"Fairest Lord Jesus", also known as "Beautiful Savior" or "Crusader's Hymn" , is a

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

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'' d ...

. It was originally a hymn in German first printed in 1677, "Schönster Herr Jesu".

History

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

Crusaders The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and at times directed by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these were the campaigns to the Holy Land aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and its surrounding ...

as they made their way to the

Holy Land The term "Holy Land" is used to collectively denote areas of the Southern Levant that hold great significance in the Abrahamic religions, primarily because of their association with people and events featured in the Bible. It is traditionall ...

. 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 at times directed by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these were the campaigns to the Holy Land aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and its surrounding t ...

. The words may have originated in the

Jesuit Order The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rome. It was founded in 1540 by ...

, 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 "", whose third stanza is now the national anthem of Germany, and a number of popular ...

in the district of Glaz in

Silesia Silesia (see names #Etymology, below) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at 8, ...

. 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 (22 October 1811 – 31 July 1886) was a Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor and teacher of the Romantic music, Romantic period. With a diverse List of compositions by Franz Liszt, body of work spanning more than six ...

'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 adapt ...

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

Frozen (2013 film) ''Frozen'' is a 2013 American animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's 1844 fairy tale "The Snow Queen", it was directed by Chris Buck an ...

. The most famous English arrangement of the hymn titled "Beautiful Savior" was composed by F. Melius Christiansen in 1919 and serves as the flagship choral anthem of The St. Olaf Choir to this day. The hymn was also played when US President

George H.W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...

’s casket was carried up the steps of the US Capitol Rotunda on 3 December 2018.

Melody

The tune, originally a

n folk song, and the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

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''). It was arranged by

Richard Storrs Willis Richard Storrs Willis (February 10, 1819 – May 10, 1900) was an American composer, mainly of hymn music. His best known melody is probably the one called, simply, '' Carol''. This is the standard tune, in the United States, though not in Great B ...

for his collection ''Church Chorals and Choir Studies'' in 1850. The Danish hymnwriter B. S. Ingemann wrote ''

Dejlig er jorden "Dejlig er jorden" (, , , , , ) is a Nordic religious hymn. The hymn is usually sung during Christmas. Origins The hymn has origins from Silesia and Germany, and the melody is derived from the hymn Schönster Herr Jesu, or "Fairest Lord Jesu ...

'', which he set to the same melody during that year. An

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

translation by Jens C. Aaberg was published as ''Fair Is Creation''. Apart from their musical setting, the Danish 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 Christian hymns in German Songs about Jesus 19th-century hymns Year of song unknown Songs with unknown songwriters