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Show Old-Time Efymn, Popularized by Radio, Becomes Most-Loved of Broadcast Airs Note the Jay it ever. Night is dtarving nigh Shadows of the evening Steal across the sky. This simple refrain, breathing Us note of peace and quiet, probably ha! reached more millions of listeners during the past four years, and has become better-loved by them, than any stanza of any other hymn in the English language. Each Sunday evening, for more than two hundred weeks, artists In the Atwater Kent Radio Hour In-rludlng In-rludlng the most famous opera and concert stars of this generation have, one and all. ended their programs pro-grams with this old hymn. But while no classic aria, no great work of famed composers has brought from the radio audience such heartfelt heart-felt expressions of appreciation and pleasure, few of the millions who have come to love this song know its origin or the name of its author. The hymn from which this stanza was taken was written by the Rev. Sabine Baring-Gould, beat known among English hymn writers as the author of "Onward Christian Soldiers." Sol-diers." First published in 1S67. It had been written by Baring-Gould! for the children of his parish shortly short-ly after he had been assigned as rector to Horbury Bridge, in Yorkshire, York-shire, following his graduation at Cambridge. It was for these same children of Horbury that Baring-Gould wrote "Onward Christian Soldiers." Of the circumstances surrounding the writing of this, his most famous hymn, he afterward explained: "Whit Monday Is a great day for school festivities in Yorkshire. One '.Vhit Monday our school was to NOW THE DAY IS OVER. 3"- Word by Sabine Baring-Could. ew'-arnby. &jrL& g ff 1 Wow th dy Ii w, N J I ft. Nov th dwk ben g-mtb - m & r 8. J mt, riv th w tj i.i 5i 4. Thro tho long night tcb m l & t, Wbea th mora - Ing kn, 1 b Jftx 4?. aj;' .. " ill 8k Mi w of lb .r -Din. IV- f V"' Bld btuli ud loi . X ,( T Wnb Thf Kit . imt Vum . int. ' j- i,.-. TKeir .hi.; .io . . bo.. ... ?W 4 ' J JML Par. tul fmli . la ft" l 'l-jfjm. Aod Is Tom. Ut Spir . It, WhiyjWer ton. g-y-r V I f4: ev. Sabine Join forces with those of a neighboring neigh-boring village. I wanted the children chil-dren to sing while marching from one village to the other, but could And no song quite suitable. So I sat up at night, resolved to write something myself. 'Onward Christian Chris-tian Soldiers' was the result. It was written In haste and without thought of publication. Certainly nothing has surprlsed me more than Its popularity." The use of at least one stanza from "Now the Day Is Over." as the closing number in each Sunday evening Atwater Kent Hour, was begun early In 192S. about six months after this series of concerts con-certs started. So Immediate and widespread was the response to Its use. and so effectively did ll ex- j press the atmosphere of these pro- grams, that It has been kept up as la finale every week since. During this period it has been intoned as a goodnight number for Sabbath day radio listeners hy more than 130 of America's most famous singers, over a national network of thirty-three thirty-three stations. The music to which "Now the Day Is Over" is broadcast was written by Sir Joseph Barnby. a native of York, who composed the tunes for 246 hymns. In : ition to his work as composer. Sir Joseph was one of the best known organists organ-ists of the past century. He was organist at St. Andrew's, in Wells Street. London, for eight years and at St. Anne s. Soho, for fifteen years. |