''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 sho ...

composed by

Henry Balfour Gardiner Henry Balfour Gardiner (7 November 1877 – 28 June 1950) was a British musician, composer, and teacher. He was the son of Henry John Gardiner, a successful entrepreneur who made a considerable fortune in the drapery wholesale business in Brist ...

, a setting of the

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

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

hymn "" for four voices and

organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

, 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 Dr. Hoch's Konservatorium – Musikakademie was founded in Frankfurt am Main on 22 September 1878. Through the generosity of Frankfurter Joseph Hoch, who bequeathed the Conservatory one million German gold marks in his testament, a school for m ...

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, Knorr was taken to southern Russia at the age of four, where he was surrounded by Russian folk music. His mother taught ...

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 moved to the United States in 1914 and became an American citizen in 1918. In the course of a long and ...

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 English ...

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 an English Public school (United Kingdom), public school (a long-established fee-charging boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) with some provision for day school, day attendees, in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It wa ...

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 is a major scale based on D (musical note), D, consisting of the pitches D, E (musical note), E, F♯ (musical note), F, G (musical note), G, A (musical note), A, B (musical note), B, and C♯ (musical note), C. Its key signature has two S ...

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 (; ; 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 pope, he expanded the papal terri ...

. 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, 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 includes more than 26,000 works ...

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 notat ...

. 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. It is loosely based on the canonical hours of vespers and compline. Old English speakers translated the Latin word as , which ...

. 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 The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

English translation Te lucis ante terminum
forum.musicasacra.com

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