"The Lord's Prayer" is a musical setting of the biblical Lord's Prayer, composed by Albert Hay Malotte in 1935, and recorded by many notable singers. According to his New York Times obituary: "Mr. Malotte's musical setting of 'The Lord's Prayer' was the first one that achieved popularity, although the prayer had been set to music many times before." [1] Malotte dedicated the song to baritone John Charles Thomas, whose radio performances introduced it to the public. [2]
Many artists have recorded the song. John Charles Thomas produced the first 78 rpm disc in 1936. Gracie Fields sang the song in the 1943 film Stage Door Canteen . Mario Lanza sang the song in the musical film Because You're Mine (1952), hitting a high B flat. [3] In September 2009, Andrea Bocelli recorded the song with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir for broadcast on a PBS Christmas program. [4] The song was also released on Bocelli's album My Christmas .