Star In the East
This American folk carol was first published in the 1830s. Most of the lyrics were penned by Reginald Heber, a poet, hymnwriter, and Anglican cleric who served for a number of years as Bishop of Calcutta during the 1820s. But the carol’s opening verse, “Hail the blest morn, see the great Mediator,” is by an anonymous author, with Heber’s text, including the refrain, constituting the remainder of the lyrics.
STAR IN THE EAST
Music: American Folk Carol
Text: Reginald Heber
Arrangement: Mack Wilberg
Hail the blest morn, see the great Mediator
Down from the regions of glory descend.
Shepherds, go worship the Babe in the manger,
Lo, for His guard the bright angels attend.
Brightest and best, all ye angels of morning,
Dawn on our darkness and lend us thine aid.
Star in the East, the horizon adorning,
Guide where our infant Redeemer was laid.
Cold on His cradle the dewdrops are shining,
Low lies His bed, with the beasts of the stall.
Angels adore Him, in slumbers reclining,
Wise men and shepherds before Him do fall.
Brightest and best, all ye angels of morning,
Dawn on our darkness and lend us thine aid.
Star in the East, the horizon adorning,
Guide where our infant Redeemer was laid.
Then, let us yield Him in costly devotion
Fragrance of Eden and offerings divine,
Gems from the mountains and pearls from the ocean,
Myrrh from the forest and gold from the mine.
Brightest and best, all ye angels of morning,
Dawn on our darkness and lend us thine aid.
Star in the East, the horizon adorning,
Guide where our infant Redeemer was laid.
Mack Wilberg’s arrangement, written especially for the 2019 Christmas concert, turned this folk carol into a candle-lit processional for the Tabernacle Choir, which entered from the back of the Conference Center in a stately procession toward the stage. An excerpt from Robert Frost’s beloved poem “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” recited by actor Richard Thomas, complemented the folk origins of the carol’s music.
This processional is perhaps the most dramatic and powerful of the numerous excellent and varied pieces that have been used to open these Christmas Concerts over the last ten and more years. Close to 500 persons were involved, marching down the aisles of the Conference Center and up into their places on the stage and in the choir loft. But the best part is where the brass section of the orchestra flexes its muscles just before Richard Thomas’s entrance. I hope you enjoy performance this as much as I have.
