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.
“O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus” sung by the congregation of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California
This moving hymn feels like watching an ocean roll, as the metaphor goes. Its slow statement Christ’s profound love can be happy and ecstatic, but it’s in daily living, in common struggle, and in grief that we can feel the soul-stirring depth of his unchanging love for us.
Samuel Trevor Francis (1834-1925), a London businessman, wrote the words. Welshman Thomas John Williams (1869-1944) wrote the melody. Williams was an insurance salesman, so this popular hymn comes to us from the business sect of Christendom.
1 O the deep, deep love of Jesus! Vast, unmeasured, boundless, free, rolling as a mighty ocean in its fullness over me. Underneath me, all around me, is the current of thy love; leading onward, leading homeward, to thy glorious rest above.
2 O the deep, deep love of Jesus! Spread his praise from shore to shore; how he loveth, ever loveth, changeth never, nevermore; how he watches o’er his loved ones, died to call them all his own; how for them he intercedeth, watcheth o’er them from the throne.
3 O the deep, deep love of Jesus! Love of ev’ry love the best: ’tis an ocean vast of blessing, ’tis a haven sweet of rest. O the deep, deep love of Jesus! ‘Tis a heav’n of heav’ns to me; and it lifts me up to glory, for it lifts me up to thee.
“Jesus Paid It All” arranged for acoustic instruments and performed by Craig Duncan
Here’s an excellent hymn to begin a new year. Elvina M. Hall (1820-1889) wrote “Jesus Paid It All” on a fly leaf of the hymnal of her Methodist Episcopal Church in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1865. Perhaps that means it was written in response to a sermon or Scripture reading during the service. It reads like such a response.
1 I hear the Savior say, “Thy strength indeed is small, Child of weakness, watch and pray, Find in Me thine all in all.”
Refrain: Jesus paid it all, All to Him I owe; Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.
2 Lord, now indeed I find Thy pow’r and Thine alone, Can change the leper’s spots And melt the heart of stone. [Refrain]
3 For nothing good have I Where-by Thy grace to claim; I’ll wash my garments white In the blood of Calv’ry’s Lamb. [Refrain]
4 And when, before the throne, I stand in Him complete, “Jesus died my soul to save,” My lips shall still repeat. [Refrain]
The Christmas concert my church choir performed this year featured Vivaldi’s Gloria. The video above is the second movement, “Et in Terra Pax,” performed by the Oxford Schola Cantorum and Northern Chamber Orchestra.
“Et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis.” And in earth peace to men of good will.
Vivaldi set these words to rather unpeaceful music. It has a dreadful plodding to it, as if we fear the coming of terra pax. Its slow tension is a beautiful metaphor for knowing the Prince of Peace has come and yet feeling our lack of peace throughout our lives. We long for the peace that has come, Lord. How long?
Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this. (Isaiah 6:7 ESV)
A blessed Christmas to all you Brandywinians out there. My own plans are to celebrate Christmas in my usual madcap way — a traditional Scrooge Christmas with a lowered thermostat, dim lights, a cup of gruel by the fire, and a chair set out for any wandering ghosts who might appear to accuse me.
Above, a clip I’ve probably posted before — Sissel with the Pelagian Tabernacle Choir, doing “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing,” my favorite Christmas hymn.
Meet Me in St. Louis is a hit musical that gave us the song “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” performed in the video above. The movie was initially released in St. Louis November 1944 and nationwide January 1945. Judy Garland plays Esther Smith, the eldest of four daughters, who falls for a new boy in town, played by Tom Drake.
The context of the Christmas scene is their father having accepted a job transfer to New York, which would uproot the family right after Christmas. Esther is comforting little Tootie about the move and sings the melancholy song. But the songwriters originally leaned into the sadness more than Garland and the movie executives wanted. Classicfm has the story.
Here are some of the original lyrics:
“Have yourself a merry little Christmas. It may be your last. Next year we may all be living in the past. Have yourself a merry little Christmas. Pop that champagne cork. Next year we may all be living in New York.”
The second version, which Garland sang, were revised again for Frank Sanatra, so you may hear the song conclude with “Until then we’ll have to muddle through somehow” or “So hang a shining star upon the highest bough.”
Either way, I hope you have yourself a, uh, you know.
This is the fourth week of Advent. Christmas Day is next Sunday. With many great Christmas carols, I had to choose a song that leans into Christmas today in order to have room for another one next week.
This traditional English carol was written by Luke Wadding (1628–87), bishop of Ferns, County Wexford, Ireland. The third verse appears to have been added to the original at some point, but songs and hymns aren’t particularly set in stone anyway. The tune is also traditional, arranged by the great Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958).
1 On Christmas night all Christians sing, to hear the news the angels bring; on Christmas night all Christians sing, to hear the news the angels bring: news of great joy, news of great mirth, news of our merciful King’s birth.
2 Then why should we on earth be sad, since our Redeemer made us glad: then why should we on earth be sad, since our Redeemer made us glad: when from our sin he set us free, all for to gain our liberty.
3 When sin departs before Your grace, then life and health come in its place; when sin departs before Your grace, then life and health come in its place; angels and men with joy may sing, all for to see the new-born King.
4 All out of darkness we have light which made the angels sing this night; all out of darkness we have light which made the angels sing this night: “Glory to God and peace to men, now and forevermore. Amen.”
But peaceful was the night
Wherein the Prince of Light
His reign of peace upon the earth began:
The winds with wonder whist,
Smoothly the waters kist,
Whispering new joys to the mild Ocean,
Who now hath quite forgot to rave,
While birds of calm sit brooding on the charmed wave.
...
The Oracles are dumb;
No voice or hideous hum
Runs through the arched roof in words deceiving.
Apollo from his shrine
Can no more divine,
With hollow shriek the steep of Delphos leaving.
No nightly trance or breathed spell
Inspires the pale-ey'd priest from the prophetic cell.
Easy Photo Fakes: With advancing artificially intelligent image generators, creating convincing pics from a handful of social media posts is fairly easy. The better images AI can create, the more dangerous it is to everyone. Maybe we should take our photos offline.
Why Journalists Fall for Hoaxes: “Every hoax in America the past 200 years originated in the news business, or passed through it. When the world moved much slower, hoaxes were publicity stunts carried out by newspapers.”
Beethoven and Christmas: “If beauty will save the world it must be qualified that love will save the world. Because in beauty we find love. In finding beauty and the love that governs it, we are always directed to the Christ who came into our lives and taught us how to love. St. Augustine said that we often first come to know God (who is Love) through the love of others and the love that others show us.”
And though this is not Beethoven, it’s a good Christmas share.
Three original arrangements by Tony Glausi, “A Christmas Jazz Medley”
Today’s advent hymn was originally “Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme,” written by German Lutheran Philipp Nicolai (1556-1608). He is noted in our source as having “fled from the Spanish army, sparred with Roman Catholic and Calvinist opponents, and ministered to plague-stricken congregations.” So a real salt of the earth kind of guy.
Catherine Winkworth translated the piece into English (as was with last week’s hymn).
1 “Wake, awake, for night is flying,” the watchmen on the heights are crying, “awake, Jerusalem, at last!” Midnight hears the welcome voices, and at the thrilling cry rejoices: “Come forth, ye maidens, night is past! The Bridegroom comes; awake, your lamps with gladness take; alleluia! And for his marriage feast prepare, for you must go to meet him there.”
2 Zion hears the watchmen singing, and all her heart with joy is springing; she wakes, she rises from her gloom, for her Lord comes down all-glorious, the strong in grace, in truth victorious; her Star is ris’n, her Light is come! Ah, come, thou blessed Lord, O Jesus, Son of God, alleluia! We follow ’til the halls we see where thou hast bid us sup with thee.
3 Now let all the heav’ns adore thee, and men and angels sing before thee, with harp and cymbal’s clearest tone; of one pearl each shining portal, where we are with the choir immortal of angels round thy dazzling throne; nor eye hath seen, nor ear hath yet attained to hear what there is ours; but we rejoice, and sing to thee our hymn of joy eternally.
