"Fairest Lord Jesus", also known as "Beautiful Savior", is a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...

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 ...

History

According to some accounts, it was called "Crusader's Hymn" because it was sung by

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

Crusaders The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were ...

as they made their way to the

Holy Land The Holy Land; Arabic: or is an area roughly located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Bank of the Jordan River, traditionally synonymous both with the biblical Land of Israel and with the region of Palestine. The term "Ho ...

. But William Jensen Reynolds dismisses as "completely erroneous" any association of this hymn with the

Crusades The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were ...

. The words may have originated in the

Jesuit Order , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders = ...

, which came into being after the Crusades. The words were first printed in a Münster Gesangbuch of

1677 Events January–March * January 1 – Jean Racine's tragedy ''Phèdre'' is first performed, in Paris. * January 21 – The first medical publication in America (a pamphlet on smallpox) is produced in Boston. * February 15 & ...

, a Roman Catholic hymnbook. It must have become popular, in the manner of a folk-song, because it was recorded in 1839 by

August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben August Heinrich Hoffmann (, calling himself von Fallersleben, after his hometown; 2 April 179819 January 1874) was a German poet. He is best known for writing "Das Lied der Deutschen", whose third stanza is now the national anthem of Germany, an ...

in the district of Glaz in

Silesia Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. Silesia is spli ...

. With

Ernst Friedrich Richter Ernst Friedrich Eduard Richter (24 October 18089 April 1879), was a German musical theorist and composer, born at Großschönau, Saxony. He first studied music at Zittau, and afterwards at Leipzig, where he attained so high a reputation that in 1 ...

, Hoffmann von Fallersleben edited a collection of Silesian folk-songs, ''Schlesische Volkslieder'', in which the hymn appeared with its matching tune. The tune emerges in

Franz Liszt Franz Liszt, in modern usage ''Liszt Ferenc'' . Liszt's Hungarian passport spelled his given name as "Ferencz". An orthographic reform of the Hungarian language in 1922 (which was 36 years after Liszt's death) changed the letter "cz" to simpl ...

's oratorio '' Legend of Saint Elizabeth''—wherein the tune forms part of the "Crusader's March"—but no evidence of the tune exists prior to 1842, when the hymn appeared in ''Schlesische Volkslieder''. It was incorporated into the song "Eatnemen Vuelie" composed by

Frode Fjellheim Frode Fjellheim (born 27 August 1959 in Mussere) is a Southern Saami yoiker and musician (piano and synthesizer) from Norway. He is best known for his band Transjoik and as the composer of the 2002 song "Eatnemen Vuelie", which was later adapted ...

which was altered for the opening musical number of 2013 animated film

Frozen (2013 film) ''Frozen'' is a 2013 American computer-animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 53rd Disney animated feature film, it is inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's 1844 fai ...

Melody

The tune, originally a

Silesian Silesian as an adjective can mean anything from or related to Silesia. As a noun, it refers to an article, item, or person of or from Silesia. Silesian may also refer to: People and languages * Silesians, inhabitants of Silesia, either a West S ...

folk song, and the

text were printed together for the first time in 1842 by Hoffmann von Fallersleben and Richter under the name ''Schönster Herr Jesu'' (''Most beautiful Lord Jesus''). In 1850 the

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...

hymnwriter

B. S. Ingemann Bernhard Severin Ingemann (28 May 1789 – 24 February 1862) was a Danish novelist and poet. Biography Ingemann was born in Torkilstrup, on the island of Falster, Denmark. The son of a vicar, he was left fatherless in his youth. While a stu ...

wrote ', which he set to the same melody. An

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national id ...

translation by Jens C. Aaberg was published as ''Fair Is Creation''. Apart from their musical setting, the

and

lyrics are unrelated.

Lyrics

''1873 translation by Joseph A. Seiss'' ''Fairest Lord Jesus''
''hymnary.org''. Retrieved: February 10, 2015. :
:Fairest Lord Jesus, Ruler of all nature, :O Thou of God and man the Son, :Thee will I cherish, Thee will I honor, :Thou, my soul’s glory, joy and crown :
:Beautiful Savior! Lord of all the nations! :Son of God and Son of Man! :Glory and honor, praise, adoration, :Now and forever more be Thine.

References

{{reflist

External links

Original German
(CPDL.org)
Background information
from Psalter Hymnal American Christian hymns Catholic hymns in German German Christian hymns Songs about Jesus 19th-century hymns Year of song unknown Songwriter unknown