Lyrics:

1. How gentle God’s commands!
How kind his precepts are!
Come, cast your burdens on the Lord
And trust his constant care.

2. Beneath his watchful eye,
His Saints securely dwell;
That hand which bears all nature up
Shall guard his children well.

3. Why should this anxious load
Press down your weary mind?
Haste to your Heav’nly Father’s throne
And sweet refreshment find.

4. His goodness stands approved,
Unchanged from day to day;
I’ll drop my burden at his feet
And bear a song away.

Text: Philip Doddridge, 1702-1751
Music: Hans Georg Nägeli, 1773-1836

-History: (Source: Wikipedia)

Written By: Philip Doddridge

Philip Doddridge DD (London, 26 June 1702 – Lisbon, Portugal, 26 October 1751) was an English Nonconformist leader, educator, andhymnwriter.^[1]

Music By: arr. by Lowell Mason, Hans Georg Ngeli

Lowell Mason (January 8, 1792 – August 11, 1872) was a leading figure in American church music, the composer of over 1600 hymn tunes, many of which are often sung today. His most well-known tunes include Mary Had A Little Lamb and the arrangement of Joy to the World. He was also largely responsible for introducing music into American public schools, and is considered to be the first important music educator in the United States. In the last part of his career, as music director of the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in New York City, he radically transformed American church music from a practice of having professional choirs and accompaniment to congregational singing accompanied by organ music.

Hans Georg Nägeli (26 May 1773 – 26 December 1836) was a composer and music publisher.

Nägeli was born in Wetzikon, Switzerland. He studied under his father as a child, and then opened a private music shop and publishing firm in the 1790s. In 1803 he began publishing theRepertoire des Clavecinistes, which included the first editions of keyboard pieces by composer such as Muzio Clementi, Johann Baptist Cramer, and Ludwig van Beethoven. He founded two singing societies (Sängervereinen) in Zurich, in addition to writing profusely on music theory and aesthetics, as well as introductory treatises for students. He died in Zurich in 1836.

Much of Nägeli’s compositional output consists of keyboard works and songs. His “Gold’ne Abendsonne” was adapted by others for various purposes. One version of the tune, sung by a bird (feathered) on Today (BBC Radio 4), was described by its presenters as a “Folk Song”, but also appears in various music editions of the Metrical psalter (as the tune “Zurich”), where it is correctly attributed to Nägeli.