The Dutch Violinist Janine Jansen plays Béla Bartók’s Romanian Dances live from Prinsengrachtconcert Amsterdam 2005.
Category Archives: Music
Top ten hymns
Phil posted a list of his ten favorite hymns this morning. So it seems in order that I post my own, if only to demonstrate how much better Lutheran hymnody is than Calvinist. The order is somewhat arbitrary.
1. “Make Me a Captive, Lord.” My all-time favorite, since I was a teenager. Not only is it set to “Leominster,” one of the most beautiful hymn tunes ever composed, but it has swords and battles. Written by George Matheson, the great, blind Scottish hymn writer.
2. “Wide Open Are Thy Hands.” Based on a hymn by St. Bernard of Clairvaux, it also—by some weird coincidence—is set to “Leominster.” No swords, alas.
3. “O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go.” Well, what do you know? Another Matheson hymn. Talk about coincidences. There’s a legend that Matheson wrote this after being rejected by a fiancée, who walked out on him after she learned he was going blind. This story is not true, I understand.
4. “Be Thou My Vision.” “Ancient Irish hymn,” according to my hymn book. It’s even got a sword, though the “Be Thou my battle-shield, sword for the fight…” verse generally gets skipped.
5. “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.” The best of the Christmas hymns. A lesson in theology all by itself, courtesy of Charles Wesley. And fun to sing. The three beats of “Joyful all,” repeated again in the following line, just require you to throw back your head and let go.
6. “Den Store, Hvide Flokk.” I had to put a Norwegian hymn in here (although it’s actually Danish, but I’m trying to be complimentary). The title means “The Great White Host,” and it’s based on Revelation. It sounds like this.
7. “Amazing Grace.” Well, duh. I especially recommend Sissel’s recording (arranged by Andrae Crouch).
8. “Rock of Ages.” Solid and enduring.
9. “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.” By some guy named Luther. I actually prefer this one in a Contemporary Praise arrangement, if you can believe it. You’ve got to sing this one with gusto to get it right.
10. “Thee God We Praise.” Sung to the tune of “Finlandia,” another fine Scandinavian composition.
See you in church on Sunday.
My Top Ten Favorite Hymns
I’ve been meaning to post this: Sherry is blogging a series on favorite hymns. “From Depths of Woe” is today focus and #90 on the top 101 list. I’ve never heard that one, but here’s the list I gave Sherry for her series. These are my top 10, more or less because if I think about these too long I’ll want to change a few.
1. Be Thou My Vision
2. Come Thou Fount
3. Before the Throne of God Above
4. O Sacred Head Now Wounded
5. God Be Merciful to Me
6. We Are God’s People
7. And Can It Be
8. Amazing Grace
9. Shine, Jesus, Shine
10. Come, Ye Sinners
“What language shall I borrow to thank Thee”
Lyrics from “O Sacred Head Now Wounded”
Now from Thy cheeks has vanished their color once so fair;
From Thy red lips is banished the splendor that was there.
Grim death, with cruel rigor, hath robbed Thee of Thy life;
Thus Thou hast lost Thy vigor, Thy strength in this sad strife.
My burden in Thy Passion, Lord, Thou hast borne for me,
For it was my transgression which brought this woe on Thee.
I cast me down before Thee, wrath were my rightful lot;
Have mercy, I implore Thee; Redeemer, spurn me not!
What language shall I borrow to thank Thee, dearest friend,
For this Thy dying sorrow, Thy pity without end?
O make me Thine forever, and should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never outlive my love to Thee.
Be Thou my consolation, my shield when I must die;
Remind me of Thy passion when my last hour draws nigh.
Mine eyes shall then behold Thee, upon Thy cross shall dwell,
My heart by faith enfolds Thee. Who dieth thus dies well.
Painting Pictures of Egypt
I love this song.
Hosanna
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. (video with beautiful chant)
Bruremarsj
Last week, I risked offended our readers and my fellow blogger by recklessly posting a poem lightly referred to by one of the world’s finest, Michael. Let me attempt to make up for that misjudgment by posting something beautiful, a bridal march.
Not in praise of praise music
I note that the bloated plutocrats who run television have chosen to put “House” opposite “Chuck” on the schedule tonight. Thus am I torn between two monosyllabically titled series that I especially enjoy.
I’ll have to go with “House.” “Chuck” is great, and even has a hot girl character named Walker, but Gregory House is the one character on television with whom I most identify. The pain of losing “House” will be greater than that of losing “Chuck.”
Someday (probably when I’m old, blind and deaf) I’ll get Tivo.
I went to a different church this past Sunday. Actually I’ve gone to this different church for the past two weeks. I was contemplating changing my membership (same national church body, different congregations).
As you may have noted from occasional blog posts of mine, my mild enthusiasm for what is called “praise music” in church has cooled over the years to indifference, and has now settled into plain loathing. Some people hate the music, but I can live with the music. It’s the lyrics that scratch my chalkboard. There are exceptions (I can think of exactly one, which we never use in our church anymore), but praise song lyrics are pretty generally amateurish, banal in sentiment, incoherent in theology, and repetitious. Some of them are like a slap in the face to anybody who’s ever attempted to write a decent song lyric. Continue reading Not in praise of praise music
“Lo How a Rose”
Here’s another Sissel song for your Christmas delectation. It’s an old German hymn, but I’m not sure she’s singing it in German here. I’m not sure what language she’s singing. I don’t think it’s Norwegian. Pay no attention to the closed captioning, which is in Spanish and no help at all.
But it’s nice.
“What Child is This?”
Tonight, because I care (and because I don’t have any thoughts) I offer another Christmas song sung by the incandescent Sissel Kyrkjebø. On top of it being one of my favorite Christmas songs (“What Child Is This?”) this clip also shows the singer at her loveliest.
Sissel has a blog of her own, over here (discovered by Phil, to my eternal shame). But it’s pretty dull. Just irregular posts about where she’s done concerts and how nice everybody is, and pictures of her and her friends. Where, I ask you, are The Things the Public Craves? The interesting and instructive anecdotes of childhood abuse? Long disquisitions on Viking history and Norwegian folklore? The film clips of sword fights? Panegyrics on Andrew Klavan?
No, I have to do all that stuff myself. Because I care. Because I’m determined to make Sissel a star.
No need to thank me, Sissel. The work is its own reward.
But if you insist, I have a few suggestions.