Fairest Lord Jesus

The story of this hymn

The German original, 'Schönster Herr Jesu', first appears in a Roman Catholic hymnbook printed in Münster in 1677; the old story that crusaders sang it on the road to Jerusalem is a romantic legend with no evidence behind it. The melody was collected from folk singers in Silesia and published in 1842. An anonymous English translation arrived in 1850, and Joseph Seiss's 1873 version, 'Beautiful Saviour', gave the hymn the much-loved final verse most congregations sing.

Where it sits in the service

Chosen when a family wants gentleness rather than grandeur: it suits the gathering hymn, a reflective moment after the tributes, or a choir or soloist, and it is often sung at children's funerals. Congregations know it under two names — 'Fairest Lord Jesus' and 'Beautiful Saviour' — with slightly different wording, so print the version your congregation actually sings.

In the programme, list it in the order of service as “Hymn — Fairest Lord Jesus” with the leader or choir named beside it.

How it is actually sung

Gentle and melodic, with a tune — Crusader’s Hymn — that most congregations recognise even when the words are unfamiliar to them. Four verses. It suits a service for a young person or a child particularly well, where its plainness carries better than a grander hymn would, and it is one of the few traditional hymns that does not feel too heavy for a small coffin.

Printing the words

Public domain in this translation. Print all four verses; the tune is more familiar than the text, so the words need to be in front of people.

This is practical guidance rather than legal advice. Reproduction rights vary by territory, by hymnal edition and by the licence your church holds — the church office is the right place to ask, and they answer this question often.