"The Morning Breaks"

Episode 09: The history behind “The Morning Breaks": Charles Wesley was born in December of 1701 and was a leader of the Methodist movement, an Anglican minister, and a hymn writer. In the course of his career, Wesley wrote the words for two thousand hymns, and his poem “Wrestling Jacob” caught the eye of Parley P. Pratt with the line, “The morning breaks, the shadows flee.” To Parley this line had new meaning—the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Parley went to England in 1840 and commenced the publication of a periodical entitled The Millennial Star. It was in this publication that Parley’s hymn, “The Morning Breaks,” was first published. Born in 1839, George Edward Percy Careless began his musical career being a self-taught violinist. At the age of 11, he came in contact with missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and accepted the gospel in 1850. By 1859 George began formal studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London. After three years he began playing professionally under many famous conductors then working in London. One Sunday evening early in 1864, Elder William Staines counseled George to sail for Utah on the next ship, saying, “You are wanted in Zion and I want you to go. What do you say?” George agreed with Elder Staines’ counsel and set sail from England on the ship Hudson on June 3, 1864. The familiar George Careless tune with which we now associate “The Morning Breaks” was created in this way. Twelve years later, in 1876, Brother Careless’ hymn tune was finally published.