An arrangement of the shape-note tune for “Oh, Glorious Hope” performed by Timothy Seaman on hammered dulcimer
Today’s hymn is by the great Charles Wesley (1707-1788). It speaks of the life to come in terms of the promised land. I don’t think it’s a popular hymn, and the tune performed in the video above is unfamiliar to me. If you know this one, please tell us of your experience with it.
“The reason why the world does not know us is that bit did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure” (1 John 3:1b-3 ESV).
1 Oh, glorious hope of perfect love! It lifts me up to things above; It bears on eagles’ wings. It gives my ravished soul a taste, And makes me for some moments feast With Jesus’ priests and kings.
2 Rejoicing now in earnest hope, I stand, and from the mountaintop See all the land below. Rivers of milk and honey rise, And all the fruits of paradise In endless plenty grow.
3 A land of corn, and wine, and oil; Favored with God’s peculiar smile, With ev’ry blessing blest; There dwells the Lord our Righteousness, And deeps His own in perfect peace, And everlasting rest.
4 Oh, that I might at once go up; No more on this side Jordan stop, But now the land possess; This moment end my legal years, Sorrows and sins, and doubts and fears, A howling wilderness!
Music today. I wanted to share the video above, because I’d found it – and found it surprisingly beautiful.
There’s a story involved with the hymn, “Jesus, Din Søte Forening á Smake,” (Jesus, Thy Sweet Communion to Savor), which is called “Jesus, I Long For Thy Blessed Communion” in the English translation.
The story does not concern the writing of the hymn. I know nothing about the author, P. J. Hygom, and a quick web search indicates nobody else does either (I presume he was a Dane). The hymn itself is not one I grew up with. When I finally discovered it as an adult, I thought it rather dull. I never considered it beautiful until I heard Sissel’s rendition above. Now I’ve got it as an earworm.
But even its surprising beauty isn’t the point. My point is its historical significance.
I’ve written before here about the founder of the Lutheran… sect, or whatever you’d call it, in which I was raised. The Haugeans. Hans Nielsen Hauge, a poor farmer’s son, was plowing his father’s field on April 5 1796, singing this hymn for his own edification. Then something happened to him. He wrote in his autobiography:
“Now my mind was so uplifted to God that I became senseless, nor can I explain what happened in my soul, because I was completely outside myself. And the first thing I understood when I regained my senses was a feeling of grief that I had not served above all things this dear, good God, and that I now believed that nothing in this world was of any value. And my soul felt something supernatural, divine and blessed; it was a glory which no tongue can express.” (My translation)
So overwhelmed was Hauge by this experience that he devoted his life to sharing the gospel with his neighbors. This would lead him to prominence in Norway, and also to prison and premature death.
But his movement was a seed planted in the right place at the right time. Not only was there a powerful Christian revival in Norway, but society itself was changed.
Hauge’s followers were often called “the Readers.” That wasn’t a compliment. The term expresses the surprise felt by the upper classes when they saw commoners going around with books. This troubled them. Books gave the lower classes uppity ideas.
To this day, Norwegians are among the most literate people on earth, with a surprising number of newspapers per capita.
“There Is a Fountain” performed by Timothy Seaman on hammered dulcimer
“On that day there shall be ja fountain opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness” (Zech. 13:1 ESV).
This popular hymn, published under the title “Praise for the Fountain Opened,” was written by the gifted and troubled Englishman William Cowper (1731-1800). For the last several years of his life, he worked with John Newton on many hymns and pastoral duties. Newton is likely the reason we have Cowper’s hymns. (Cowper is pronounced “cooper.”)
1 There is a fountain filled with blood, Drawn from Immanuel’s veins; And sinners, plunged beneath that flood, Lose all their guilty stains, Lose all their guilty stains, Lose all their guilty stains; And sinners, plunged beneath that flood, Lose all their guilty stains.
2 The dying thief rejoiced to see That fountain in his day; And there may I, though vile as he, Wash all my sins away, Wash all my sins away, Wash all my sins away; And there may I, though vile as he, Wash all my sins away.
3 Dear dying Lamb, Thy precious blood Shall never lose its power, Till all the ransomed Church of God Be saved, to sin no more, Be saved, to sin no more, Be saved, to sin no more; Till all the ransomed Church of God Be saved, to sin no more.
4 E’er since by faith I saw the stream Thy flowing wounds supply, Redeeming love has been my theme, And shall be till I die: And shall be till I die, And shall be till I die; Redeeming love has been my theme, And shall be till I die.
5 When this poor lisping, stamm’ring tongue Lies silent in the grave, Then in a nobler, sweeter song I’ll sing Thy pow’r to save: I’ll sing Thy pow’r to save, I’ll sing Thy pow’r to save; Then in a nobler, sweeter song I’ll sing Thy pow’r to save.
“Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing” performed on hammered dulcimer
Today’s hymn is one of my top three favorites. “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing” was written by Robert Robinson of Norfolk, England (1735-1790). It’s testimony to God’s sustaining grace has always appealed to me.
Hymnary.org says the tune for this hymn has been ascribed to many different people as well as no one at all. The Trinity Hymnal cites it as the one written or distributed by Asahel Nettleton (1783-1844), an American preacher who left a strong legacy with his publication of Village Hymns. “Nettleton’s hymnological work centred in the compiling of his Village Hymns, from which more hymns of the older American writers have passed into English collections than from any other source.”
Another good thing Nettleton did was to oppose Charles Finney in 1827. Bully for him.
1 Come, thou fount of ev’ry blessing, tune my heart to sing thy grace; streams of mercy, never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise. Teach me some melodious sonnet, sung by flaming tongues above; praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it, mount of God’s unchanging love.
2 Here I raise my Ebenezer; hither by thy help I’m come; and I hope, by thy good pleasure, safely to arrive at home. Jesus sought me when a stranger, wand’ring from the fold of God: he, to rescue me from danger, interposed his precious blood.
3 O to grace how great a debtor daily I’m constrained to be; let that grace now, like a fetter, bind my wand’ring heart to thee. Prone to wander – Lord, I feel it – prone to leave the God I love; here’s my heart, O take and seal it, seal it for thy courts above.
Not having a book to review tonight, busy as I am with non-paying work, I post the video above. Sadly it’s not a live performance video (there doesn’t seem to be one), but I discovered it and thought it rather nice. This is a song I’ve posted before in its original Swedish version, but there seems to be this English version too. As an expert, I pronounce it a successful translation, since with songs, subjective impressions are more important than accuracy. I realize it’s the wrong time of year for a Christmas song, but who knows if I’ll need it at Christmas?
A day in the life of an obscure author:
In accordance with my recently adopted custom of getting up to write in the morning, instead of lying in bed trying to get back to sleep, I rose at 6:30 a.m. to work on The Baldur Game, my work in progress. What I’d done yesterday was to take a block of text I’d written, which I realized was out of historical sequence, and move it back into its proper year. So today I commenced a review of the whole text written thus far, to see if there were any anachronisms left that I need to fix. I think the work is good so far.
At lunch I went to The 50s Grill, one of my favorite local places, and tried something new — the grilled walleye. It was good, as expected, and I topped it off with a piece of their French Silk pie. They do pie extremely well.
This afternoon, I worked on my book narration. This is the cause of considerable fear and trembling for me right now. Friends have generously provided me equipment to begin doing narration on my own. My first project will be The Year of the Warrior. I am confident — nay, a little arrogant — about my ability to do narration with the best of ’em. But the technical aspects — the software and specifications, etc. — scare me to death. (Back in radio broadcast school, I was the best copy reader in my class and the worst engineer.) This delays my progress, but I press on heroically.
Tonight, after I post this, I propose to work on a PowerPoint presentation I’ll be doing later this month in Iowa for the Georg Sverdup Society. Not Vikings this time, but the background of the Lutheran Free Church movement in America.
These things matter in my world.
Oh yes. I’ve committed to attending the Midwest Viking Festival in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Oct. 6 and 7 (used to be in Moorhead, MN). An opportunity to sell books, and my experience is that venues where I have not yet flogged my wares are the most fruitful.
“God of Our Fathers” sung by the congregation of St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church of New York City
Today’s hymn, “God of Our Fathers, Whose Almighty Hand,” was written by New York Episcopalian Daniel C. Roberts (1841-1907) to commemorate the centennial of the Declaration of Independence. It was accepted by an Episcopal hymnal committee and given a fresh tune by organist George W. Warren for the commemoration of the United States Constitution.
1 God of our fathers, Whose almighty hand Leads forth in beauty all the starry band Of shining worlds in splendor thro’ the skies, Our grateful songs before Thy throne arise.
2 Thy love divine hath led us in the past; In this free land by Thee our lot is cast; Be Thou our ruler, guardian, guide and stay, Thy word our law, Thy paths our chosen way.
3 From war’s alarms, from deadly pestilence, Be Thy strong arm our ever sure defence; Thy true religion in our hearts increase, Thy bounteous goodness nourish us in peace.
4 Refresh Thy people on their toilsome way, Lead us from night to never-ending day; Fill all our lives with love and grace divine, And glory, laud and praise be ever Thine.
Not being in the work force anymore, I’m not current on work schedules. Is this considered a long weekend? The Fourth isn’t till Tuesday, and this is one holiday we still celebrate on the proper date (don’t we?). Anyway, I’m going to do my patriotic music post today, and we’ll see what happens on the holiday itself.
The clip above comes from the miniseries “Johnny Tremain,” which Disney produced way back in the ’50s. A few minor differences may be noted between Disney’s consumer product back then and what they’re doing now. Disney back then produced stuff like this, which reinforced patriotism, social cohesion, and traditional values. All this is deplorable to today’s Disney.
I don’t think I look at the ’50s through rose-colored glasses. The worst period in my life began in that decade, and I developed a deep personal cynicism that makes me fit in pretty well with much of contemporary culture. I know enough history, too, to be aware that the American revolution had its dark side. (I’ll still put it up against the French one any day, though.)
But I learned to be a subversive (at least in secret) in those days too. And today I exercise my subversion by flouting the cherished values of the present establishment. By posting patriotic songs and calling on people to come together around the old verities. Warts and all.
Today’s hymn was written by American William Croswell Doane (1832-1913), the first bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Albany, New York. He wrote this hymn for the bicentenary of the City of Albany, 1886.
1 Ancient of Days, who sittest throned in glory; To Thee all knees are bent, all voices pray; Thy love hath blest the wide world’s wondrous story With light and life since Eden’s dawning day.
2 O Holy Father, who hast led Thy children In all the ages, with the fire and cloud, Through seas dry-shod, through weary wastes bewildering; To Thee, in reverent love, our hearts are bowed.
3 O Holy Jesus, Prince of Peace, and Savior, To Thee we owe the peace that still prevails, Stilling the rude wills of men’s wild behavior, And calming passion’s wild and stormy gales.
4 O Holy Ghost, the Lord and the Life-giver, Thine is the quickening power that gives increase; From Thee have flowed, as from a pleasant river, Our plenty, wealth, prosperity, and peace.
5 O Triune God, with heart and voice adoring, Praise we the goodness that doth crown our days; Pray we, that Thou wilt hear us, still imploring Thy love and favor, kept to us always.
“Exalt the Lord, His Praise Proclaim,” performed by Christelijk Residentie Mannenkoor of The Netherlands
It’s Father’s Day in the States, so I could have chosen a hymn with the word father in the first line, but I wanted to finish the month with songs of God the Father, and so we have today’s hymn. “Exalt the Lord, His Praise Proclaim” is a paraphrase of Psalm 135:1-7, 21 written for the Trinity Psalter of 1912. The tune is from Hayden’s The Creation oratorio. It’s grand and noble music, but I had to speed up the video to 1.5x. Maybe I’m singing hymns at a faster pace lately.
1 Exalt the Lord, his praise proclaim; all ye his servants, praise his name, who in the Lord’s house ever stand and humbly serve at his command. The Lord is good, his praise proclaim; since it is pleasant, praise his name; his people for his own he takes and his peculiar treasure makes.
2 I know the Lord is high in state, above all gods our Lord is great; the Lord performs what he decrees, in heav’n and earth, in depths and seas. He makes the vapors to ascend in clouds from earth’s remotest end; the lightnings flash at his command; he holds the tempest in his hand.
3 Exalt the Lord, his praise proclaim; all ye his servants, praise his name, who in the Lord’s house ever stand and humbly serve at his command. Forever praise and bless his name, and in the church his praise proclaim; in Zion is his dwelling place; praise ye the Lord, show forth his grace.
“Holy Ghost, Dispel Our Sadness” performed by John Allen Bankson
We are continuing a Pentecost theme with hymns on the Holy Spirit. This one was written in 1648 by Paul Gerhardt of Saxony, Germany, a famous Lutheran hymnist. The tune shared in the video above is the one composed by John Calvin’s church musician Louis Bourgeois and could be a little faster, especially if you’re singing all five of the verses below, taken from the Lutheran Hymnary of 1913.
1 Holy Ghost, dispel our sadness, Pierce the clouds of sinful night; Come, Thou source of sweetest gladness, Breathe Thy life, and spread Thy light! Loving Spirit, God of peace! Great distributor of grace! Rest upon this congregation, Hear, O hear our supplication!
2 From that height which knows no measure As a gracious shower descend, Bringing down the richest treasure Man can wish, or God can send! O Thou Glory, shining down From the Father and the Son, Grant us Thy illumination! Rest upon this congregation!
3 Known to Thee are all recesses Of the earth and spreading skies; Every sand the shore possesses Thy omniscient mind descries. Holy Fountain! wash us clean Both from error and from sin! Make us fly what Thou refusest, And delight in what Thou choosest!
4 Manifest Thy love for ever; Fence us in on every side; In distress be our reliever, Guard and teach, support and guide! Let Thy kind effectual grace Turn our feet from evil ways; Show Thyself our new creator, And conform us to Thy nature!
5 Be our friend on each occasion, God, omnipotent to save! When we die, be our salvation, When we’re buried, be our grave! And, when from the grave we rise, Take us up above the skies, Seat us with Thy saints in glory, There for ever to adore Thee!
