''Evening Hymn'', "" ("Thee, Lord, before the close of day"), is an

anthem An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to short ...

composed by

Henry Balfour Gardiner Henry Balfour Gardiner (7 November 1877 – 28 June 1950) was a British musician, composer, and teacher. He was born at Kensington (London), began to play at the age of 5 and to compose at 9. Between his conventional education at Charterhouse ...

, a setting of the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

compline Compline ( ), also known as Complin, Night Prayer, or the Prayers at the End of the Day, is the final prayer service (or office) of the day in the Christian tradition of canonical hours, which are prayed at fixed prayer times. The English wo ...

hymn "" for four voices and

organ Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...

, in both English and Latin. It was published in 1908. It is regarded as Gardiner's best-known work and a classic of the English choral tradition.

History

Gardiner had studied at Dr. Hoch's Konservatorium in Frankfurt, composition with

Iwan Knorr Iwan Otto Armand Knorr (3 January 1853 – 22 January 1916) was a German composer and music teacher. Life A native of Gniew, he attended the Leipzig Conservatory where he studied with Ignaz Moscheles, Ernst Friedrich Richter and Carl Reinecke. I ...

and piano with

Lazzaro Uzielli Lazzaro Uzielli (4 February 1861 − 8 October 1943) was an Italian pianist and music educator. Life Born in Florence, Uzielli studied in his home town with Luigi Vannuccini und Giuseppe Buonamici, then with Ernst Rudorff in Berlin, and with ...

, at the same time as

Percy Grainger Percy Aldridge Grainger (born George Percy Grainger; 8 July 188220 February 1961) was an Australian-born composer, arranger and pianist who lived in the United States from 1914 and became an American citizen in 1918. In the course of a long an ...

Roger Quilter Roger Cuthbert Quilter (1 November 1877 – 21 September 1953) was a British composer, known particularly for his art songs. His songs, which number over a hundred, often set music to text by William Shakespeare and are a mainstay of the En ...

Norman O'Neill Norman Houston O'Neill (14 March 1875 – 3 March 1934) was an English composer and conductor of Irish background who specialised largely in works for the theatre. Life O'Neill was born at 16 Young Street in Kensington, London, the youngest son ...

and

Cyril Scott Cyril Meir Scott (27 September 1879 – 31 December 1970) was an English composer, writer, poet, and occultist. He created around four hundred musical compositions including piano, violin, cello concertos, symphonies, and operas. He also wrot ...

. He composed the anthem in 1907 when he worked on the staff of

Winchester College Winchester College is a public school (fee-charging independent day and boarding school) in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It was founded by William of Wykeham in 1382 and has existed in its present location ever since. It is the oldest of the ...

for one term where Edward Thomas Sweeting (1863–1930) was Music Master and College Organist.“The Succession of Organists of the Chapel Royal and the Cathedrals of England and Wales, (etc)”, G Watkins Shaw, Clarendon Press, , 9780198161752, 1991 Gardiner's biographer Stephen Lloyd notes that the anthem had been on his mind for years although he was no longer religious. The possibility to have it performed probably spurred the completion of the composition. Gardiner set the anthem in

D major D major (or the key of D) is a major scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature has two sharps. Its relative minor is B minor and its parallel minor is D minor. The D major scale is: : Ch ...

for four voices, sometimes divided, and

, writing the same music for both an English text and the Latin version by

Pope Urban VIII Pope Urban VIII ( la, Urbanus VIII; it, Urbano VIII; baptised 5 April 1568 – 29 July 1644), born Maffeo Vincenzo Barberini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 August 1623 to his death in July 1644. As po ...

. Gardiner, a self-critical composer, destroyed many of his works, including symphonies, but not this anthem. The anthem is the only work that reflects his organ studies, providing a substantial organ part. He dedicated it to Sweeting. It was published in 1908 by

Novello Novello may refer to: Places * Novello, Piedmont, a ''comune'' in the Province of Cuneo, Italy * Novello Theatre, a theatre in the City of Westminster, London, England People Given name * Clara Novello Davies (1861–1943), Welsh singer, named af ...

, while

Carus-Verlag Carus-Verlag is a German music publisher founded in 1972 and based in Stuttgart. Carus was founded by choral conductor Günter Graulich and his wife Waltraud with an emphasis on choral repertoire. The catalogue currently includes more than 26,00 ...

published it in 2004.

Text and music

The Latin text is the compline hymn "" from the

Roman Breviary The Roman Breviary (Ecclesiastical Latin, Latin: ''Breviarium Romanum'') is a breviary of the Roman Rite in the Catholic Church. A liturgical book, it contains public or canonical Catholic prayer, prayers, hymns, the Psalms, readings, and notati ...

. Gardiner set the three stanzas differently, with long organ prelude and interludes, following the mood of the text. The second stanza is written for unaccompanied voices. An introduction by the organ builds to a powerful entry of the choir, marked "full voice, even tone". The second stanza, reflecting the night's frightening fantasies, has been described as "hushed". The third stanza returns to the melody of the first, but in slightly different harmonies. The concluding Amen begins with a powerful entry of the alto, followed by imitation in the other voices, leading to a restful ending in low register and very softly. ''Evening Hymn'', called a "noble" anthem, is regarded as Gardiner's best-known work and a classic of the English choral tradition, often sung at

evensong Evensong is a church service traditionally held near sunset focused on singing psalms and other biblical canticles. In origin, it is identical to the canonical hour of vespers. Old English speakers translated the Latin word as , which became ...

. William McVicker summarizes: "The long, seamless phrases, carefully written dynamic changes and effective use of harmonies, have made this piece a favourite in any parish choir's repertory."

References

External links

*
Evening Hymn / H. Balfour Gardiner
(score) esm.rochester.edu
Gardiner, H B: Evening Hymn (Te lucis ante terminum)
prestoclassical.co.uk
Te lucis ante terminum / Henry Balfour Gardiner (1877–1950)
muziekweb.nl
Henry Balfour Gardiner Tracks

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

English translation Te lucis ante terminum
forum.musicasacra.com

aclerkofoxford.blogspot {{italictitle 1908 compositions Anthems Compositions in D major