Tag Archives: hymns

Music, Religion

Advent Singing: Of the Father’s Love Begotten

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The Azusa Pacific University Men’s Chorale in 2009

“Of the Father’s Love Begotten,” was originally a Latin poem by Aurelius Clemens Prudentius (AD 348-410), titled “Corde natus ex parentis.” It was translated by in the 1850-60s by J. M. Neale and H. W. Baker and paired with the Latin plainsong melody of “Divinum mysterium.”

Verse three of the lyric copied here is omitted in the video above.

1 Of the Father’s love begotten
ere the worlds began to be,
he is Alpha and Omega,
he the source, the ending he,
of the things that are, that have been,
and that future years shall see
evermore and evermore.

2 Oh, that birth forever blessed
when the virgin, full of grace,
by the Holy Ghost conceiving,
bore the Savior of our race,
and the babe, the world’s Redeemer,
first revealed his sacred face
evermore and evermore.

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Advent Singing: God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen

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“God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen” has no known author or melody smith. It’s listed as a traditional 18th century carol and appears in many hymnals with many variations in lyric. The recording above uses five verses that seem mostly familiar and a little unfamiliar. I don’t think I’ve ever sung the fourth verse offered here or this verse I see in Hymns for a Pilgrim People:

“Fear not, then,” said the angel,
“Let nothing you affright;
This day is born a Savior
Of a pure virgin bright,
To free all those who trust in Him
From Satan’s pow’r and might.”

Music

Advent Singing: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

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“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” was a 12th century Latin hymn brought into English by John M. Neale of London. The Latin words come from an 8th century poem. This makes another commonly sung hymn with ancient roots.

Music

Advent Singing: Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence

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Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence · OCP Session Choir

Advent season begins today, so I’ll share my favorite advent hymn first. If you know this hymn, it may be the oldest song you know. The words come from the Liturgy of St. James, which is a Syrian rite linked to St. James the Less. Remember our brothers and sisters in the Syrian church, who have persevered in the faith for centuries, as you sing this hymn today.

The recording above has only three of these verses.

1 Let all mortal flesh keep silence,
and with fear and trembling stand;
ponder nothing earthly-minded,
for with blessing in his hand,
Christ our God to earth descendeth,
our full homage to demand.

2 King of kings, yet born of Mary,
as of old on earth he stood;
Lord of lords, in human vesture,
in the body and the blood,
he will give to all the faithful
his own self for heav’nly food.

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Sunday Singing: We Gather Together

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“We Gather Together,” 1625, author unknown, translated from Dutch “Wilt heden nu treden” by Theodore Baker.

We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing;
He chastens and hastens his will to make known;
The wicked oppressing now cease from distressing.
Sing praises to his name; he forgets not his own.

Beside us to guide us, our God with us joining,
Ordaining, maintaining his kingdom divine;
So from the beginning the fight we were winning;
Thou, Lord, wast at our side; all glory be thine!

We all do extol thee, thou leader triumphant,
And pray that thou still our defender wilt be.
Let thy congregation escape tribulation;
Thy name be ever praised! O Lord, make us free!

Music

Sunday Singing: Make Me a Captive, Lord

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“Make Me a Captive, Lord” is an 1890 hymn by Rev. George Matheson of Glasgow, Scotland. The tune was written in 1862 by George William Martin of London.

I’ve copied the words here. This performance skips the third verse.

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Jesus Christ the Apple Tree

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The tree of life my soul hath seen,
Laden with fruit and always green:
The trees of nature fruitless be
Compared with Christ the apple tree.

Seraphic Fire performs “Jesus Christ the Apple Tree” by Elizabeth Poston

This traditional Christmas carol would fit well during apple season, in September or October when many of us look for cider at a farmers market or visit orchards to pick or buy Jonagolds, Mitzus, and Arkansas Blacks off the trees around us.

Eric Hollas has a beautiful story of the apple trees his father tended in the inhospitable climate of Oklahoma City.

So it was that each autumn we ate apples until we grew tired of them.  And when it was clear that we’d eat no more, he turned to pies.  Late into the night, night after night, he peeled apples relentlessly, while my bemused mother baked on and on.  Our kitchen became a pie factory, and by the end of the season there could be eighty or a hundred pies in the freezer.

“Jesus Christ the Apple Tree” has been found in print from 1761 and possibly a bit earlier, attributed to Rev. Richard Hutchins, a clergyman of Northamptonshire, England.

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Christmastime: Let Us Be Merry; Put Sorrow Away

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In a week, we will be set upon by Christmas. I hope you, your friends, family, and neighbors will receive God’s transforming grace to know with confidence what the Lord has done by taking on flesh and living as one of us.

The Christmas carol in this video, “A Virgin Unspotted,” used to be very popular and can be found in many variations. The music, “Judea,” was written by William Billings in 1778.

Billings was a tanner who taught himself music and was friends with men you know from the American Revolution. Britannica states, “His music is noted for its rhythmic vitality, freshness, and straightforward harmonies.” That’s what I love about this song. The joyous chorus that dances round the room.

The words come derive from a 1661 carol called “In Bethlehem City,” which appears in many versions and was originally paired with a tune that has been lost. The writers of Hymns and Carols of Christmas state, “The carol has appeared in one form or another in most of the old collections of songs, and was a popular subject for the broadside trade. Interestingly, it almost never appears in hymnals.”

I came to know the song through The Rose Ensemble album, And Glory Shown Around.

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Top ten hymns

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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.

Music

My Top Ten Favorite Hymns

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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