Now The Day Is Over

This quiet hymn from the late 1800s provides a quiet calming moment towards the end of any performance. It also offers a gentle way to end music class for the week or for the year.

The music is credited to Joseph Barnby, though it is alternately claimed to come from other traditional melodies. The lyrics, by and large, are based on scripture, but the song lyrics are attributed to Sabine Baring-Gould. It was first published in print in The Church Times in 1867. (Putting music in magazines isn't a new thing, it seems, but we doubt that they had a digital edition or the great recorded tracks we provide.)

Our arrangement is set in unison, which sounds nice with this simple, quiet tune. We use two verses, though if you are accompanying it live, you could add other verses. We have seen at least five more. The provided piano part is quite playable, and allows you to add these extra verses to your performance, if you like.

The recording features an orchestral accompaniment that includes distinctive (real!) orchestral chimes in the introduction. It stays simple and homogenous, as it should be with the hymn.