Hyperion Records

During his lifetime John Ellerton (1826–1893) wrote a large number of hymns and translations, and a glance at the index of almost any hymn book will reveal at least four or five of his works. Ellerton‘s contributions to English hymnody are best represented in Hymns Ancient and Modern and The Methodist Hymnbook (1933), which both include his original hymns The day thou gavest and This is the day of light and his translation from the Mozarabic Breviary of the fifth century of Sing alleluia forth.

Two hymn tunes of Reverend Clement Cotterill Scholefield (1839–1904) have been set to poems by Ellerton; the hymn tune ‘Irene’ is often coupled with Ellerton’s When the day of toil is done and on this recording The day thou gavest, Lord, is ended is set to Scholefield’s more familiar tune ‘St Clement’.

from notes by Sarah Langdon © 1999