Christian Secretary, 1822 |
Evangelical Hymns, 1829 |
- Variant 1
- Brightest and best dawn on our darkness,
- Star of the East, lend us thine aid;
- And guide us to your throne,
- Brightest and best.
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.