Thine Be the Glory, Risen Conquering Son (French: ''À toi la gloire O Ressuscité''), also titled Thine Is the Glory, is a

Christian hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...

for

Easter Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel ...

, written by the Swiss Protestant minister, Edmond Budry (1854–1932), and set to the tune of the chorus "See, the Conqu'ring hero comes" from the third section of Handel's

oratorio An oratorio () is a large musical composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists. Like most operas, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias. However, opera is mus ...

Judas Maccabaeus Judah Maccabee (or Judas Maccabeus, also spelled Machabeus, or Maccabæus, Hebrew: יהודה המכבי, ''Yehudah HaMakabi'') was a Jewish priest (''kohen'') and a son of the priest Mattathias. He led the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleu ...

''. The hymn is sometimes sung at weddings or funerals. An English translation was made in 1923 by Richard Birch Hoyle (1875–1939). The German

Advent hymn Advent songs (german: Adventslieder, link=no) are songs and hymns intended for Advent, the four weeks of preparation for Christmas. Topics of the time of expectation are the hope for a Messiah, prophecies, and the symbolism of light, among others. ...

'' Tochter Zion, freue dich'' uses the same tune.

History

Tune

"Thine Be the Glory" is sung to the

hymn tune A hymn tune is the melody of a musical composition to which a hymn text is sung. Musically speaking, a hymn is generally understood to have four-part (or more) harmony, a fast harmonic rhythm (chords change frequently), with or without refrain ...

. The tune was originally written by the German-British composer

George Frideric Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque music, Baroque composer well known for his opera#Baroque era, operas, oratorios, anthems, concerto grosso, concerti grossi, ...

. He composed it initially for his 1747

Joshua Joshua () or Yehoshua ( ''Yəhōšuaʿ'', Tiberian: ''Yŏhōšuaʿ,'' lit. 'Yahweh is salvation') ''Yēšūaʿ''; syr, ܝܫܘܥ ܒܪ ܢܘܢ ''Yəšūʿ bar Nōn''; el, Ἰησοῦς, ar , يُوشَعُ ٱبْنُ نُونٍ '' Yūšaʿ ...

'', in which it features as a chorus, "See, the Conquering Hero Comes!", celebrating the military victories of the Biblical figure

. The chorus is sung three times, and its final rendition is accompanied by a military

side drum The snare (or side drum) is a percussion instrument that produces a sharp staccato sound when the head is struck with a drum stick, due to the use of a series of stiff wires held under tension against the lower skin. Snare drums are often used in ...

. It is thought that Handel may have taken inspiration from a

march March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is the second of seven months to have a length of 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of Marc ...

in ''Componimenti musicali'' written by Georg Muffat. Handel was confident that the tune would prove popular, and claimed to the music historian

John Hawkins John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

that “You will live to see it a greater favourite with the people than my other fine things.” So confident was Handel of its popularity that he added the chorus to his other oratorio ''

'', written the previous year. "See, the Conquering Hero Comes!" was repurposed to celebrate the military victory of another

Old Testament The Old Testament (often abbreviated OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew writings by the Israelites. The ...

figure,

. Handel's tune bears some historic anti- Jacobite associations. The composition of ''Judas Maccabaeus'' was reportedly influenced by

Frederick, Prince of Wales Frederick, Prince of Wales, (Frederick Louis, ; 31 January 170731 March 1751), was the eldest son and heir apparent of King George II of Great Britain. He grew estranged from his parents, King George and Queen Caroline. Frederick was the fath ...

; the subject matter of an old testament military victory was chosen as an oblique tribute to the victory of his brother, the

Duke of Cumberland Duke of Cumberland is a peerage title that was conferred upon junior members of the British Royal Family, named after the historic county of Cumberland. History The Earldom of Cumberland, created in 1525, became extinct in 1643. The dukedo ...

, at the

Battle of Culloden The Battle of Culloden (; gd, Blàr Chùil Lodair) was the final confrontation of the Jacobite rising of 1745. On 16 April 1746, the Jacobite army of Charles Edward Stuart was decisively defeated by a British government force under Prince Wi ...

in April 1746. In 1796,

Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...

composed twelve variations on "See, the Conquering Hero Comes!" for both piano and cello.

Text

Handel's popular chorus tune was first put to use as a hymn tune in ''Harmonia Sacra'', a

hymnal A hymnal or hymnary is a collection of hymns, usually in the form of a book, called a hymnbook (or hymn book). Hymnals are used in congregational singing. A hymnal may contain only hymn texts (normal for most hymnals for most centuries of Chri ...

compiled in 1754 by Thomas Butts, in which it is used as a setting for

Charles Wesley Charles Wesley (18 December 1707 – 29 March 1788) was an English leader of the Methodist movement. Wesley was a prolific hymnwriter who wrote over 6,500 hymns during his lifetime. His works include " And Can It Be", " Christ the Lord Is Risen ...

's hymn " Christ the Lord Is Risen Today". His choice of Handel's militaristic theme was intended to reinforce the

metaphor A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide (or obscure) clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are often compared wit ...

the resurrected Christ as a victorious warrior who has vanquished death and the powers of evil. In 1884, Handel's tune was used as a setting for a new French-language hymn, "A Toi la Gloire." It was written by

Edmond Louis Budry Edmond Louis Budry (August 30, 1854 – November 12, 1932) was a Swiss hymn writer famous for writing the lyrics to the hymn "Thine Be the Glory" ("À toi la gloire") to music from '' Judas Maccabaeus'' by George Frideric Handel. Born in Vevey, ...

, a minister of the Swiss Eglise évangélique du Canton de Vaud. It is reported that he was inspired to write it after the death of his first wife, Marie de Vayenborg in

Lausanne , neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR-74), ...

, Switzerland. It was later published in French hymn book ''Chants Evangéliques'' (1885), and in the ''YMCA Hymnbook'' (1904). The hymn was first translated from French into English by Richard Birch Hoyle in 1923. He was commissioned to translate the hymn by the

World Student Christian Federation The World Student Christian Federation (WSCF) is a federation of autonomous national Student Christian Movements (SCM) forming the youth and student arm of the global ecumenical movement. The Federation includes Orthodox, Protestant, Catholic, Pe ...

after Budry granted authorisation to reproduce it from the French version. It was later published in the World Student Christian Federation's hymn book, ''Cantate Domino Hymnal''. World Student Christian Federation retained copyright on Hoyle's English translation. The hymn's popularity was cemented when it was included in '' The Methodist Hymn Book'' in 1933. Today it features in several popular hymnals, including ''

The New English Hymnal ''The New English Hymnal'' is a hymn book and liturgical source aimed towards the Church of England. First published in 1986, it is a successor to, and published in the same style as, the 1906 ''English Hymnal''. It is published today by SCM Ca ...

'' ''

Singing the Faith ''Singing the Faith'' is the current authorised hymnbook (hymnal) of the Methodist Church of Great Britain, first published in 2011. The decision to produce a new hymnbook was taken at the Methodist Conference of 2009. Since the publication of the ...

'' and ''The

Church Hymnary Decisions concerning the conduct of public worship in the Church of Scotland are entirely at the discretion of the parish minister. As a result, a wide variety of musical resources are used. However, at various times in its history, the General As ...

''. Budry's text also celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus with references to the appearance of

angels In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles incl ...

in the scene of the

empty tomb The empty tomb is the Christian tradition that the tomb of Jesus was found empty on the third day after his crucifixion. All four gospels relay the story, but beyond a basic outline, they agree on little. In the original ending of the Gospel of ...

. and uses elements of . The hymn makes particular reference to verses of the

First Epistle to the Corinthians The First Epistle to the Corinthians ( grc, Α΄ ᾽Επιστολὴ πρὸς Κορινθίους) is one of the Pauline epistles, part of the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The epistle is attributed to Paul the Apostle and a co-author ...

in the

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...

(

1 Corinthians 15 1 Corinthians 15 is the fifteenth chapter of the First Epistle to the Corinthians in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It is authored by Paul the Apostle and Sosthenes in Ephesus. The first eleven verses contain the earliest account o ...

). The central theme of the victorious Christ is drawn from : "But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.", while line in the second verse of the hymn, "death hath lost its sting", is taken directly from : "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?". The line "No more we doubt thee" may also be a reference to

Doubting Thomas A doubting Thomas is a skeptic who refuses to believe without direct personal experience — a reference to the Gospel of John's depiction of the Apostle Thomas, who, in John's account, refused to believe the resurrected Jesus had appeared to ...

Other versions

The hymn was translated into Danish in 1993 and is no. 240 in Den Danske Salmebog with the title . It is listed under Easter psalms, but it also considered appropriate for funerals. There are also versions in many other languages, including Dutch: , Spanish: , Czech: , Hungarian: , Norwegian , Polish and probably many more.

Usage

The hymn is often used in Easter church services involving the British royal family. It was also played during a service of thanksgiving in commemoration of Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

's 80th birthday. The hymn is also used during funerals and is listed in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

's funeral services hymn book. During the

Last Night of the Proms The BBC Proms or Proms, formally named the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts Presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert H ...

in the United Kingdom, Thine Be the Glory is played after Fantasia on British Sea Songs with attendees traditionally whistling the tune. In the Netherlands, the original French version is sung during funerals and weddings of the

Dutch Royal Family The monarchy of the Netherlands is a constitutional monarchy. As such, the role and position of the monarch are governed by the Constitution of the Netherlands. Consequently, a large portion of it is devoted to the monarch. Roughly a third of ...

Lyrics

Below are the original lyrics by Edmond Budry with a literal English translation, and Hoyle's translation:

Tune

The following setting, based on Handel's original, is from the collection "Complete Anglican Hymns Old and New". << << \new Staff \new Lyrics \lyricmode \new Staff >> >> \layout \midi

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thine Be The Glory French Christian hymns Easter hymns Protestant hymns 1884 songs 19th-century hymns Commons category link is locally defined