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Beautiful Star of Bethlehem

[ Roud 15755 ; Mudcat 42167 ; Adger McDavid Pace and R. Fisher Boyce, 1940]

Evelyn and Douston Ramsey sang Beautiful Star of Bethlehem to Mike Yates at their home in Sodom Laurel, Madison County, North Carolina, on 29 August 1980. This recording was included in 2013 on the Musical Traditions anthology of songs, tunes and stories from Mike Yates’ Appalachian collections, Far in the Mountains Volume 5: Echoes From the Mountains. Mike Yates noted:

Evelyn and Douston told me that this gospel song was always sung at Christmas time in Madison County. It seems that the song was written by R. Fisher Boyce (1887-1968), a deacon at the Mt Carmel Baptist Church in Rutherford County, Tennessee, in the early 1930s. Boyce, according to the story, woke up one Sunday morning with the tune on his mind. As he started to write it down one of his children came into the room singing another hymn, so Boyce moved into the nearby empty milking barn, where he completed the tune and words. However, others claim that it was composed by Adger McDavid Pace (1882-1959), also from Tennessee, who composed quite a number of gospel songs. In fact, Pace may have simply arranged the tune, although when the hymn was printed in 1940 both Boyce and Pace were shown as the joint composers. No doubt the song was inspired by this line from Mathew 2:10, “When (the Wise Men) saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy”.

BACCApella, the singers of BACCApipes Folk Club (Mollie Binns, Maggie Boyle, Jim Ellison, Carolyn Gill, Joel Griffiths, Lynda Hardcastle, Fay Hield, Mike Hockenhull, Helen Hockenhull, Mal Jardine, Jim Lawton, Anne McGrath, Tim Moon, John Pedrick, Sian Pedrick, Alan Rose, Jenny Scott, David Williams), sang Beautiful Star of Bethlehem in 1999 on their privately released CD The Haworth Set.

Finest Kind sang Beautiful Star of Bethlehem in 2004 on their Fallen Angle CD Feasts & Spirits. They noted:

This American carol, found in old hymn books under two different composers’ names, has become something of a Christmas standard in the bluegrass repertoire. It was originally made popular by the Stanley Brothers and appears on more recent recordings by Emmylou Harris and other country and bluegrass musicians. Ann [Downey] learned it the old way, from friends.

Craig Morgan Robson sang Beautiful Star of Bethlehem on their 2005 CD Hummingbird’s Feather. They noted:

Max Hunter, a travelling salesman from Springfield, Missouri, recorded nearly 1,600 folk songs from the Ozark Mountains between 1956 and 1976, his aim being to record the music and the oral traditions of the people of the region. This lovely carol was sung by Mr. J.W. Breazeal, Springfield, Missouri on 27 April 1958 (Cat. #0086 MFH #33). We learned Mr. Breazeal’s version long before we discovered that the song is something of a standard Christmas item in the Bluegrass repertoire. It is listed in hymn books under two different composers’ names.

Nowell Sing We Clear sang Beautiful Star of Bethlehem in 2008 on their Golden Hind pageant of Midwinter carols, Nowell Nowell Nowell. They noted:

We took this American country/gospel/bluegrass “oldie” by A.J. Phipps from an unlikely source: the BACCApella singers of the BACCApipes Folk Club in Haworth, near Keighley, Yorkshire. Our setting is by Andy Davis.

Eliza Carthy and Jon Boden sang Beautiful Star in 2023 on their Hudson album Glad Christmas Comes. Jon Boden noted:

Written by Adger M. Pace and R. Fisher Boyce in 1940 and popularised by The Stanley Brothers in the 1960s, this is another song suggested by Norma [Waterson] and she is particularly in our thoughts when we sing it.

Lyrics

Evelyn and Douston Ramsey sing Beautiful Star of Bethlehem

Oh beautiful star of Bethlehem
Shining afar through shadows dimmed
Giving the light for those who long have gone (have gone)
And guiding the wise men on their way
Unto the place where Jesus lay
Beautiful star of Bethlehem shine on (shine on)

Oh beautiful star (beautiful, beautiful star)
Of Bethlehem (star of Bethlehem)
Shine upon us until the glory dawns (glory dawns)
Give us a light to light the way
Unto/into the land of perfect day
Beautiful star of Bethlehem shine on (shine on)

Oh beautiful star the hope, the light
Guiding the pilgrim through the night
Over the mountains ’till the break of dawn (of dawn)
Into the light of perfect day
It will give out a lovely ray
Beautiful star of Bethlehem shine on (shine on)

Oh beautiful star (beautiful, beautiful star) of Bethlehem (star of Bethlehem)
Shine upon us until the glory dawns (glory dawns)
Oh give us the light to light the way
Unto/into the land of perfect day
Beautiful star of Bethlehem shine on (shine on)

Oh beautiful star the hope of rest
For the redeem the good and blessed
Yonder in glory where the crown is won (is won)
For Jesus is now the star divine
Brighter and brighter he will shine
Beautiful star of Bethlehem shine on (shine on)

Nowell Sing We Clear sing Beautiful Star of Bethlehem

O Beautiful Star of Bethlehem
Shining afar through shadows dim
Giving a light to those who long have gone
Guiding the Wise Men on their way
Unto the place where Jesus lay
Beautiful Star of Bethlehem, shine on:

Chorus (after each verse):
O Beautiful Star of Bethlehem
Shine upon us until the Glory dawns
Give us a light to light the way
Unto the land of perfect day
Beautiful Star of Bethlehem, shine on.

O Beautiful Star, the hope of light
Guiding the pilgrims through the night
Over the mountains till the break of dawn
Into the light of perfect day
It will give out a lovely ray
Beautiful Star of Bethlehem, shine on:

O Beautiful Star, the hope of rest
For the redeemed, the good and blest
Yonder in Glory when the Crown is won
Jesus is now the Star Divine
Brighter and brighter we will shine
Beautiful Star of Bethlehem, shine on: