Te lucis ante terminum (Gardiner)
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Evening Hymn "Te lucis ante terminum" |
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| Anthem by H. Balfour Gardiner | |
| English | Thee, Lord, before the close of day |
| Key | D major |
| Text | Compline hymn "Te lucis ante terminum" |
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| Dedication | E. T. Sweeting |
| Published | 1908: |
| Scoring | SATB choir and organ |
Evening Hymn, "Te lucis ante terminum" ("Thee, Lord, before the close of day"), is an anthem composed by Henry Balfour Gardiner, a setting of the Latin compline hymn "Te lucis ante terminum" for four voices and organ, 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.
Gardiner had studied at Dr. Hoch's Konservatorium in Frankfurt, composition with Iwan Knorr and piano with Lazzaro Uzielli, at the same time as Percy Grainger, Roger Quilter, Norman O'Neill and Cyril Scott. He composed the anthem in 1907 when he worked on the staff of Winchester Cathedral for one term when Edward Thomas Sweeting (1863–1930) was head of school. 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 for four voices, sometimes divided, and organ, writing the same music for both an English text and the Latin version by Pope Urban VIII. 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 published it in 2004.
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