Kosche, Kenneth T. “Doxology New” Commissioned by the Rev. Dr. Harald Tomesch for DOXOLOGY: The Lutheran Center for Spiritual Care and Counsel. 2013.
In 1674 Bishop Thomas Ken published A Manual of Prayers for the Use of the Scholars of Winchester College, and in it he made reference to three hymns that he had written for his scholars, one each for “Morning,” “Evening,” and “Midnight.” One may assume these hymns were learned by the scholars perhaps from texts written out for them, but the texts were not officially published until 1694. There is no record of the tunes to which they may have been sung. All three hymns are written in long meter (four lines of eight syllables each), and all three hymns are lengthy: 14, 12, and 13 stanzas respectively…