The Maker of the sun and moon
The Maker of the sun and moon. Laurence Housman* (1865-1959).
This is one of a group of eight Christmas songs which appeared (as ‘The Maker of the sun and stars’) in Housman’s collection Bethlehem, a Nativity Play; the Pageant of our Lady; and other Poems (1902). They were not in the play Bethlehem, but included in the ‘other Poems’ of the 1902 book title. Described as ‘Christmas Songs (written for music)’, it was intended that they should be set by Joseph Moorat, who provided the play's music. Housman did not include them in his Collected Poems (1937).
The hymn was included in EH, with the tune NEWBURY, from a Hampshire mummers’ carol, set to it by Ralph Vaughan Williams*. Like many...
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MLA style (see MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing, 3rd Ed.)
. "The Maker of the sun and moon."
The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology. Canterbury Press. Web. 21 Apr. 2026.<
http://www.hymnology.co.uk/t/the-maker-of-the-sun-and-moon>.
Chicago style (see The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th Ed.)
. "The Maker of the sun and moon."
The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology. Canterbury Press, accessed April 21, 2026,
http://www.hymnology.co.uk/t/the-maker-of-the-sun-and-moon.