Tune "Thine Be the Glory" is sung to the
hymn tune . The tune was originally written by the German-British composer
George Frideric Handel. He composed it initially for his 1747
oratorio Joshua, in which it features as a chorus, "See, the Conquering Hero Comes!", celebrating the military victories of the Biblical figure
Joshua. The chorus is sung three times, and its final rendition is accompanied by a military
side drum. Handel was confident that the tune would prove popular, and claimed to the music historian
John Hawkins that "You will live to see it a greater favourite with the people than my other fine things." So confident was Handel of its popularity that he added the chorus to his other oratorio
Judas Maccabaeus, written the previous year. "See, the Conquering Hero Comes!" was repurposed to celebrate the military victory of another
Old Testament figure,
Judas Maccabaeus. Handel's tune bears some historic anti-
Jacobite associations. The composition of
Judas Maccabaeus was reportedly influenced by
Frederick, Prince of Wales; the subject matter of an old testament military victory was chosen as an oblique tribute to the victory of his brother, the
Duke of Cumberland, at the
Battle of Culloden in April 1746. In 1796,
Ludwig van Beethoven composed twelve variations on "See, the Conquering Hero Comes!" for both piano and cello.
Text Handel's popular chorus tune was first put to use as a hymn tune in
Harmonia Sacra, a
hymnal compiled in 1754 by
Thomas Butts, in which it is used as a setting for
Charles Wesley's hymn "
Christ the Lord Is Risen Today". His choice of Handel's militaristic theme was intended to reinforce the
metaphor the
resurrected Christ as a victorious warrior who has vanquished death and the powers of evil. In 1884, Handel's tune was used as a setting for a new French-language hymn, "A Toi la Gloire." It was written by
Edmond Louis Budry, a minister of the Swiss Eglise évangélique du Canton de Vaud. It is reported that he was inspired to write it after the death of his first wife, Marie de Vayenborg in
Lausanne, Switzerland. It was later published in French hymn book
Chants Evangéliques (1885), and in the
YMCA Hymnbook (1904). It was later published in the World Student Christian Federation's hymn book,
Cantate Domino Hymnal. Today it features in several popular hymnals, including
The New English Hymnal Singing the Faith and
The Church Hymnary. Budry's text also celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus with references to the appearance of
angels in the scene of the
empty tomb. and uses elements of . It is listed under Easter psalms, but it also considered appropriate for funerals. There are also versions in many other languages, including Dutch: , Spanish: , Czech: , Hungarian: , Norwegian , Polish and probably many more. == Usage ==