This edition was prepared by David Anderson — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Goodnight, thou glorious sun!
Staff Notation • Secular, Partsongs
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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 · James Gibb
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Goodnight, thou glorious sun! by Henry Thomas Smart — Lyrics
Goodnight, thou wondrous lamp of day,
Speed on thy mission rare,
To solace with thy joyous ray,
Some distant hemisphere!
Veiled by thy cloak of crimson gold,
Thy day's high duty done;
Speed, noblest work of heavenly mould,
Good night, goodnight, thou glorious sun!
Around us chimes the curfew bell,
The ringdove's gone to roost;
And evetide's starry sentinel
Is marching to his post!
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About Goodnight, thou glorious sun!
Henry Thomas Smart, a prolific Victorian church musician, also composed secular part-songs such as this. Written for SATB choir and sung in English, Goodnight, thou glorious sun! captures the tranquil beauty of twilight. The text describes the sun's departure, personifying it as a weary traveller bidding farewell to the day. It paints a vivid picture of the natural world settling down for the night, from the curfew bell and ring-dove to the glow-worm and night-bird's song. The composer uses the rich harmonies of SATB to convey the peaceful, slightly wistful mood of this evocative text, reflecting on the end of the day and the coming of night.
