“547 Granville” from The Tenth Ireland Sacred Harp Convention in 2020
For St. Patrick’s Day, give a listen to this Sacred Harp convention in Cork, Ireland, singing an Isaac Watts text listed as 547 Granville. Sacred Harp music began in London but flourish in America. It found a path to Ireland in 2009 via University College Cork.
The singers above begin by singing the shapes to get the music down before singing the lyric.
Remember, Lord, our mortal state; How frail our lives! how short the date! Where is the man that draws his breath, Safe from disease, secure from death?
Lord, while we see whole nations die, Our flesh and sense repine and cry; Must death forever rage and reign? Or hast Thou made mankind in vain?
“No, Not Despairingly Come I to Thee” performed on piano by Andrew Remillard
Today’s hymn of hopeful repentance comes from a Scottish author and hymnist who may not have the name recognition of Wesley and Watts but deserves to be widely known for his rich theological hymns. Honatius Bonar (1808-1889) published this hymn in 1866.
1 No, not despairingly come I to thee; no, not distrustingly bend I the knee: sin hath gone over me, yet is this still my plea, Jesus hath died.
2 Ah! mine iniquity crimson has been, infinite, infinite, sin upon sin; sin of not loving thee, sin of not trusting thee, infinite sin.
3 Lord, I confess to thee sadly my sin; all I am tell I thee, all I have been: purge thou my sin away, wash thou my soul this day; Lord, make me clean.
4 Faithful and just art thou, forgiving all; loving and kind art thou when poor ones call: Lord, let the cleansing blood, blood of the Lamb of God, pass o’er my soul.
5 Then all is peace and light this soul within; thus shall I walk with thee, the loved Unseen; leaning on thee, my God, guided along the road, nothing between.
“From Depths of Woe I Raise to Thee” sung by Kayla and Naomi of Trinity Reformed Church of Martinsburg, WV
For the next four weeks preceding Palm Sunday and Easter, I want to feature hymns related to salvation. “From Depths of Woe I Raise to Thee” is an English translation by Richard Massie of Martin Luther’s German hymn based on Psalm 130. Massie’s first translation was published in Martin Luther’s Spiritual Songs in 1854. I believe the text was altered last century, as hymn publishers will do, but the tune sung above is Luther’s 1524 original.
1 From depths of woe I raise to thee the voice of lamentation; Lord, turn a gracious ear to me and hear my supplication: if thou iniquities dost mark, our secret sins and misdeeds dark, O who shall stand before thee?
2 To wash away the crimson stain, grace, grace alone, availeth; our works, alas! are all in vain; in much the best life faileth: no man can glory in thy sight, all must alike confess thy might, and live alone by mercy.
3 Therefore my trust is in the Lord, and not in mine own merit; on him my soul shall rest, his Word upholds my fainting spirit: his promised mercy is my fort, my comfort, and my sweet support; I wait for it with patience.
4 What though I wait the live-long night, and ’til the dawn appeareth, my heart still trusteth in his might; it doubteth not nor feareth: do thus, O ye of Israel’s seed, ye of the Spirit born indeed; and wait ’til God appeareth.
5 Though great our sins and sore our woes, his grace much more aboundeth; his helping love no limit knows, our utmost need it soundeth. Our Shepherd good and true is he, who will at last his Israel free from all their sin and sorrow.
As a bonus, let me share Michael O’Brien’s arrangement with you as well.
“Join All the Glorious Names” sung by the congregation of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California
With today’s hymn, we have the opportunity to note a common habit in hymn singing among earlier generations. Hymn texts were separated from their melodies, and congregations would sing words to melodies they already knew. At least for a portion of history, believers would learn several common tunes that they would use to sing many more hymn lyrics.
“Join All the Glorious Names” was written in 1707 by the great Englishman Isaac Watts (1674-1748). The tune is the same one used by our hymn two weeks ago, “Rejoice, the Lord is King!” English poet John Darwall (1731-1789) wrote the tune in 1770. In the Trinity Hymnal, five hymns are set to it, including “We Come, O Christ, to You” and “Thy Works, Not Mine, O Christ” (which we may return to next month).
1 Join all the glorious names of wisdom, love, and pow’r, that ever mortals knew, that angels ever bore: all are too poor to speak his worth, too poor to set my Savior forth.
2 Great Prophet of my God, my tongue would bless thy name: by thee the joyful news of our salvation came, the joyful news of sins forgiv’n, of hell subdued and peace with heav’n.
3 Jesus, my great High Priest, offered his blood and died; my guilty conscience seeks no sacrifice beside: his pow’rful blood did once atone and now it pleads before the throne.
4 Thou art my Counselor, my pattern, and my Guide, and thou my Shepherd art; O keep me near thy side; nor let my feet e’er turn astray to wander in the crooked way.
5 My Savior and my Lord, my Conqu’ror and my King, thy scepter and thy sword, thy reigning grace, I sing: thine is the pow’r; behold I sit in willing bonds beneath thy feet.
“Let Us Love and Sing and Wonder,” sung by the congregation of Metropolitan Tabernacle, London
The great John Newton (1725-1807) wrote “Let us love, and sing, and wonder” in 1774 with six verses. It doesn’t appear to be a very popular hymn, but it struck a chord with me when I heard a modern arrangement of it several years ago. It’s a marvelous praise song that doesn’t focus on our devotion or what I’m doing to worship the Lord. It focuses on the awesome work of Christ.
1 Let us love and sing and wonder, let us praise the Savior’s name! He has hushed the law’s loud thunder, he has quenched Mount Sinai’s flame: he has washed us with his blood, he has brought us nigh to God.
2 Let us love the Lord who bought us, pitied us when enemies, called us by his grace and taught us, gave us ears and gave us eyes: he has washed us with his blood, he presents our souls to God.
3 Let us sing, though fierce temptation threaten hard to bear us down! For the Lord, our strong salvation, holds in view the conqu’ror’s crown: he who washed us with his blood soon will bring us home to God.
4 Let us wonder; grace and justice join and point to mercy’s store; when thro’ grace in Christ our trust is, justice smiles and asks no more: he who washed us with his blood has secured our way to God.
5 Let us praise, and join the chorus of the saints enthroned on high; here they trusted him before us, now their praises fill the sky: “You have washed us with your blood; you are worthy, Lamb of God!”
6. Hark! the name of Jesus, sounded Loud, from golden harps above! Lord, we blush, and are confounded, Faint our praises, cold our love! Wash our souls and songs with blood, For by Thee we come to God.
“Rejoice, the Lord Is King!” sung by the congregation of Grace Community Church, Sun Valley, California
The great Charles Wesley gave us today’s hymn. “Rejoice, the Lord Is King!” focuses our attention on his perfect majesty and our glorious hope. The Trinity hymnal has an extra verse, which is also in some of the oldest hymn texts I checked, so I assume Wesley wrote it too.
As a man said on his dying day, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
1 Rejoice, the Lord is King: Your Lord and King adore! Rejoice, give thanks and sing, And triumph evermore.
Refrain: Lift up your heart, Lift up your voice! Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!
2 Jesus, the Savior, reigns, The God of truth and love; When He has purged our stains, He took his seat above; [Refrain]
3 His kingdom cannot fail, He rules o’er earth and heav’n; The keys of death and hell Are to our Jesus giv’n: [Refrain]
4 He sits at God’s right hand ’til all his foes submit, and bow to his command, and fall beneath his feet. [Refrain]
5 Rejoice in glorious hope! Our Lord and judge shall come And take His servants up To their eternal home: [Refrain]
Taken from “Fairest Lord Jesus” performed at the 100th Anniversary Celebration of the St. Olaf Choir
This month, I plan to post hymns focused on Christ Jesus. “Fairest Lord Jesus” was written anonymously and set to a Polish folk tune. Franz Liszt used the tune in a crusaders’ march in The Legend of St. Elizabeth, which is apparently the most concrete thing that can be said about its origin.
1 Fairest Lord Jesus, Ruler of all nature, Son of God and Son of Man! Thee will I cherish, thee will I honor, thou, my soul’s glory, joy, and crown.
2 Fair are the meadows, fair are the woodlands, robed in the blooming garb of spring: Jesus is fairer, Jesus is purer, who makes the woeful heart to sing.
3 Fair is the sunshine, fair is the moonlight, and all the twinkling, starry host: Jesus shines brighter, Jesus shines purer than all the angels heav’n can boast.
4 Beautiful Savior! Lord of the nations! Son of God and Son of Man! Glory and honor, praise, adoration, now and forevermore be thine.
“Tis the Church Triumphant Singing” performed in Boe Memorial Chapel, St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN
English Calvinist John Kent (1766-1843) wrote this hymn of praise to our eternal God with the imagery of Revelation. It was published in 1803. The tune is traditional Welsh. “As a working shipwright his opportunities for acquiring the education and polish necessary for the production of refined verse were naturally limited,” notes The Dictionary of Hymnology.
1. ‘Tis the church triumphant singing, Worthy the Lamb! Heav’n thro’out with praises ringing, Worthy the Lamb! Thrones and pow’rs before Him bending, Odors sweet with voice ascending Swell the chorus never ending, Worthy the Lamb!
2. Ev’ry kindred, tongue and nation– Worthy the Lamb! Join to sing the great salvation; Worthy the Lamb! Loud as mighty thunders roaring, Floods of mighty waters pouring, Prostrate at his feet adoring, Worthy the Lamb!
3. Harps and songs forever sounding Worthy the Lamb! Mighty grace o’er sin abounding, Worthy the Lamb! By His blood he dearly bought us; Wand’ring from the fold He sought us; And to glory safely brought us: Worthy the Lamb!
4. Sing with blest anticipation, Worthy the Lamb! Thro’ the vale of tribulation, Worthy the Lamb! Sweetest notes, all notes excelling, On the theme forever dwelling, Still untold, tho’ ever telling, Worthy the Lamb!
Shoveled snow today, because my neighbors who usually blow the stuff away are still on vacation. Nevertheless, I am unbowed. I’m reading Dean Koontz’ latest right now, so there’s no review. But it’s Friday, and that’s often a day for posting music.
Our beloved Sissel was just 15 when she sang this song on Norwegian TV. It’s a translation of a French number called ‘Hymne a l’amour,’ made popular by Edith Piaf. There is an English version, entitled, ‘If You Love Me,’ and it’s very good, but the video isn’t a live performance. So we’ll use this one. You can find the other on YouTube if you like.
This hymn, “Thy mercy, my God,” was attributed to J.S. when it was published in 1776, and someone along the way connected those initials to Englishman John Stocker, but apparently there is no paper trail to say this is or isn’t an accurate attribute.
Musician Sandra McCracken, working with the hymn revivalists of Indelible Grace, wrote new music for it and performs her composition above. I copied the words from the 1792 American edition of A Selection of Hymns: from the best authors, intended to be an appendix to Dr. Watt’s psalms and hymns.
1 Thy mercy, my God, is the theme of my song, The joy of my heart, and the boast of my tongue Thy free grace alone, from the first to the last Hath won my affections and bound my soul fast.
2 Without thy sweet mercy I could not live here Sin soon would reduce me to utter despair; But, thro’ thy free goodness, my spirits revive, And he that first made me, still keeps me alive.
3 Thy mercy is more than a match for my heart Which wonders to feel its own hardness depart Dissolv’d by thy goodness, I fall to the ground And weep to the praise of the mercy I found.
4 The door of thy mercy stands open all day To th’ poor and the needy, who knock by the way; No sinner shall ever be empty sent back, Who comes seeking mercy for Jesus’s sake.
5 Thy mercy is endless, most tender and free; No sinner need doubt, since ’tis given to me; No merit will buy it, nor fears stop its course; Good works are the fruits of its freeness and force.
6 Thy mercy in Jesus exempts me from hell; Its glories I’ll sing: and its wonders I’ll tell: ‘Twas Jesus my friend when he hung on the tree That open’d the channel of mercy for me.
7 Great Father of mercies, thy goodness I own, And covenant love of thy crucify’d son: All praise to the spirit whose whisper divine Seals mercy and pardon and righteousness mine.
