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
- Crys Armbrust SATB (replaces v. 4 with variant 1)
- Joseph Barnby SATB
- Henry Walford Davies SATB
- Edward John Hopkins SATB
- Traditional SATB
- Samuel Sebastian Wesley SATB
- 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 |
Brick Church Hymns, 1823 |
Evangelical Hymns (Lexington, Kentucky), 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.
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