Bunessan (Scottish Gaelic: Bun Easain) is a small
village in the south of the island of Mull, on the west
coast of Scotland. Bunessan lends its name to a hymn
tune, originally associated with the Christmas carol,
"Child in the Manger". Mary M. Macdonald (1789?1872),
who lived in the nearby crofting community of Ardtun
and who spoke only Gaelic, wrote her hymn "Leanabh an
Aigh" to a traditional melody. When the words were
later translated into English, the melody was named
after the village by th...(+)
Bunessan (Scottish Gaelic: Bun Easain) is a small
village in the south of the island of Mull, on the west
coast of Scotland. Bunessan lends its name to a hymn
tune, originally associated with the Christmas carol,
"Child in the Manger". Mary M. Macdonald (1789?1872),
who lived in the nearby crofting community of Ardtun
and who spoke only Gaelic, wrote her hymn "Leanabh an
Aigh" to a traditional melody. When the words were
later translated into English, the melody was named
after the village by the translator, Lachlan Macbean.
Sometime before 1927 Alexander Fraser heard the melody
from a minstrel in the Scottish Highlands and wrote it
down so that it came to the attention of Percy Dearmer,
Ralph Vaughan Williams, and Martin Shaw. In turn, these
editors of the hymnbook Songs of Praise requested
Eleanor Farjeon to write a further hymn text to the
tune. This was "Morning Has Broken" and since 1931 the
tune has become most familiarly identified with this
hymn. (Wikipedia)
SHEET MUSIC