The summers in Georgia, USA are very hot. However, this past week we have been lucky as we have had cool mornings down in the 60's. It has been heavenly! Richard must have loved these mornings too as he has been playing "Morning Has Broken" on his guitar. I knew that Yusuf/Cat Stevens had a big hit with it in 1971. (We also had our friend play it on the piano on our wedding day in 1983!) I also knew that it was a hymn, with the words written by Eleanor Farjeon. The hymn was published in 1931.) Now, it made me wonder...who wrote the music? Eleanor Farjeon is English and so is Cat Stevens but for the music, we have to go to Scotland....
It is set to the tune "Bunessan" which is a folk melody from the village of Bunessan which is a small village on the Isle of Mull off the southwest coast of Scotland. Mary Macdonald from the nearby community of Ardtun first used the traditional local tune to a Christmas Carol that she wrote in Gaelic, translated into "Christ In The Manger". She was the first to call the tune "Bunessan" but as it is true with many folk melodies, the author is unknown. Even though the songwriter is lost to history, we only know that is a lovely tune and we appreciate it.
James Quinn, a Jesuit priest from Glasgow, Scotland wrote some lovely lyrics to this same tune, "This Day God Gives Me". I had never heard it before! Finding this in my research was a true gift.... and I really loved this description of the priest, "He was known for his gentle manner".
I have given you links to those three people- Cat Stevens, Eleanor Farjeon and James Quinn. Such fascinating life stories! It truly is worth your time to read about them. I promise! (I do wish someone would make films about each of them. All of them are inspiring!)
Of course, I cannot finish this post without including "Morning Has Broken". This is a video of Yusuf/Cat Stevens in 2022. He still has a great sounding vocal. Enjoy!
Another thing I learned recently....I saw this book at our local library, "The Birds of Edward Lear". Fascinating! Did you know that not only was he an author but a fantastic artist? Once again, such an amazing life story! Edward Lear There, I have another link!
I almost forgot to say....
"Oh, What A Beautiful Morning"! That song is from the musical "Oklahoma" by Rodgers and Hammerstein. Therefore, those lyrics are by one of my great heroes, Oscar Hammerstein! Dare I say it, you MUST read up about him too!
I was a HUGE Cat Stevens fan in the 1970s when I was a teenager! Thanks for this trip down memory lane!
ReplyDeleteI was pleased to find this more recent video of him singing "Morning Has Broken". I thought it was very good.
DeleteMorning has broken, like the first morning . . . We sang the hymn in church and when I was a teenager I listened to my Cat Stevens' 8-track tapes over and over.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
I didn't know this was a hymn until I heard it in a church when we were in England. I only knew it from Cat Stephens, but like you, I loved it!
DeleteAnother lovely post from you, dear Kay. I was getting a little worried and about to write to you, since there had not been any posts in a while.
ReplyDeleteSummer here is definitely closing down. Days can still be really hot, but cooler nights are very welcome.
It has been so very, very hot. It takes all the energy out of me! I hope you had a chance to listen to that first hymn here.
DeleteIt is beautiful, and I thank you for posting it!
DeleteOne question, though: I am a bit puzzled by the different spelliings of names. Is it Cat Stevens or Stephens? Is it Yusef or Yusuf?
We are out walking, I will correct these spellings!! It should be Yusuf/ Cat Stevens Richard noticed my misspelling of Yusef but he didn't notice Stephens! I was so careful to call him by the name he wishes to be known now, but I still spelled it wrong. I'm old!!
DeleteThere, I think all is correctly spelled now! I even noticed that I needed to correct Rogers and Hammerstein, the correct spelling is RODGERS! Yikes! How many names can one get wrong? Quite a few if it's me doing the post.
DeleteNot to worry, Kay - I was just puzzled, that‘s all.
DeleteBest thing about your reply to my comment is your sentence „We are out walking“ - that‘s great!! I assume the weather was good and not too hot, and I hope you saw beautiful flowers and enjoyed your walk thoroughly, dear friend.
Thank you for pointing out my errors. Hey, that's what friends are for! Ah, yes, we walk every morning. We have to get up very early when it is very hot! And you know I always look for beauty, my friend! x
DeleteThat's such a beautiful song. Thanks for sharing it. X
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you listened to it!
DeleteWhat a lovely post! This beautiful tune is everlasting. We still sing it occasionally in my church, with a different set of words. Thank you for your comment on my blog, ages ago, which I recently found. I am hoping to get back into blogging asap.
ReplyDeleteHey Patricia! So happy to see your comment here! I do miss your posts! No pressure for you to blog again, you do so when you are able! I am not one to talk, it takes me AGES to get the energy to write! LOL!
DeleteAnother fascinating and interesting post. I think you explore more things in a day than I explore in a month!
ReplyDeleteHey Graham, Thanks! It's great to be able to look things up. When I was in school I would ask so many questions, several teachers would send me to the library to research my many questions. Kids these days have it so easy! I hope you will look up these folks too!
DeleteYusef/Cat Stevens' rendition of Morning Has Broken is hauntingly beautiful. I am going to check out the rest of the songs with the same melody. I mostly use my computer to learn. It's my favorite pasttime. And I can listen to my music unless music is what I am researching. Oh What A Beautiful Morning is the song we used to sing every morning in school.
ReplyDeleteOh, if only I had gone to a school where we sang "Oh What A Beautiful Morning"! I would have loved that. Thanks very much for your comment!
DeleteAll new items of information to me. Bob. BSS.
ReplyDeleteHey Bob! Oh, how I hope you will look up the info about them! James Quinn spent most of his life in Edinburgh, I think but he was born in Glasgow. It's true I have that English heart but hey, I've never been to Scotland! LOL!
DeleteIt's such fun to read your blog and learn so many new things. Sometimes I can't look them all up, but I do try to at least skim one or two. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteHaha, you should have to LIVE with me! Poor Richard, I do believe I must drive him crazy with all the things that I look up and then, I just HAVE to tell him every single detail!
DeleteI love Broadway so of course that song resonates with me.
ReplyDeleteYou are a musician too! So, you have given music to the world too. Much respect! x
DeleteThank you for Cat Stevens, Kay. I do have him on my iPhone so I can listen to him with my Airpods when we go walking. :-)
ReplyDeleteI wonder if Art likes him too? There is a Cat Stevens song, "Father and Son", which is lovely.
DeleteI love "Morning has Broken" in the original hymn too. I noticed recently that Eleanor Farjeon is buried really near where I live. I used to be sometimes given her books to read when I was a child - they mostly had a nice atmosphere, and many were illustrated by an artist called Edward Ardizzone who had a distinctive pen and ink style. So the books were easily recognisable in the library or shop.
ReplyDeleteI also love "Morning Has Broken" as a hymn. (I didn't know it was that in the early 70's but when I heard it sung in the 80's in England, I did!) I looked up the artist you mentioned. The list of books that he illustrated is most impressive. Ah, Eleanor Farjeon is buried near to you? I do hope you will visit her gravesite and photograph it and perhaps, do a post about her? Pretty please? Oh, I am a bossy boots, I know but I am sure you would enjoy writing about her and your readers would like it too. Her grandfather was an American actor, and he knew the family of John Wilkes Booth! (The actor who assassinated Abraham Lincoln.)
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