This edition was prepared by Andrew Sims — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Brightest and best of the stars of the morning
Staff Notation • Sacred, Hymns
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2 editions of this piece
Different typesettings and voicings of the same work. This page shows the main edition; the others are below.
SATB · Andrew Sims
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Brightest and best of the stars of the morning by James Proctor Harding — Lyrics
The Christian Observer, 1811
1. Brightest and best of the sons of the morning,
Dawn on our darkness, and lend us thine aid!
Star of the East, the horizon adorning,
Guide where our infant Redeemer is laid!
2. Cold on his cradle the dewdrops are shining,
Low its his bed with the beasts of the stall;
Angels adore him in slumber reclining,
Maker, and Monarch, and Savior of all!
3. Say, shall we yield him, in costly devotion,
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About Brightest and best of the stars of the morning
This hymn text paints a vivid scene of the Nativity, invoking the 'Brightest and best of the stars of the morning' to guide us to the infant Redeemer. It contrasts the humble setting of the cradle with the adoration of angels and contemplates the value of earthly treasures against the 'heart's adoration'. Composed by James Proctor Harding for SATB voices, this English-language sacred setting allows the choir to express the profound theological reflections on the Incarnation. The text, first published in The Christian Observer in 1811, offers a moving meditation on humility, devotion, and the ultimate worth of sincere faith over material wealth.
