I've mentioned before that this is my favorite hymn, but I've been reflecting on why that is. Last Sunday we sang this in church in the morning, and I got to play it again that evening in the Princeton Seminary Koinonia opening worship (that's the doctoral student fellowship). I also then, on Friday, had my class analyze it on their music theory quizzes, so I had a week to reflect.
Firstly, we should think about its text. Again, as many hymns I've discussed here, Catherine Winkworth translated it, although this time in the 1863 Chorale Book for England, on page 29-30. Its German author, Joachim Neander, wrote the text in 1679. You can read a brief bio of Neander at the cyberhymnal, but of note are that he studied with two famous pietists Philipp Jakob Spener, considered one of the fathers of pietism, and Johann Schütz; and that he is immortalized through the discovery of Neanderthal Man in the valley named after him.
Winkworth included four verses in the Chorale Book for England, and it is these four that most modern hymnals include.
Praise to the Lord! the Almighty, the King of creation!
O my soul, praise Him, for He is thy health and salvation!
All ye who hear,
Now to His temple draw near,
Join me in glad adoration!
Praise to the Lord! who o'er all things so wondrously reigneth,
Shelters thee under His wings, yea so gently sustaineth;
Hast thou not seen
How thy desires have been
Granted in what He ordaineth?
Praise to the Lord! who doth prosper thy work and defend thee,
Surely His goodness and mercy here daily attend thee;
Ponder anew
What the Almighty can do,
If with His love He befriend thee!
Praise to the Lord! Oh let all that is in me adore Him!
All that hath life and breath, come now with praises before Him!
Let the Amen
Sound from His people again,
Gladly for aye we adore Him!
If you look at the cyberhymnal version, you see 7 verses. I'm unsure where they've found them all. I have an 1829 Lieder-Sammlung that includes 5 verses, including the 3rd on the cyberhymnal page, but I haven't found the other verses. My other German hymnals all have the same 5 verses. However, in English-language hymnals, it seems to have only become popular in the latter half of the 20th century, and I can only find the common 4 verses. I'll have to look into that more.
Returning to the text, though, it is a wonderful call to praise. It begins by calling people to worship, moves on to praise God for creation and all that God does for us, and finally concludes with a view towards eternity. The text is the first positive to this hymn—the focus on God's greatness is exactly what should be in a song of praise (unlike some which purport to glorify God and then spend the whole time discussing humans). Further, showing God's greatness through creation is a common theme throughout history, from the Psalms on forward. But, it is the final verse that draws it together for me—for it is in the eschaton that humanity is truly redeemed, along with all creation.
The second positive to this hymn, though, is its music. The tune, which takes its name from the German title LOBE DEN HERREN, is perfectly suited to the text. The most common version, harmonized by William S. Bennett, is an excellent example of classical contrapuntal rules. Since it does follow these rules so nicely, it is exceptionally easy to play, and at the same time greatly embellish for interest on different verses.
Further, the structure of it is exactly what is needed for the text (warning—some music theory follows). Winkworth maintained the rhyming scheme from the German, AABBA. The tune, similarly, follows this scheme. The first line of music is repeated, then comes a contrasting section for the B lines, and the final line takes the second half of the first line to produce the ending—giving the musical structure aaba'. In common practice music, this is a form of what is known as a "contrasting double period," a common phrase structure. The high point of the piece, occurring in the B section, allows for the fall to the final cadence to give a good sense of completion to the hymn.
This combination of text and tune makes this hymn into what I would consider a perfect example of what should occur in worship—a well-constructed yet also spiritually and emotionally uplifting hymn of praise. It fits well into my own theology of music in worship, which I've never discussed here but obviously should. Look for it soon. But, what do you think of this hymn? I've been told by some others that it's one of their favorites—does everyone agree?
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Sunday, September 16, 2007
How Summer Took Up All My Free Time
Obviously, I've written nothing for three months. Well, nothing online. Here's a quick rundown of my summer, and the things that have occupied me:
The title of the dissertation (or, as some Greek philosophers would have it, the diatribe—thank you, Amy comp studying) is The Baptist Hymnal For Use in the Church and Home: Its Content, Development and Reception. A thrilling, academic title, I know. I've begun with chapter 2, an examination of the members of the committee that came together on this project. They were a diverse group, with members from many different theological and musical viewpoints (although all Baptist).
First, having the two main musical editors together, William Howard Doane and Elias Henry Johnson, would almost be like today getting tobyMac and Brian Wren to put together a hymnal. Doane, as a proponent and writer of gospel songs, was heavily involved in promoting this music that many felt was unfit for Sunday morning worship. Johnson, conversely, was the sole editor of the next major Baptist hymnal, titled Sursum Corda. It was full of "high church" hymns, and included a large section of Anglican chant. This was not as unusual in the late 19th century as it might seem now in a Baptist hymnal. Several Baptist hymnals throughout the century include such chant ( including the 1883 hymnal at hand), although the Sursum Corda's section is rather large.
Besides the music editors, the American Baptist Publication Society put together a superstar collection of famous preachers and writers. Two of the pastors were called upon to preach at Henry Ward Beecher's funeral, one co-wrote a book with Harriet Beecher Stowe, several were editors of major Baptist newspapers, still others were famous revival preachers and singers, and a great deal were involved in teaching a colleges and seminaries. Here's a map I've generated of all the states in which these men pastored, taught and published. You might notice that of the states east of the Missouri River, only four are not included.
Putting together such a widely dispersed committee was a shrewd move on the part of the publication society and its secretary, Benjamin Griffith, for it helped to quickly spread the word about the new hymnal, and helped ensure that the preferences of different areas of the country were addressed.
I'll write more about it as chapters unfold. Besides, I can't put everything online—it's way too long. I also have thought of several other things I've been wanting to write about, so I'll try to be a more regular blogger again.
- My dissertation. I'm happy to say I've gotten one chapter done, and am well on my way in a second. Besides that, Amy came with me on an extensive and helpful research trip in July to Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama.
- Amy studying for comprehensive exams. I have a greater appreciation for all she did for me last summer when I was in that boat.
- Guests. We had a lot of fun with Amy's family, my family, several sets of friends, and seemingly almost everyone we know. It was great, and I loved it, but it wasn't conducive to #1 or #2!
- Moving. We've moved to a bigger apartment (just up the hall from our former one), in anticipation of:
- A new baby! We're expecting a baby girl this December.
The title of the dissertation (or, as some Greek philosophers would have it, the diatribe—thank you, Amy comp studying) is The Baptist Hymnal For Use in the Church and Home: Its Content, Development and Reception. A thrilling, academic title, I know. I've begun with chapter 2, an examination of the members of the committee that came together on this project. They were a diverse group, with members from many different theological and musical viewpoints (although all Baptist).
First, having the two main musical editors together, William Howard Doane and Elias Henry Johnson, would almost be like today getting tobyMac and Brian Wren to put together a hymnal. Doane, as a proponent and writer of gospel songs, was heavily involved in promoting this music that many felt was unfit for Sunday morning worship. Johnson, conversely, was the sole editor of the next major Baptist hymnal, titled Sursum Corda. It was full of "high church" hymns, and included a large section of Anglican chant. This was not as unusual in the late 19th century as it might seem now in a Baptist hymnal. Several Baptist hymnals throughout the century include such chant ( including the 1883 hymnal at hand), although the Sursum Corda's section is rather large.
Besides the music editors, the American Baptist Publication Society put together a superstar collection of famous preachers and writers. Two of the pastors were called upon to preach at Henry Ward Beecher's funeral, one co-wrote a book with Harriet Beecher Stowe, several were editors of major Baptist newspapers, still others were famous revival preachers and singers, and a great deal were involved in teaching a colleges and seminaries. Here's a map I've generated of all the states in which these men pastored, taught and published. You might notice that of the states east of the Missouri River, only four are not included.
Putting together such a widely dispersed committee was a shrewd move on the part of the publication society and its secretary, Benjamin Griffith, for it helped to quickly spread the word about the new hymnal, and helped ensure that the preferences of different areas of the country were addressed.I'll write more about it as chapters unfold. Besides, I can't put everything online—it's way too long. I also have thought of several other things I've been wanting to write about, so I'll try to be a more regular blogger again.
Friday, May 25, 2007
The Venerable Bede
I decided today would be a good day to break my internet silence. My semester grades are in, I'm done playing operas for now, and my dissertation prospectus is (finally) in the mail. On such an auspicious day in which I'm done with all my projects (and am ready to actually start writing), I'm happy that it is also the Feast of the Venerable Bede.
Bede (673-735), called "Venerable" because of his wisdom, was placed in a monastery in northern England at the age of 7. Benedict Biscop, a nobleman who had become a monk, founded this monastery. Biscop traveled to Rome several times, each time returning with many books, paintings and artifacts, and, therefore, the library at Wearmouth (the monastery) was known as the best in England. Bede thus acquired great knowledge, for he rarely traveled far, and spent most of his time reading and studying. He is most famous for his Historia Ecclesiastica, a history of the English church and people. However, he also wrote many other things, among them many treatises and letters calling for reform in the church. He also lists in his works a Book of Hymns, which, to our great loss, is not extant.
Some of his hymns have survived, however, the most famous the "Hymnum canamus dominum," translated variously as "A Hymn of Glory Let Us Sing" and "Sing We Triumphant Hymns of Praise." I am most familiar with "A Hymn of Glory," translated by Benjamin Webb in 1854 (Webb was a friend of John Mason Neale, whom you might remember from this post). Here is its text:
Its highly appropriate for this week, so soon after the ascension. A couple of tunes that have been used for this are LASST UNS ERFREUEN (with alleluias added after the second line) and DEO GRACIAS. I do like both of those tunes, but I do prefer the latter for this hymn (showing my bias towards modal, medieval sounds). It was written to celebrate an English victory over the French at Agincourt, but its stately sounds fit well the ascending of Christ "in glorious pomp," especially if you happen to have some brass players to join in as I do. It's a great postlude, too, if your congregation can't sing it!
Bede (673-735), called "Venerable" because of his wisdom, was placed in a monastery in northern England at the age of 7. Benedict Biscop, a nobleman who had become a monk, founded this monastery. Biscop traveled to Rome several times, each time returning with many books, paintings and artifacts, and, therefore, the library at Wearmouth (the monastery) was known as the best in England. Bede thus acquired great knowledge, for he rarely traveled far, and spent most of his time reading and studying. He is most famous for his Historia Ecclesiastica, a history of the English church and people. However, he also wrote many other things, among them many treatises and letters calling for reform in the church. He also lists in his works a Book of Hymns, which, to our great loss, is not extant.
Some of his hymns have survived, however, the most famous the "Hymnum canamus dominum," translated variously as "A Hymn of Glory Let Us Sing" and "Sing We Triumphant Hymns of Praise." I am most familiar with "A Hymn of Glory," translated by Benjamin Webb in 1854 (Webb was a friend of John Mason Neale, whom you might remember from this post). Here is its text:
A hymn of glory let us sing
New songs throughout the world shall ring
Christ, by a road before untrod
Ascendeth to the throne of God.
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
The holy apostolic band
Upon the Mount of Olives stand
And with His followers they see
Jesus’ resplendent majesty
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
To Whom the angels drawing nigh,
“Why stand and gaze upon the sky?”
“This is the Savior,” thus they say.
“This is His noble triumph day.”
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
“Again ye shall behold Him so,
As ye have today seen Him go.”
“In glorious pomp ascending high
Up to the portals of the sky.”
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
O grant us thitherward to tend
And with unwearied hearts ascend,
Unto Thy kingdom’s throne, where Thou
As is our faith, art seated now,
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
Be Thou our Joy and strong Defense,
Who art our future Recompense,
So shall the light that springs from Thee
Be ours through all eternity,
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
O risen Christ, ascended Lord,
All praise to Thee let earth accord,
Who art, while endless ages run,
With Father and with Spirit One,
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Sunday, April 08, 2007
Happy Easter!
After the 40 days of Lent, I'm so glad we've finally reached the feast of the resurrection! As the high point of the Christian year, and the most important for our faith, Easter also has some of the best hymns. Besides the hymn I started this blog with one year ago, there are so many other wonderful expressions of joy from the 2,000 years of the Christian tradition.
This text, Aurora lucis rutilat, is a Latin text from the 5th century. It's been put with the tune Puer nobis in the Hymnal 1982 and in others, which is a good, joyful tune to which to sing it (although a little slow in the linked version). This is a 15th century tune that was adapted by Michael Praetorius.
This text, Aurora lucis rutilat, is a Latin text from the 5th century. It's been put with the tune Puer nobis in the Hymnal 1982 and in others, which is a good, joyful tune to which to sing it (although a little slow in the linked version). This is a 15th century tune that was adapted by Michael Praetorius.
That Eastertide with joy was bright,
The sun shone out with fairer light,
When, to their longing eyes restored,
The apostles saw their risen Lord.
He bade them see His hands, His side,
Where yet the glorious wounds abide;
The tokens true which made it plain
Their Lord indeed was risen again.
Jesus, the King of gentleness,
Do Thou Thyself our hearts possess
That we may give Thee all our days
The tribute of our grateful praise.
O Lord of all, with us abide
In this our joyful Eastertide;
From every weapon death can wield
Thine own redeemed forever shield.
All praise be Thine, O risen Lord,
From death to endless life restored;
All praise to God the Father be
And Holy Ghost eternally.
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