Hymn Archives - Music | Speaking

What do you give a really special friend that has everything for a milestone birthday? In short, a beautiful and classical rendition of her favorite, timeless Hymn, Be Thou My Vision featuring her lovely and talented daughter as the Soloist.

History of Be Thou My Vision

To began, according to Irish tradition, around 433 AD, King Logaire of Tara (Ireland) decreed that no one was allowed to light any fires until a pagan festival began with the lighting of a fire on Slane Hill. However, St. Patrick, a missionary in the area defied the king by lighting candles on the eve of Resurrection Day. Consequently, King Logaire was so impressed with St. Patrick’s devotion he left him alone and permitted him to continue his work as Ireland’s first Christian missionary (source: Perkins School of Theology).

Meanwhile, fast forward to a Monk named “Dallán Forgaill,”(530-598 AD) later Canonized, who wrote the Irish poem, “Rop tú mo Baile” (“Be Thou My Vision”). He wrote the poem in memory of and to honor St. Patrick’s devotion and contributions to the Irish. The poem is a prayer for protection based on Ephesians 6: 16-17.

Modern History of Be Thou My Vision

Since the original poem is from from “Slane,” it is common to title old hymns with the name of the place where they originated. Hence the song is sometimes called by the name “Slane,” and you are likely to see that in a hymnal. Furthermore, “Be Thou My Vision,” today is reported to be one of the most popular Hymns in England.

In Summary, here is a brief timeline of how the Hymn became what is is today.

- 1905 – “Mary Elizabeth Byrne” translates the Old Irish poem, into English as “Be Thou My Vision.“
- 1909 – The Old Irish Folk song “With My Love on the Road,” which later becomes the melody, is published in “Old Irish Folk Music and Songs,” by “P. W. Joyce,” the original author is unknown.
- 1912 – “Eleanor Hull” (1860-1935) rearranges the text into verses and publishes this in her “Poem Book of the Gael” compilation.
- 1919 – The words and tune are first combined and harmonized by “Leopold L Dix” (1861-1935).
- 1927 – “David Evans” creates a new version; and Erik Routley introduces it to the English Hymnal.

Be Thou My Vision Original Old Irish Gaelic Test

Oldest Surviving Manuscript of “Rop tú mo Baile,” Royal Irish Academy 23 N 10 (16th century), pp. 95

Listen to it here “Rop tú mo Baile.” Can you sing along in Old Irish Gaelic?

Watch LeBaker Musics Renditions of Be Thou My Vision on YouTube

Photo Credits : James and Judith Baker taken in ID, KS, MO, MT, ND, OR, SD, WA, and WV in 2021.

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#LeBaker Music, # Beextradorinary #womeninbusiness #entrepreneur #johnmaxwellteam #Be Thou My Vision #Hymn #Classic Traditional Hymn R#op tú mo Baile #With My Love on the Road

Introducing a compilation of rock music, spoken word, and classic hymns. We are excited to share the story behind the album “Roar“

One Big Inspiration

Up until now, the music I have released has been a compilation of songs from the stories of others written at different times. Before I was blessed to learn the art of production I really amassed a wish list of songs to release. As you are aware, I generally share the story behind each song in an individual blog. For this project it was all inspired, unexpectedly, and at the same time. Here is my story behind the album Roar.

How it All Started

I was watching Prophet Robin Bullock’s program the 11th hour when he made the statement “we are soldiers living on the edge of life and death.” Hence just a few days later, I was deeply inspired by the October 2021, Fresh Fire Prophetic Conference at my home church Regeneration Nashville. Pastor Gene Bailey started it with a fresh commission as a soldier in the Army of the Lord. I was born a warrior for the Lord and this has always been in the fiber of my DNA. The Lord began speaking to me about creating a new project.

I remember thinking, but I just released “Bigger Than Me” and you want me to do another album this soon Lord? I didn’t question, I just listened. Shortly after the conference my husband and I headed to West Virginia to meet our new Nephew and spend time with family. In that down time divine inspiration came. Furthermore, it was the clearest instruction I have received by the Holy Spirit to date. Here is a brief back story for each song.

Download Roar Here

1. Roar

Roar (Title Track) – A strong rock song inspired by Apostle Jane Hamon instructing us from God’s word to stand in the Authority we have as believers in Christ and declare a war cry. To Roar! I literally hung onto every word she said in her message and took three pages of notes! The lyrics to this song came from those notes.

2. No Quarter

No Quarter – I already had in my que to create a song based on the 3rd Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America. Additionally, I fully intended to use the Revolutionary war cry “Don’t Tread on Me,” in the song. When I heard Brother Robin say “we are soldiers living on the edge of life and death,” I knew this was it. This song is a rock-blues song with a killer drum solo. The raspy edge in the lead vocal was a fun surprise and a different sound from me. It really added a bluesy dimension to the song.

3. Secret Place

Secret Place was the first song I started working on during that wonderful trip to the majestic state of West Virginia. Inspired by the beauty and the joy of new life I started tinkering around in Logic Pro. Surprisingly, I created this grungy guitar sound that really resonated with me. Recently, I had just read Psalm 91 and at the same time it kept coming up in the messages of the ministries I follow. As a result of being out there, isolated, with people I love dearly being in a secret place was really resonating with me. Therefore, this is the inspiration behind the song.

4. Psalm 91

Psalm 91 is simply me reading the New Kings James version from the Bible to a whimsical and mysterious cinematic musical ensemble. I feel like everyone needs to read Psalm 91, memorize it, and believe it! Since the lyrics of Secret Place were inspired by this chapter in the Bible, logically adding it as spoken word would help people discover the beautiful and encouraging chapter of the Word.

The Last 3 Tracks (5, 6 & 7)

Near The Cross (track 5) and Nearer My God To Thee (track 6) were first the background music for the last track The Little Almond Tree (track 7). First let me talk about The Little Almond Tree which is inspired by a podcast from Pastor Kent Christmas. The Lord led me to create this narrative into a beautiful story with Near The Cross and Nearer My God To Thee as instrumental background music. Appropriate for any one who loves a good story, children really enjoy The Little Almond Tree.

Sometimes Less is More

Incidentally, as we know the music in our world today is all over the place. So much variety and so many choices. I love and do create a lot of different genres and styles of music. My only limitation is I have a commission from God to create music that is Christian or family friendly. So, it should come as no surprise to you to learn that I love Hymns. With all the fantastic worship music out there today, I strongly felt that many will not know the songs behind the narrative of The Little Almond Tree. Finally, I took Near The Cross and Nearer My God To Thee and produced two songs that simply stunned me when they were completed. Near The Cross has a very traditional feel and Nearer My God To Thee has a beautiful Celtic feel to it. You don’t have to be a Christian to appreciate that sometimes less is more and these two Hymns are profoundly amazing in and of themselves. Producing a rendition of these classics is humbling to me.

In Conclusion

Interesting story to share about what happened while mixing and mastering one of the songs. As you can imagine, I have long loved the Fanny Crosby Hymn Near The Cross. Notably the song is part of many of my Resurrection Sunday celebrations. While I was putting the finishing touches on Near The Cross, our neighbor had an emergency. As you can presume, EMS and the Fire Department were present. While I was listening to the final mix of “Near the Cross,” which said…

“Near the cross, I’ll watch and wait hoping, trusting ever
‘Til I reach the golden strand just beyond the river…”

Our dear sweet neighbor, suffering from debilitating dementia and declining rapidly went home to be with the Lord. Unquestionably, I believe God gave this precious dear woman her own soundtrack to go home to Glory.

Download Roar Here

Listen on your favorite streaming platform

Would you like your own custom original song?

Contact Judith to schedule a free consultation