Evening’s Holy Hour

Hymns
Written By Alex Lucke

2008 SATB 4 min

Description

I wrote this hymn in 2009 as part of a larger work called “Two Wings, One Bird”. I used texts in long meter by two 19th century authors: Stephen G Bulfinch (1809-1870) and John Bowring (1792-1872). Verses one and two are by Bowring:

Hath not thy heart within thee burned
At evening’s calm and holy hour
As if its inmost depths discerned
The presence of a holier power?

O voice of God, forever near,
In low, sweet accents whispering peace,
Make us Thy harmonies to hear
Whose heavenly echoes never cease.

Verse three and four are by Bowring: 
When mystery clouds my darkened path,
I conquer dread and doubts reprove;
In this my heart sweet comfort hath,
That God is Love.

Yes, God is Love: a thought like this
Can every gloomy thought remove,
And turn all tears, all woes, to bliss, 
For God is Love. 

This hymn also scans perfectly to the words of the Doxolgy:

Be Thou O God exalted high

And as Thy glory fills the sky

So let it be on earth displayed

Til Thou art here and now obeyed


Details

I have written multiple arrangements of this hymn: for choir and orchestra, solo voice, and as an instrumental. The recording below is sung by Molly Mahoney, accompanied by a chamber orchestra, and will be released with other pieces as a complete recording titled “Quiet”, in December 2021.

Alex Lucke
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