The hymn tune Gerontius was written by John Bacchus Dykes (1823-1876), an Anglican clergyman and prolific hymn writer. The composer chose to write variations this hymn tune which is invariably associated with Cardinal John Henry Newmans words taken from his visionary poem The Dream of Gerontius, which deals with the journey of the soul from this world to the next. The stanzas of the hymn are taken from the poem which Elgar set to music in his great masterpiece of the same name.
