“Morning has Broken”
Depending on how you are handling midterm season, the title of this post will either depress you further or bring you relief. Unfortunately for me, when I first encountered the phrase “morning has broken,” all I did was solemnly nod and affirm my thoughts with a breathy ‘yep’. The painting that accompanied the inscription didn’t initially contradict my assumptions either.
Created by an artist by the name of Brad Gray, the image inspires a weird sense of serenity and calm, despite its slight morbidness. Something that a drained student might feel as he/she wanders the campus in search of some caffeine, only to be suddenly awakened by the beautifully simple song of a bird, or by the antics of a furry squirrel that, for once, is not trying to steal the lunch of said student(if you have ever been mugged by an animal you will understand what I mean).
However, the title of the work can be read in a more optimistic way: “broken,” as in undergone a change, entered a new state, or unfurled. This second meaning, lead me on a search for another inspiration for the painting. Not having found an explanation by the creator, and deciding to just randomly Google “morning has broken,” I happened upon several videos. Each of them was a different version of the same hymn: choral; popularized; broken down to just a tune, and an inspired improvisation.
“Bunessan is a hymn tune originally associated with the Christmas carol “Child in the Manger.” – Wikipedia
“Sometime before 1927 Alexander Fraser heard the melody 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 hymn book 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
In 1971, a version of “Morning Has Broken” was recorded by British singer Cat Stevens, helping popularize the tune. – Wikipedia
However, out of all the versions of “Morning has Broken” that I’ve listened to, only one stood out to me – an arrangement by Terry Farrow that was influenced by nature itself. And instead of being only connected to God, this piece connects all of life’s creations, and, in turn, achieves something that I believe the choral version could not.
The hymn tune “Bunessan,” the hymn “Morning has Broken,” the painting by Brad Gray – what all of these have in common is that they are all canvases, doomed to be recreated and painted over by various artists as they breathe in their own emotions and thoughts. And each version connects different people and different creatures, Brad Gray’s interpretation only adds to that by including Death into the equation, and in turn, achieving a different kind of harmony.
“My works range from small, atmospheric oils to large, more complex compositions. The smaller pieces focus primarily on texture, creating mood and movement through the use of strong tonal ranges and loose brushstrokes. The larger works are often theatrical in nature depicting an array of peculiar characters thrown together in a world not entirely of our own. Influences of Bosch, Bruegel and Neo Rauch are evident in their compositional arrangements. I employ fantasy and satire to unravel the complexities of the human story. The works are rich in symbolism, reflecting life experience and issues of a wider nature. The paintings are often deeply personal that mirror contradictions within all of us-light and dark, peace and violence, life and death. Such dualities fill our lives. Despite having a conflicted outlook I weave humour through the narratives of my work, conveying the absurdity and pathos of a situation.” – Brad Gray
-L.L.L.
Images were taken from here.
Videos in order of appearance:
“Bunessan Morning Has Broken” by The King’s Message;
“Morning has Broken” by Cat Stevens;
“Hymn Tune Bunessan” by Allen Fuller;
“Improvisation on “Morning Has Broken” which is for the birds” by Terry Farrow;
The Junction Journal 