Praise My Soul, the King of Heaven

Album: Be Still My Soul: The Ultimate Hymns Collection (1834)
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Songfacts®:

  • For over 100 years the Reverend Henry Lyte was best known for writing the classic hymn "Abide With Me." He is now probably better known as the author of this hymn of praise, whose popularity was enhanced by Queen Elizabeth choosing it for her wedding to the Duke of Edinburgh, on November 20, 1947. It remains a popular choice at weddings and funerals.
  • The hymn, written by Lyte for his congregation, is a rendering of Psalm 103, which begins, "Praise the Lord, O my soul!" The tune was published it in his 1834 collection of hymns, The Spirit of the Psalms, whose purpose, as the title indicates, was not to provide a literal paraphrase of the psalms but rather to capture their underlying spirit and make them genuine acts of Christian worship.
  • The wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten where this hymn was sung took place on November 20, 1947, 150 years to the day after the death of Henry Francis Lyte.
  • "Praise, My Soul" was also played during the 2018 funeral of former US. President George H. W. Bush.

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