Thine Be The Glory

Thine Be the Glory is a popular Christian hymn set to the tune of the chorus "See, the Conqu'ring hero comes" from the Handel oratorio Judas Maccabaeus. It was written in 1884 by the Swiss writer Edmond Budry (1854-1932).



The political context of the British chorus "See, the Conqu'ring hero comes" is the Jacobite Rising of 1745. Handel, an obviously devout Hanoverian, hastily composed the oratorio in 1746 for the encouragement of the English. After the success of the British forces at the Battle of Culloden, he started a work in honour of the victorious Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, addressed as a "Truly Wise, Valiant, and Virtuous Commander".

The first performance took place on April 1, 1747 at Covent Garden, and Judas Maccabaeus became one of Handel's most popular oratorios with frequent reprises, second only to his masterpiece, Messiah. The chorus "See, the Conqu'ring hero comes" became well-known later as the music was invariably played by brass bands at the opening of new railway lines and stations in Britain during the 19th century. It is also one of the movements in Fantasia on British Sea Songs, a medly of sea songs arranged in 1905 by the legendary BBC Proms conductor, Sir Henry Wood, to mark the centenary of the Battle of Trafalgar.