Hail, Harbinger of Morn

Today, June 24th, is the feast day of St. John the Baptist.

This is a big day in the Church Year. After all, Jesus himself said that there was no greater son born of a woman than John.

The date even appears on our secular calendars, and there are special foods, etc.

This hymn is really a beautiful one, but it's one that I'm sure NOBODY will know! It is also new to me, but I'm pleased to have made its acquaintance.

The music was composed by William H. Bell (1873-1946). He was born in St Albans and studied in London at the Royal Academy of Music with Frederick Corder, and with Charles Villiers Stanford at the Royal College of Music. He mainly made his living as an organist and lecturer; he was Professor of Harmony at the Royal Academy of Music, where he taught from 1903 to 1912.

In 1912, Bell went to South Africa to direct the South African College of Music in Cape Town. He was Principal until 1935 and is credited with a significant expansion of the school. In 1920, Bell became Professor of Music at the University of Cape Town, where he held classes for degree courses. The South African College of Music was incorporated into the University in 1923 and Professor Bell became Dean of the Faculty of Music. He died in Gordon's Bay near Somerset West, South Africa.

The W H Bell Music Library at the University of Cape Town is named in honor of William Henry Bell.

The music is exciting, colorful, and more "involved" than some hymns. It is the sort of "complex" thing that Anglo-Catholics delight in! ;-)

The name of the tune "matches" the text: "Hail, Harbinger of Morn", so the music was written specifically for this text, and is not a "generic joining" of words and music, as is the case with most hymns.

The text is by the Venerable Bede (673-735), and was translated from the Latin by Charles Calverley (1831-1884.)

The score is attached below, and for those who choose not to look at it, the full text is given in the First Comment.