All Things Bright and Beautiful
by Norene Morrow
After Easter, my attention always turns to hymns with themes of nature and creation. There are so many lovely ones from which to choose, but probably the best known and loved is All Things Bright and Beautiful.
Mrs. Cecil Frances Alexander, a very popular English writer during the Victorian Era, penned this hymn in 1848. It was published in her book, Hymns for Little Children, one of the best-selling books of its time, and is one of about 400 poems/hymns written by her. Many of them were religious. They were nearly all designed for children in the Sunday schools where she taught, and were used to illustrate the basic doctrines of Christian faith, such as the Apostle's Creed. In particular, this was used to explain the creed's opening words, "I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth." Other hymns written by her include, Once in Royal David's City, There is a Green Hill Far Away, and Jesus Calls Us O'er the Tumult.
Today, All Things Bright and Beautiful is as popular a hymn as it ever was, due to its wonderful imagery and the bright melodies. If you grew up in Canada you most likely learned the tune, ROYAL OAK. However, with the emigration of large numbers of British people to this country during the early part of the last century, many prefer the English tune, W.H. MONK. In a clever move, the compilers of Common Praise have included both. However, this move has been known to spark friendly debate as to which tune is "the best"! (Last spring, the way I attempted to resolve this was to split the two tunes among the verses. It appeared to be well received.)
Regarding the text, all but one of Mrs. Alexander's original verses remains. That verse was:
The rich man in his castle,
The poor man at his gate,
God made them high or lowly,
And ordered their estate.
This verse was definitely a product of its time, and some have interpreted it as meaning that social class distinctions are God-given. Mrs. Alexander's defenders suggest, however, that what she meant to imply was the inclusiveness of God's creative power, rather than God's sanctioning of a social hierarchy. Happily, it is not in our hymnbooks, so it is not an issue. On the other hand, a new verse has been added in Common Praise. When seeking copyright permission from the author's heirs, permission was granted with the proviso that a verse be added, which was representative of our country. As a result, the compilers of Common Praise came up with this distinctly Canadian verse:
The rocky mountain splendour,
The loon's wild haunting call,
The great lakes and the prairies,
And the forest in the fall.
While a bright tune and a change of text can help a hymn's longevity, the associations people have with it are probably the most powerful. I associate it with my days in Sunday school, while animal lovers may associate it with the books of Yorkshire veterinarian, James Herriot. He has kept it alive by using lines from the first stanza as titles for his popular books, All Creatures Great and Small, followed by All Things Bright and Beautiful, All Things Wise and Wonderful, and The Lord God Made Them All. If you were a Methodist you might associate the hymn with weddings. In an article I read recently, it states that this hymn was the most popular choice for Methodist weddings in England in 2002. Finally, other composers have been inspired by these words, and one of the most beautiful renditions is John Rutter's choral setting. It is available for choirs in two to four parts or can be sung as a solo. If you are a fan of Youtube on the Internet, you can see and hear moving performances of it by a boys choir called Libera or the young New Zealand singer, Hayley Westenra. Once you hear it, I guarantee that you will truly believe that all things are, indeed, bright and beautiful!
