Lyr Req: I can see by the early light the peril...

Subject: Looking For A Song
From: Ref
Date: 19 Mar 07 - 08:14 PM

Many years ago, there was an "ad" on PBS, which showed a variety of images of human endeavor, with a song soundtrack. The words went like this:

"I can see by the early light, the peril of the night is gone;
And far beyond the distant range, I see the road to freedom.
There are many paths to follow, and many fields to roam,
And I walk on beneath the stars, still shining over my land and home"

... or something like that. It was a lovely, Aaron Copeland-ish kind of tune that still pops up in my head now and then. Just wondering if anyone else heard it or can lead me to its origin. I have Googled it only to find another person trying to find it.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: I can see by the early light the peril...
From: GUEST,Travis Hiland
Date: 10 Aug 19 - 05:52 PM

Here's an obscure link:
http://thisfarbyfaith.blogspot.com/2004/07/early-light.html

Blogger attributes authorship to composer Jonathan Elias, who composed it for PBS in 1993.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: I can see by the early light the peril...
From: GUEST,TT
Date: 15 Apr 20 - 02:03 AM

This was likely used as promotional clip to the Ken Burns series, The Civil War.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: I can see by the early light the peril...
From: cnd
Date: 15 Apr 20 - 10:36 AM

Searching through the US copyright catalog I didn't see anything that looked like Jonathan Elias was the composer of the lyrics. While Elias was a classical composer for several film scores and commercials (and copyrighted a work called "PBS Main Theme" in August 1984, I didn't see anything copyrighted by Elias that sounded like it matched this song to me. "Requiem For The Americas" seemed close in some ways, but what I could find of it didn't sound right. It is possible Elias made the music and someone else added words. But a lot of his music I heard was not particularly "Aaron Copland-ish" in my opinion.

I did find, copyrighted 1995 to James C. O'Brien, a song called Early light, though I was unable to find anything more about it. The same James C. O'Brien (b. 1929) has 4 other attributed works from the early-mid '90s.

You could try contacting PBS, because other than this post and one or two other comments on blogs with more or less the same set of comments, I'm drawing a blank.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: I can see by the early light the peril...
From: cnd
Date: 15 Apr 20 - 10:42 AM

Oops, well, I linked the wrong page for PBS Main Theme but with a little clicking around you can get there eventually.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: I can see by the early light the peril...
From: GUEST,Starship
Date: 15 Apr 20 - 07:58 PM

I've emailed PBS and if/when they get back to me I'll post here. It's a long shot, but every now and then Beetlebaum comes in.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: I can see by the early light the peril...
From: GUEST,Blue387
Date: 23 Aug 25 - 01:23 AM

I have found the song in question here in an ad for PBS from 1993:

https://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-225-24jm667d?start=1914.52&end=1975.00