Category Archives: Music

Music, Religion

‘Blott en Dag’

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Another busy day. I have much translating to do. This situation would be more pleasant if it was all  paying work, but I found out yesterday I’d fallen behind in my volunteer stuff. The volunteer stuff pays better, of course, but I’ll have to wait till I get to Heaven to collect.

Beautiful day today. Temperature in the 50s. It was a genuine pleasure to be outside, the short time I spent there. That hasn’t been true for some time.

I continue listening to Norwegian radio, both secular and sacred. Today one of the hymns I listened to was one that’s very popular among my tribe, though it comes originally from the hated Swedes. “Blott En Dag” means, essentially, “one day at a time.” Above, a young Sissel does it on Norwegian TV. The standard English translation is called “Day by Day” (not to be confused with the ditty from “Godspell”). Its first verse goes:

Day by day, and with each passing moment, 
Strength I find to meet my trials here. 
Trusting in my Father’s wise bestowment, 
I’ve no cause for worry or for fear. 
He whose heart is kind beyond all measure 
Gives unto each day what He deems best. 
Lovingly, its part of pain and pleasure, 
Mingling toil with peace and rest.

You can read the rest here, along with a short bio of the lyricist, Carolina Sandell, a really excellent Swedish hymn writer.

That mention can suffice to make this my obligatory Women’s History Month post, now I think of it. Don’t say I never threw a bone to the feminists.

Maybe that wasn’t the best way to put it…

Music

Sunday Singing: Ukrainian Alleluia

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“Ukrainian Alleluia” by Craig Courtney, performed by the Wellington College Chorale

Composer Craig Courtney wrote this piece in 2007 as a testimony to the enduring faith of Ukrainian Christians and our eternal hope.

3Once more they cried out,

“Hallelujah!
The smoke from her goes up forever and ever.”

4 And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne, saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!” 5 And from the throne came a voice saying,

“Praise our God,
    all you his servants,
you who fear him,
    small and great.”

6 Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,

“Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God
    the Almighty reigns.
7 Let us rejoice and exult
    and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
    and his Bride has made herself ready;
8 it was granted her to clothe herself
    with fine linen, bright and pure”—

for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.
(Rev 19:3-8 ESV)

Music, Uncategorized

‘Ormen Lange’

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And the translation work keeps coming in. If I were tired of it, I would not tell you. Because I have an international trip this summer to support. Plus inflation to cover. Also, it’s nice to be needed, when you’re me.

It’s cold, cold, and I have to go somewhere tonight. But tomorrow’s supposed to be warmer, and Sunday warmer still. Maybe this will be the turning point – just as Daylight Savings Time falls, clattering like a muffler off an old car. Maybe spring is coming. Or milder weather, with some consistency, at least.

The song above is an old Faeroese ring dance song, translated into Norwegian. I heard it first from a Norwegian folk group, but their version doesn’t seem to be on YouTube. However, this one isn’t bad, and they illustrated it with footage swiped from the 1958 film, “The Vikings,” starring Kirk Douglas. For its time, that movie made commendable gestures in the direction of trying to be kind of authentic. In some ways. Sort of.

It’s still better than the History Channel series, now metastasized to Netflix, they tell me.

The song is about King Olaf Trygvesson (whom you may remember from The Year of the Warrior), and how he built and launched his great ship, Ormen Lange (the Long Serpent). The chorus goes:

The dance is loud in the hall, when we dance in the ring! 
Gladly ride the men of Norway to the Thing of Hildar (a kenning for battle).

The full text is here.

Music

Sunday Singing: ‘The Sorrowful Mother,’ a Hymn for Lent

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Here’s a 13th century hymn from well outside my church circles. It’s a traditional Catholic and Orthodox hymn for Lent, which began last Wednesday. I believe it’s attributed to the Franciscan Jacopone da Todi, which he wrote in Latin. The performance above is in Ukrainian with English and Ukrainian subtitles.

Music

‘Molde Canticle’

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The amazing number above was included on the album Sissel put out around the time of the 1994 Winter Olympics in Norway, where she sang the Olympic Hymn. This was a cassette album, and Molde Canticle was included as an “extra.” When I bought the album in CD form later on, it didn’t include this one. And I missed it a lot. But here it is. The composer is the Norwegian musician Jan Garbarek.

In some alternate universe, I would like to have The Year of the Warrior made into a major motion picture. And in the scene where Erling first meets King Olaf Trygvesson, in frost-covered ships on the sea, I’d like this to be the background music.

Music, Religion

‘Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us’

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I’m in the mood for ‘Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us’ tonight. I used to sing this song with my old musical group. We generally didn’t do it in performances, just for our own pleasure, because it works really well in four parts. This rendition is quite nice. It comes from the choir of Weimar University, of which I know nothing.

It’s assumed the hymn was written by Dorothy A. Thrupp. It was published with her tune in 1840 in London.. Historians assume she wrote the words too, but she took no credit. The tune we use was written by William Bradbury.

I needed this hymn tonight, for reasons I won’t go into. Mostly just the mood I’m in.

Music

Sunday Singing: A Mighty Fortress Is Our God

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“A Might Fortress Is Our God” performed by the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge

We needed a battle hymn this weekend, and there isn’t a better one than this by Dr. Martin Luther, a little known professor at the University of Wittenberg, Germany, in the 1500s.

1 A mighty fortress is our God,
a bulwark never failing;
our helper he, amid the flood
of mortal ills prevailing:
for still our ancient foe
doth seek to work us woe;
his craft and power are great,
and, armed with cruel hate,
on earth is not his equal.

2 Did we in our strength confide,
our striving would be losing;
were not the right man on our side,
the man of God’s own choosing:
dost ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is he;
Lord Sabbaoth, his Name,
from age to age the same,
and he must win the battle.

Continue reading Sunday Singing: A Mighty Fortress Is Our God →
Authors, Blogs, Socials, Music, Non-fiction

Ukraine Has Something to Fight for, and Other Links

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Poet George Herbert reminds us,
“That all things were more ours by being His;
    What Adam had, and forfeited for all,
    Christ keepeth now, who cannot fail or fall.”

Everything I naturally think as mine is Christ’s–my time, my skills, my ambitions, even my sin.

It’s been hard to pull my eyes away from the news since Thursday. I have sought more information than prayer, but my prayers are completed with just a few words. Lord, have mercy on both Ukrainians and Russians, and break of the arms of evil men. Call them to account for their deeds.

God save Ukraine: Before the invasion, many Ukrainians knew what to expect. “Ukraine has been prepared through this crucible of constant pressure that it’s much stronger than people think.”

“Putin’s aggression must not go unchallenged: The invasion of Ukraine should be met with persistence, patience, and confidence”

At 3:03 a.m. Saturday morning, the valiant Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recorded himself in Kyiv again, saying they would not lay down their arms. This Twitter threads has that video translated as well as the news that Melitopol had fallen. That report is being countered as I write this.

Here are other links you may appreciate.

Cal Thomas on a departed friend from the other side of the aisle.

H. L. Mencken: “People seem increasingly uncomfortable with our essentially contradictory nature.”

Black History Month: Here’s a book I’ve been wanting take up for a few years, because the author is a wise disciplemaker who knows his subject. Free at Last? The Gospel in the African-American Experience by Dr. Carl Ellis has been rereleased as a classic in cross-ethnic, gospel-centered reading.

Jazz Organist: This is not the way I’m used to thinking of organ music. LeDonne remembers jazz organist Dr. Lonnie Smith, who passed away last September. “Is this Mike LeDonne? This is Lonnie Smith and I’m playing at the Village Vanguard with Lou Donaldson and he tells me you have a nice B-3.”

Photo by Max Kukurudziak on Unsplash

Music

Origin of anthem “Hail to the Chief”

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U.S. Presidential favorite “Hail to the Chief” has its origin in Sir Walter Scott’s popular narrative poem, The Lady of the Lake. Here’s an image of the page with words put to song by James Sanderson for a 1812 stage adaptation of the book.

Posted to YourClassical.com, “Given its sheer availability and rousing pomp, it was only a matter of time before U.S. presidents became the ‘chief’ in the title. ‘Hail to the Chief’ was first associated with a chief executive on Feb. 22, 1815, … to honor George Washington.”

Music

Sunday Singing: The God of Abraham Praise

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“The God of Abraham Praise” is attributed to 14th century Italian poet Daniel ben Judah. The Trinity Psalter Hymnal adds two more verses (#4-5) that I haven’t seen before and are not recorded above.

1 The God of Abraham praise, who reigns enthroned above,
Ancient of everlasting days and God of love.
Jehovah! Great I AM! by earth and heav’n confessed;
I bow and bless the sacred name, forever blest.

2 The God of Abraham praise, at whose supreme command
from earth I rise and seek the joys at his right hand.
I all on earth forsake, its wisdom, fame, and pow’r,
and him my only portion make, my shield and tow’r.

Continue reading Sunday Singing: The God of Abraham Praise →