Handbook to
The Mennonite Hymnary

By
Lester Hostetler, B. D.
Coeditor, The Mennonite Hymnary

General Conference of the Mennonite Church of North America
Board of Publications
Newton, Kansas
1949

Copyright, 1949, by the General Conference of Mennonites,
Board of Publications
Printed by the Brethren Publishing House, Elgin, Illinois

TO
ALL WHO LOVE THE HYMNS OF THE CHURCH
AND
DESIRE TO SING THEM
WITH
THE SPIRIT AND THE UNDERSTANDING
THIS BOOK
IS DEDICATED
IN
GRATITUDE AND LOVE

CONTENTS

PAGE [PREFACE] ix [EXPLANATORY NOTES] xi [INTRODUCTION TO OUR HYMNS AND TUNES] xii

NOTES ON THE WORDS AND MUSIC OF THE HYMNS HYMNS WORSHIP Praise and Adoration [1]-18 Morning [19]-27 Evening [28]-40 Close of Worship [41]-45 GOD THE FATHER His Majesty and Power [46]-47 Maker of Heaven and Earth [48]-53 His Love and Mercy [54]-64 JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD His Advent [65]-69 His Birth [70]-86 His Epiphany [87]-91 His Life and Ministry [92]-99 His Triumphal Entry [100]-101 His Passion [102]-112 His Resurrection [113]-116 His Ascension [117]-124 His Coming Again [125]-130 THE HOLY SPIRIT [131]-139 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE The Call of Christ [140]-144 Penitence and Confession [145]-147 Faith and Vision [148]-154 Peace and Joy [155]-159 Guidance and Protection [160]-169 Love and Gratitude [170]-179 Prayer and Communion [180]-189 Loyalty and Steadfastness [190]-194 Trials and Temptation [195]-198 Aspiration and Hope [199]-204 Purity and Uprightness [205]-211 Consecration and Stewardship [212]-220 Service and Brotherhood [221]-231 Inner Life [232]-239 HYMNS OF COURAGE AND COMFORT [240]-259 THE LIFE ETERNAL [260]-266 THE KINGDOM OF GOD [267]-272 THE CHURCH General [273]-277 The House of God [278]-282 The Lord’s Day [283]-288 The Holy Scriptures [289]-292 The Ministry [293]-297 Sacraments and Rites Consecration of Children [298]-300 Baptism of Believers [301]-302 The Lord’s Supper [303]-311 Marriage [312] Burial of the Dead [313]-316 The Communion of Saints [317]-319 Church Unity [320]-323 CHRISTIAN MISSIONS [324]-342 NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL LIFE The Nation [343]-349 World Friendship and Peace [350]-357 THE CHRISTIAN HOME AND FAMILY [358]-363 SPECIAL SERVICES Mother’s Day [364] Farewell Service [365] Our Forefathers [366]-369 Hospital Sunday [370] Temperance Sunday [371] Labor Day [372]-374 THE SEASONS Harvest and Thanksgiving [375]-378 New Year [379]-383 Winter [384] Spring [385] Summer [386] Autumn [387] SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES [388]-390 YOUTH [391]-402 BOOK TWO HYMNS FOR CHILDREN {Praise} [403]-405 {Nature} [406]-410 {Christmas} [411]-414 {Easter} [415] {Loyalty and Consecration} [416]-421 {Prayer} [422]-435 {Missions} [436] BOOK THREE GOSPEL SONGS [437]-504 BOOK FOUR THE CHURCH YEAR IN CHORALES Call to Worship [505]-508 Praise [509]-520 Advent [522]-524 Christmastide [525]-527 (New Year) [528] Epiphany [529]-530 Lent [531]-540 Eastertide [541]-545 Whitsuntide [546]-548 The Church and Missions [549]-552 {Morning} [553]-555 {Evening} [556]-557 General [558]-574 BOOK FIVE METRICAL PSALMS [575]-600 BOOK SIX RESPONSES, CHANTS, DOXOLOGIES, AND AMENS {Responses} [601]-609 {The Lord’s Prayer} [610] {Offertories} [611]-612 {Benedictions} [613]-614 {Doxologies} [615]-618 {Amens} [619]-623

PAGE [PRINCIPAL WORKS CONSULTED] 395 INDEXES [(1) Index of Scripture Texts] 400 [(2) Topical Index of the Metrical Psalms] 402 [(3) Composers and Sources of Tunes] 402 [(4) Authors, Translators and Sources] 407 [(5) Alphabetical Index of Tunes] 412 [(6) Original First Lines of Translations] 417 [(7) Index of First Lines] 419

PREFACE

The aim of this book is to serve as a companion to the Mennonite Hymnary. It seeks to explain, as far as possible, the origin of the words and music of every hymn in the Hymnary.

The great lyrics of the church, contributed by every age since the days of the apostles, are a precious heritage, and a source of inspiration and power. This work is intended to foster an understanding of and love for our hymns, new and old, and to stimulate the time-honored and blessed practice of congregational singing in the church today.

The Handbook may be found useful as an aid (1) in the private study of hymns or their use in family devotions; (2) in selecting suitable hymns for the many and varied services of public worship; (3) in preparing special music services or hymn sings where such occasions are planned to improve the singing in the church; (4) for study groups in hymnology in churches and schools. The historical development of hymnology may be followed in the brief “[Introduction to Our Hymns and Tunes].”

The author has endeavored to make the work as comprehensive as possible without overburdening the reader with too many details. Many hymns have interesting stories connected with their origin and use while others, equally valuable, were just written, without drama or incident, the poet scarcely knowing how or why, except that the Inner Voice spoke. The apocryphal tales which have been circulated concerning some hymns have been studiously avoided. The aim has been to include only such material as seems to bear genuine marks of authenticity. The bibliography of “Principal Works Consulted,” found elsewhere in the book, indicates the main sources.

The original versions of translated hymns are not always readily available and for that reason they are reproduced in the Handbook. Translated hymns are usually selections from a much larger number of stanzas and it is often instructive to be able to study the whole structure of the original work.

Acknowledgements. I wish to acknowledge valuable help received from the following and to express hereby my gratitude to them: to Dr. Robert McCutchan, author of Our Hymnody, who generously responded to my request for information on a dozen or more hymns on which I had no data; to Dr. Henry Wilder Foote, of Harvard University, author of Three Centuries of American Hymnody, for biographical material on several hymn writers, and the use of books from his private library; to Dr. Reginald McAll, Executive Secretary of the Hymn Society of America for helpful material; to Dr. Ruth Messenger, Archivist for the Hymn Society of America, who furnished nearly all the Latin originals, and the Italian original of Savonarola’s hymn, and information concerning these hymns; to Dr. Armin Heussler, author of a forth-coming handbook to the Evangelical hymnal, for material on several of the chorales; to Wm. Runyan of the Hope Publishing Company, and to Dr. John Trowbridge of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles, for information concerning several of the gospel songs; to Dr. Cornelius Krahn who made the rich hymnic treasures of the Mennonite Historical Library at Bethel College available to me; to the late Rev. C. E. Krehbiel who loaned me material from his private library for this work but did not live to see its completion; to B. Bargen for help in preparing the manuscript for publication; to Mrs. Beatrice Buller for reading the manuscripts and proofs of the German chorales; to my wife, Charity Steiner Hostetler, who read all the manuscripts and proofs and whose constant interest and assistance were indispensable; and to others, too numerous to mention, who in any way facilitated the completion of the work.

The book, written during spare moments of a busy pastorate, is sent forth with the prayer that, in spite of errors and imperfections, it may inspire all who use it to sing with greater devotion the praises of Him who loved us and redeemed us.

Lester Hostetler

The Parsonage

Bethel College Mennonite Church

North Newton, Kansas

January 20, 1949

EXPLANATORY NOTES

In the interest of brevity and to avoid repetition, certain recurring words are abbreviated:

Hymnary is used for Mennonite Hymnary.

c. (circa) means approximate date.

Tr. is prefixed to the names of all translators.

Anon. (anonymous) means without any name acknowledged, as that of author or composer.

The word “Number” has been omitted: thus Hymn 22 means Hymn No. 22.

Cf. means compare. (Latin: confer).

The original texts of German hymns found throughout the Handbook, especially in the section of Chorales, Book IV, are the versions used in one or more of the following works: Gesangbuch mit Noten, (Berne, Ind., 1890); Gesangbuch der Mennoniten, (Canadian, 1942); The Handbook to the Lutheran Hymnal, (Concordia Pub. House, 1942); Gesangbuch zum gottesdienstlichen und häuslichen Gebrauch in Evangelischen Mennoniten-Gemeinden, (Konferenz der süddeutschen Mennoniten zu Ludwigshafen a. Rh. 1910); and Knapp, Evangelischer Liederschatz. Many variations occur in the texts as found in these versions, the explanation of which would require a much greater knowledge of German hymnody than the author possesses. An effort has been made to bring the spelling into conformity with the modern German practice of omitting the “h” where it was formerly used with the “th”; the use of “ss” instead of “sz”; and printing the initial letter of the pronouns referring to Deity, in lower case rather than with capitals.

AN INTRODUCTION TO OUR HYMNS AND TUNES

With Illustrations From the Hymnary

[1. Definition of a Hymn.] [2. The Beginnings of Christian Song.] [3. Hymns of the Eastern Church: Greek and Syriac.] [4. Hymns of the Western Church: Latin.] [5. Hymns of the Bohemian Brethren.] [6. Hymns of the Reformation: The German Chorales.] [7. Hymns of the Reformation: The Metrical Psalms.] [8. Psalm Versions.] [9. English Hymnody.] [10. American Hymns.] [11. The Gospel Songs.] [12. Women Hymn Writers.] [13. Mennonite Hymnody.] [14. Antecedents of the Mennonite Hymnary.] [15. The Translation of Hymns.] [16. Church Unity in the Hymn Book.] [17. Hymn Meters.] [18. Hymn Tunes.] [19. John Wesley’s Rules for Singing.]

1. Definition of a Hymn.

St. Augustine, 354-430, gave a definition of a hymn, which has been widely accepted:

A hymn is the praise of God by singing. A hymn is a song embodying the praise of God. If there is merely praise but not praise of God it is not a hymn. If there be praise, and praise of God, but not sung, it is not a hymn. For it to be a hymn, it is needful, therefore, for it to have three things—praise, praise of God, and these sung.

A recent definition, accepted by the Hymn Society of America, is that of the late Carl F. Price:

A Christian hymn is a lyric poem, reverently and devotionally conceived, which is designed to be sung and which expresses the worshiper’s attitude toward God, or God’s purposes, in human life.

L. F. Benson, America’s foremost hymnologist, defines a hymn in these simple words:

The Christian hymn ... is a form of words appropriate to be sung or chanted in public devotions.

A hymn is to be sung by a congregation. Its message must be simple, not subtle. It must read well and sing well. In modern usage, the hymn is not limited to the praise of God but includes other moods of worship such as resignation and consecration.

2. The Beginnings of Christian Song.

Hymn singing has always been associated with Christian worship. Jesus and the Twelve sang a hymn, presumably a portion of the Hallel (Ps. 115-118), after the Supper was ended. Paul and Silas sang hymns, “songs of the night,” during the midnight hours of their imprisonment in Philippi. The great Apostle recognized the value of song when he exhorted the churches thus:

Be filled with the Spirit; speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. Eph. 5:18, 19.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. Col. 3:16.

I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also. I Cor. 14:15.

The Jewish converts who at first composed the church had a rich heritage of song in the Book of Psalms. This was their hymnbook, used in the Temple worship and in the home and probably also in the synagogue services. The use of the Psalms, carried over from the Jewish service, forms to this day an important element in Christian worship.

Besides the Psalms, the early church sang the nativity lyrics that adorn the first two chapters of the Gospel of Luke. It also made extensive use of Hallelujah as a part of the people’s praise, adding, in the course of time, the Gloria Patri, the Sanctus, the Te Deum, and other canticles.

The nativity hymns in Luke, five in all, are extensively used in Roman Catholic and Anglican services.

Ave Maria (Hail Mary). 1:28-29, 42-45. The salutation of Gabriel and of Elizabeth.

Magnificat. “My soul doth magnify the Lord....” 1:46-55. Hymn of the Virgin Mary.

Benedictus. “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel....” 1:68-79. Song of Zacharias.

Nunc Dimittis. “Lord, now lettest Thou thy servant depart in peace.” 2:29-32. Song of Simeon.

Gloria in excelsis. “Glory to God in the highest....” 2:14. Song of the Angels. Used as a part of the Roman mass and often found in Protestant hymns, e.g., “Angels we have heard on high” [82].

Beginnings of Christian Song in the Hymnary

Psalms. Book Five. [575]-600. Gloria Patri [606]-7. Ter Sanctus (Trisagion) “Holy, holy, holy” [601]-2. Te Deum. “Holy God we praise Thy name” [519]. A metrical translation of an ancient version.

3. Hymns of the Eastern Church: Greek and Syriac.

The ancient Eastern Church developed a rich hymnody, rising steadily in the fourth century until it reached its culmination in the eighth and ninth centuries. Since it employed the Greek and Syriac languages, its hymnic treasures remained almost completely hidden and unknown to the English speaking churches for many centuries. It is only in recent years, through the efforts of scholars like John Mason Neale and Edward Caswall that some of the Eastern hymns have been translated and made available for modern use. Eastern hymns are characterized by an objective, dignified, contemplation of God. Except when confessing sin and unworthiness, they contain nothing of the subjective feelings of the worshipper such as is found in many modern hymns. Though there is very little in the Hymnary from the Eastern Church, our collection is enriched by the inclusion of a small number of hymns from this source.

Greek Hymns in the Hymnary

Clement of Alexandria, 170-220, “Shepherd of tender youth” ([398]) Candle Lighting Hymn, “O gladsome light” ([34]) Synesius, c. 375-430, “Lord Jesus, think on me” ([196]) St. Germanus, 634-734, “A great and mighty wonder” ([526]) St. John of Damascus, 8th century, “The day of resurrection” ([115]) “Come, ye faithful, raise the strain” ([113]) St. Stephen the Sabaite, 725-94, “Art thou weary, heavy-laden” ([143]) Candle Lighting Hymn, “Darkening night, the land doth” ([32])

4. Hymns of the Western Church: Latin.

Two great names are associated with the music of the Western Church: Ambrose, c. 340-97, known as the “Father of Hymnody in the Western Church;” and Gregory the Great, 540-604, the missionary-minded pope, and reformer of church music.

Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, not only composed hymns and music but stimulated others to do the same. Under his leadership there developed a large body of church music based upon four scales, which came to be known as Ambrosian Chant. Although widely known as a scholar, theologian, and preacher, Ambrose’s most lasting influence was upon the music of the church. None of his hymns are found in our collection.

Gregory the Great, two centuries later, carried forward the work of Ambrose. He added four more scales or modes to the Ambrosian system, thus giving to the repertory of church music more definiteness and variety. The music that developed during the papacy of Gregory came to be known as Gregorian Chant, or plainsong, or plainchant. It is “plain” because unadorned, unharmonized and unmeasured. Its rhythm is the free rhythm of speech, the beats falling irregularly. The Gregorian Chant remained the music of the church for a thousand years and forms the basis of all Roman Catholic music today. Some of these chants were adapted by Luther for congregational singing, and set to words in the vernacular of the people. A few of the tunes, usually in a form scarcely recognizable from the original, are used today in Protestant hymnals, as for instance, the tune “Hamburg.” Some of the music in the Amish church services is traceable to the Gregorian Chant.

The singing in the medieval church was liturgical in character and confined to the clergy and trained choirs. This was its weakness. The laity was not expected to sing, neither were they able to do so. Congregational singing, so important in our worship today, had for centuries been unknown in the Roman Catholic Church. Reform was inevitable and it came in due time.

While only remnants of the music survive, many hymns from the Western Church have been translated from the Latin and a few choice ones have found their way into the Hymnary.

Latin Hymns in the Hymnary

Prudentius, 348-c. 413, “Bethlehem, of noblest cities” ([88]) Gregory the Great, 540-604, “Father, we praise Thee” ([24]) Anonymous, 6th or 7th century, “Christ is made the sure” ([277]) “Joy dawned again on Easterday” ([415]) Theodulph of Orleans, 9th century, “All glory, laud, and honor” ([100]) Bernard of Clairvaux, 1091-1153, “Jesus the very thought” ([155]) “O sacred Head, now wounded” ([539]) Bernard of Cluny, 12th century, “Jerusalem, the golden” ([262]-3) Anonymous, 12th century, “O come, O come, Emmanuel” ([67]) Savonarola, 1452-98 (Italian), “Jesus, Refuge of the weary” ([536]) Anonymous, 17th-18th centuries, “O come, all ye faithful” ([80]) “The year is gone beyond recall” ([382])

5. Hymns of the Bohemian Brethren.

The followers of John Hus who came to be known as the Bohemian Brethren, and later as the Moravians, were the first Protestant group to introduce congregational singing into their worship. They also published the first Protestant hymnbooks, one in 1501 and another in 1505, containing 89 and 400 hymns, respectively, in their native Bohemian tongue. Their efforts to introduce congregational singing were sternly opposed by the Roman hierarchy. The Council of Constance condemned Hus to be burned at the stake and warned his successor, Jacob of Misi, to cease the singing of hymns in the churches. It decreed:

If laymen are forbidden to preach and interpret the Scriptures, much more are they forbidden to sing publicly in the churches.

As a result of their persecution, the Brethren in 1508 sent out messengers to search for true Christian people into whose communion they might apply for admission—one to Russia, one to Greece, one to Bulgaria, and one to Palestine and Egypt. All returned unsuccessful. No such Christians had been found. They therefore remained in their own country, giving themselves assiduously to the translation and printing of the Bible.

In 1522 the Brethren sent two messengers to Luther to greet him and ask his advice. Luther became interested in them and welcomed their fellowship. He was impressed with the hymnbook the Brethren had published, and later used some of the hymns in his own work.

Two centuries later, the Brethren, known now as the Moravians, settled on Count Zinzendorf’s estates in Saxony, spreading rapidly from thence into other countries in Europe and to the United States. One of England’s foremost hymn writers and hymnologists, James Montgomery, was an adherent to their faith.

Bohemian Brethren and Moravian Hymns in the Hymnary

Michael Weisse, 1480-1534, “Christ, the Lord, is ris’n again” ([544]) Tunes: “Mit Freuden Zart” ([512]), “Ravenshaw” ([292]) von Zinzendorf, Nikolaus L., 1700-60, “Jesus, still lead on” ([574]) von Zinzendorf, Christian R., 1724-62, “Man of sorrows” ([537]) Henriette Luise von Hayn, 1724-82, “I am Jesus’ little lamb” ([430]) James Montgomery, 1771-1854, “Hail to the Lord’s Anointed” ([65]) “Angels from the realms of glory” ([81]) “Go to dark Gethsemane” ([107]) and many others

6. Hymns of the Reformation: the German Chorales.

The movement toward congregational singing, inaugurated by the Bohemian Brethren, was soon to be merged into the greater Reformation movement. Luther’s influence on the worship and music of the church was revolutionary. For a thousand years the laymen had had no part in church song. Congregational singing was unknown. Ambrosian music had at first been introduced for congregational use but it became more and more liturgical, thrusting the laity into the background. The Gregorian Chant which followed was never intended for use except by the priests and trained choirs. The followers of Hus pioneered in congregational singing; but it was Luther and his followers who brought it into full fruition.

Luther was a born music lover and a musician of adequate training. Moreover he possessed a remarkable gift for writing hymns in clear thought to bring the Word of God home to the hearts of the common people. He and his followers put songs on the lips of the German people and they sang themselves into the Reformation. So effective were these songs that his enemies in the Roman church declared that “Luther’s songs have damned more souls than all his books and speeches.”

Chorales. The word “chorale” (“choral” in German) refers to the hymn tunes of Lutheran Protestantism, though in common usage the term includes the words associated with the tunes. The melodies had much to do with the popularity of the songs. They came from various sources. Many of them were original compositions by Luther and others; some were borrowed from the hymn books of the Bohemian Brethren; a considerable number were adaptations of plainsongs used in the Catholic Church; still others were adopted from beloved folksongs. Luther was an eclectic in his choice of music. He used any tune from any source that suited his purpose. Many thousands of chorales came into existence in Germany during his time and the two centuries that followed. The hundreds still in use represent the best in church music today. They are characterized by a plain melody, a strong harmony, and a stately rhythm; all of which adapts them well for effective congregational singing.

The chorales at first did not have the regular rhythms that they later took on. The steady progression of even notes, invariable in Bach’s day, had come only gradually into use. Some of the recent hymnbooks, in the interest of greater variety of rhythm, are returning to the original “rhythmic chorales.”

Though unison singing has been widely practiced and is advocated today by some good authorities in church music, Luther encouraged part singing. In his first Preface to the Geystliches Gesangbücklin, 1525, he wrote:

These songs have been set in four parts, for no other reason than because I wished to provide our young people (who both will and ought to be instructed in music and other sciences) with something whereby they might rid themselves of amorous and carnal songs, and in their stead learn something wholesome, and so apply themselves to what is good with pleasure, as becometh the young.

The period of the German chorales may be said to have begun with Luther, 1483-1546, and ended two centuries later with J. S. Bach, 1685-1750. Bach brought the chorale tunes to their highest perfection, using many of them in his larger choral works. He composed about 30 original chorale melodies, wrote reharmonizations for approximately 400, and composed many chorale preludes for the organ which are in wide use today.

The German hymns and chorale tunes, used constantly in the home and school, as well as in the church, have been of great importance in our Mennonite worship in the past. They constitute the main body of material in all our German collections of hymns. In an effort to preserve and emphasize this rich heritage, there was incorporated into the Hymnary, a special section, Book III, made up exclusively of chorales.

German Chorales in the Hymnary

16th Century Martin Luther, 1483-1546, “A mighty fortress is our God” ([549]) “From heaven above to earth I come” ([527]) “Out of the depths I cry to Thee” ([531]-2) Nicolaus Selnecker, 1532-92, “Now cheer our hearts” ([557]) Philipp Nicolai, 1556-1608, “Wake, awake, for night is flying” ([522]) “How brightly shines the Morning Star” ([529]) 17th Century (1)—Period of The Thirty Years War—1618-48 Johann Heerman, 1585-1647, “Ah, dearest Jesus” ([534]) Josua Stegman, 1588-1632, “Abide with us, our Savior” ([559]) Matthaus von Löwenstern, 1594-1648, “Lord of our life” ([278]) Georg Weissel, 1590-1635, “Lift up your heads” ([523]) Heinrich Albert, 1604-51, “God who madest earth” ([573]) Ernst Homburg, 1605-81, “Christ, the life of all the living” ([535]) Michael Schirmer, 1606-73, “O Holy Spirit, enter in” ([546]) Paul Gerhardt, 1607-76, “O sacred Head, now wounded” ([539]) and others Gerhard Tersteegen, 1697-1769, “God reveals His presence” ([506]) “O power of love, all else transcending” ([517]) (2)—Later 17th Century Johann Franck, 1618-77, “Deck thyself, my soul,” ([552]) Tobias Clausnitzer, 1619-84, “Liebster Jesu, wir sind hier” ([553a]) Georg Neumark, 1621-81, “He who would be in God” ([571]) Johann Scheffler, 1624-77, “I am the Lord, O hear my voice” ([565]) Joachim Neander, 1650-80, “Heaven and earth, the sea” ([510]) 18th Century Johann Mentzer, 1658-1734, “O that I had a thousand voices” ([509]) Erdmann Neumeister, 1671-1756, “Sinners Jesus will receive” ([466]) Benjamin Schmolck, 1672-1737, “My Jesus, as Thou wilt” ([250]) Philipp F. Hiller, 1699-1769, “O Son of God, we wait for” ([524]) “What mercy and divine compassion” ([562]) Christian F. Gellert, 1715-69, “How great, almighty is Thy” ([516]) Johann Sebastian Bach, 1685-1750. The life of the great musician marks the close of the German Chorale period and for that reason his name is placed here. None of Bach’s original chorale melodies are found in the Hymnary but use is made of a number of his harmonizations. See [539], [545], [556], [557], [564], [566].

7. Hymns of the Reformation: The Metrical Psalms.

While the German people, under the leadership of Luther, were singing chorales set to original religious poems, a large section of Protestantism, under the influence of John Calvin, confined itself to the singing of Psalms. To the French reformer, now preaching at Geneva, hymns were “man-made,” whereas the psalms were the inspired word of God and the only proper vehicle for the praise of God. Calvin, unlike Luther, was not a musician, and at first permitted only unison singing, unaccompanied. Part singing and instrumental accompaniment seemed to savor of the frivolous and worldly, an opinion which Calvin, however, was soon to modify. For two hundred years the Calvinistic churches on the Continent and in Britain were influenced in their worship song by the strict views of Calvin, limiting themselves to the metrical psalms and scriptural paraphrases. The German people in the meantime produced a rich treasury of original religious lyrics, contributed by some of their best poets.

Psalter Tunes and Metrical Psalms in the Hymnary

Genevan Psalter Tunes, 1551. O Seigneur ([19]) Old 134th ([128], [132], [616]) Rendez à Dieu ([306]) Old 124th ([354]) Old 100th ([594]) Scottish Psalter, 1650. Book Five ([575] to [600]) with a few exceptions New Version, 1696, Tate and Brady. “Through all the changing scenes of life” ([583]) “As pants the hart for cooling streams” ([586]) “O come, loud anthems let us sing” ([18]) “While shepherds watched their flocks by night” ([73]-4)

8. Psalm Versions.

The use of the psalms in singing, first on the Continent, then in England and Scotland, and later in America, brought forth many metrical versions of the psalter, the principal ones being the following:

a. The Genevan Psalter, begun 1539, published complete in 1562. It was made at the request of John Calvin by Clément Marot, court poet of France, and Theodore Beza, a French scholar. It became the psalm book for the Reformation churches on the continent, and is spoken of as the most famous book of praise the Christian Church ever produced. It was issued in at least one thousand editions and translated into a number of tongues. Some of the original tunes are still in use, e.g., “Old Hundredth.”

b. The Anglo-Genevan Psalter, Geneva, 1556. This was used by John Knox, the Scottish reformer, and his followers who fled the persecutions of “Bloody Mary,” and formed a congregation at Geneva. The book incorporated some of the Sternhold and Hopkins versions which were in use in England, and added others.

c. The Old Version, Sternhold and Hopkins, completed in 1562. Used in England for 134 years. It is entitled, The Whole Booke of Psalmes, but came to be known as the “Old Version.”

d. The Bay Psalm Book, Boston, 1640. This was the first book printed in English-speaking America. It was made to obtain greater literalness to the Hebrew original than was found in the versions then in use. The book reigned supreme among the English churches in New England for over a century. Seventy editions of it were printed in America, the last in 1773. Eighteen editions appeared in England, and twenty-two in Scotland. There were no tunes given it until 1698, then only 13, with the air in the bass.

e. The Scottish Psalter, completed 1650. Special mention is made of this version of the Psalms because it is the source of nearly all the selections of metrical psalms which constitute Book Five of the Hymnary. The number of versions and editions of psalms which appeared on the Continent and in England were numerous and confusing, each claiming its own special merits. Finally, in the interests of better literary diction and greater unity in singing in the Scottish Presbyterian churches, the General Assembly authorized a new version. The result, after many years’ work, was the famous Scottish Psalter of 1650 which remains the standard work in Scotland today.

There is a certain “dignified crudeness” in some of the literary expressions but the psalms have long been learned in this version and have become an important part of the religious training and experience of millions of English speaking people, especially in Scotland.

The Scottish Psalter first appeared with words only. There were no notes and no suggestions for melodies. The succeeding one hundred years were a time of confusion. The tunes used were few in number, such as the leaders had learned from various sources, and passed on to succeeding generations by rote. The time came when better singing and better tunes were demanded and gradually the psalter appeared with tunes. Early tune versions put the melody invariably in the tenor. The latest edition, printed in 1929, by the Oxford Press, contains the best Psalm tunes which had gradually come into use, many of them arranged with “Faux-bourdon” (wherein the congregation sings one or more verses to the melody while the choir supplies the harmony), and “Descant” (a second melody over that of the tune).

f. The New Version, Tate and Brady, London, 1696. This version gradually supplanted the Old Version of Sternhold and Hopkins, and held its place in the worship of the church for 150 years. It was adopted, in 1789, by the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States and bound with the prayer book of that Communion.

The above versions are only a few of the large number of psalters that were published by the Calvinistic churches on the Continent, in Great Britain, and in America. The metrical psalms were designed for the singing church. They were intended to restore song to the people in their worship, serving in this respect a similar purpose to the chorales in Germany.

Some of the psalm books were published without music, some with the melody only, and others in four-part harmony. The statement is frequently made that Calvinistic Protestantism approved only unison singing. The appearance of numerous books, complete with four voice parts, points to the contrary. It is true that Calvin at first encouraged unison singing only, regarding harmony more in the nature of amusement than the worship of God; but upon observing the effectiveness of singing in Germany, he soon changed his views and became more liberal in this respect.

9. English Hymnody.

The youthful, courageous Isaac Watts, 1674-1748, an ardent dissenter, pioneered the movement which resulted in a flood of hymns and hymnbooks in the English churches. Watts was not satisfied with the psalm singing of his time, which by now had become formal and lifeless. Parts of the psalter, he pointed out, were obviously not written in the spirit of the Gospel. “By keeping too close to David,” he wrote in one of his Prefaces, “the vail of Moses is thrown over our hearts.” Watts removed that “vail,” Christianizing the psalms and composing during his lifetime more than 600 original hymns, expressing in the language of the time, the thoughts of the worshippers. Through his influence, his age, the 18th century, became the first age of hymn singing in England.

John and Charles Wesley, following Watts, made enormous use of hymn singing in their evangelistic work, giving the movement for congregational singing a powerful impetus. Charles is said to have composed over 6,000 hymns.

From the Wesleys onward through the 19th century, the hymn writers in England became numerous. The restrictive shackles of psalm singing had been broken and the creative urge to worship in new forms resulted in a vast number of original religious lyrics and the publication of hundreds of hymnbooks. The development can be summarized here only in outline form.

English Hymnody in the Hymnary

Early—17th Century Henry Wotton, 1568-1639, “How happy is he” ([208]) George Herbert, 1593-1633, “Teach me, my God and King” ([226]) John Milton, 1608-74, “Let us with a gladsome mind” ([64]) “How lovely are Thy dwellings fair” ([592]) Thomas Ken, 1637-1711, “Awake, my soul, and with the sun” ([25]) “All praise to Thee, my God, this night” ([33]) “Praise God, from whom all blessings flow” ([618]) Joseph Addison, 1672-1719, “The spacious firmament on high” ([50]) “How are Thy servants blest” ([338]) 18th Century 1. Two Independents: Isaac Watts, 1674-1748, “Father of English Hymnody” “When I survey the wondrous cross” ([105]-6) “Joy to the world! the Lord is come” ([70]) “God is the refuge of His saints” ([257]) and many others Philip Doddridge, 1702-51, “How gentle God’s commands” ([56]) (and [128], [167], [218], [383], [465]) 2. The Wesleys and their Associates: John Wesley, 1703-91, translations ([170], [226], [246], [508], [558]) Charles Wesley, 1707-88, “Bard of Methodism” “Come, Thou long-expected Jesus” ([69]) “Jesus, Lover of my soul” ([158]-9) “Love divine, all loves excelling” ([178]-9) and many others William Williams, 1717-91, “Sweet Singer of Wales” “Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah” ([160]) John Cennick, 1718-55, “Lo, He comes, with clouds” ([130]) “Jesus, my all, to heav’n is gone” ([468]) Thomas Olivers, 1725-99, “The God of Abraham praise” ([14]) Edward Perronet, 1726-92, “All hail the power of Jesus” ([3], [4], [5]) 3. A Calvinistic Antagonist of Wesley Augustus Toplady, 1740-78, “Rock of Ages, cleft for me” ([148]) 4. The Olney Hymnists: John Newton, 1725-1807, “Glorious things of thee” ([274]) “Safely through another week” ([284]) “Amazing grace! how sweet the sound” ([463]) William Cowper, 1731-1800, “God moves in a mysterious way” ([60]) “O for a closer walk with God” ([197]) “There is a fountain filled with blood” ([492]) 5. Others—18th Century: Anne Steele, 1716-78, “Father, whate’er of earthly bliss” ([251]) Joseph Grigg, c. 1720-68, “Behold a Stranger at the door” ([141]) “Jesus, and shall it ever be” ([192]) Robert Robinson, 1735-90, “Mighty God, while angels bless” ([46]) “Come, Thou fount of every blessing” ([189]) John Fawcett, 1740-1817, “Blest be the tie that binds” ([41]) “Lord, dismiss us with Thy blessing” ([45]) Modern English—19th Century 1. Earliest: Thomas Kelly, 1769-1854, “Look, ye saints, the sight” ([119]) “Hark, ten thousand harps and voices” ([123]) “On the mountain top appearing” ([336]) James Montgomery, 1771-1854, “Prayer is the soul’s sincere” ([184]) “Angels, from the realms of glory” ([81]) “In the hour of trial” ([195]) and many others Robert Grant, 1779-1838, “O worship the King” ([7]) “Savior, when, in dust to Thee” ([145]) Reginald Heber, 1783-1826, “Holy, holy, holy” ([1]) “Bread of the world in mercy broken” ([304]) “From Greenland’s icy mountains” ([333]) Charlotte Elliott, 1789-1871, “Just as I am, without one plea” ([458]) “O holy Savior, Friend unseen” ([233]) “My God and Father, while I stray” ([245]) Henry Milman, 1791-1868, “Ride on, ride on in majesty” ([101]) John Bowring, 1792-1872, “In the Cross of Christ I glory” ([110]) “Watchman, tell us of the night” ([66]) “God is love; His mercy brightens” ([55]) Henry F. Lyte, 1793-1847, “Abide with me” ([40]) 2. The Oxford Group: John Keble, 1792-1866, “New every morning is the love” ([22]) “Sun of my soul, Thou Savior dear” ([30]) Matthew Bridges, 1800-94, “Crown Him with many crowns” ([118]) John Henry Newman, 1801-90, “Lead, kindly light” ([162]-3) Richard Trench, 1807-86, “Lord, what a change within” ([183]) Frederick Faber, 1814-63, “There’s a wideness in God’s mercy” ([58]) “Faith of our fathers” ([154]) Mrs. Cecil Frances Alexander, 1823-95, “There is a green hill” ([104]) (Translators of Latin and Greek Hymns) John Chandler, 1806-76, “Christ is our Cornerstone” ([9]) “What star is this” ([87]) Edward Caswall, 1814-78, “Bethlehem, of noblest cities” ([88]) “Jesus, the very thought of Thee” ([155]) John M. Neale, 1818-66, “O come, O come Emmanuel” ([67]) “All glory, laud, and honor” ([100]) 3. Translators of German Hymns: Catherine Winkworth, 1829-78, “Wake, awake for night” ([522]) and 24 others Frances E. Cox, 1812-97, “Sing praise to God” ([512]) “Jesus lives” ([543]) Jane L. Borthwick, 1813-97, “Be still, my soul” ([54]) “My Jesus, as Thou wilt” ([250]) “Jesus, still lead on” ([574]) Sarah Borthwick Findlater, 1823-1907, “O happy home” ([358]) 4. Other Hymnists—19th Century: Christopher Wordsworth, 1807-85, “Gracious Spirit,” ([174]) “O day of rest and gladness” ([285]) Horatius Bonar, 1808-89, “I heard the voice of Jesus say” ([142]) “I lay my sins on Jesus” ([444]) “When the weary, seeking rest” ([203]) and others Alfred Tennyson, 1809-92, “Strong Son of God” ([149]) “Sunset and evening star” ([265]) “Ring out, wild bells” ([379]) Henry Alford, 1810-71, “We walk by faith, and not by sight” ([152]) “Come, ye thankful people, come” ([377]) W. W. How, 1823-97, “O Jesus, Thou art standing” ([144]) “For all the saints who from their labor rest” ([317]) “O Word of God Incarnate” ([289]) and others Godfrey Thring, 1823-1903, “From the Eastern mountains” ([89]) “Thou to whom the sick and dying” ([370]) Adelaide Proctor, 1825-64, “My God, I thank Thee” ([177]) “I do not ask, O Lord” ([471]) Edward H. Bickersteth, 1825-1906, “Peace, perfect peace” ([256]) John Ellerton, 1826-93, “Savior, again to Thy dear name” ([43]) “Now the laborer’s task is o’er” ([315]) “Throned upon the awful tree” ([109]) and others S. Baring-Gould, 1834-1924, “Now the day is over” ([29]) “Onward, Christian soldiers” ([225]) Edwin Hatch, 1835-89, “Breathe on me, breath of God” ([135]) Frances R. Havergal, 1836-79, “Take my life, and let it be” ([215]) “Lord, speak to me, that I may speak” ([296]) “Thou art coming, O my Savior” ([126]) and others Samuel Stone, 1839-1900, “The Church’s one foundation” ([273]) George Matheson, 1842-1906, “O love that wilt not let me go” ([175]) Recent English Hymns Rudyard Kipling, 1865-1936, “Father in heav’n” ([401]) Stopford A. Brooke, 1832-1916, “Let the whole creation cry” ([49]) John Oxenham, 1852-1941, “In Christ there is no East” ([320]) “Peace in our time, O Lord” ([357]) Percy Dearmer, 1867-1936, “Remember all God’s children” ([436]) Richard Roberts, 1874—, “For them whose ways” ([166]) Laurence Housman, 1865—, “Father Eternal” ([354])

10. American Hymns.

The English speaking colonists who settled in America during the 17th century continued the psalm singing traditions of their forebears in England. The practice prevailed in their churches for two hundred years. The first book printed by them was the Bay Psalm Book, in 1640, at Cambridge, Massachusetts. It contained no original hymns. The singing of psalms, and later of hymns borrowed from England made up nearly the entire repertory of church music until the middle of the 19th century.

On the other hand, the German speaking colonists, including the Mennonites, had brought with them the hymn books of the Lutheran tradition and continued the use of the German chorales in their worship. The two streams of hymnody, English psalms and German chorales, went their independent courses for two centuries, scarcely influencing each other.

In the meantime there was very little original hymnody produced in America, with the exception of the work of the Wesleys during their brief experiment in Georgia, and the composition of certain hymns and tunes by the German people of Pennsylvania, which have remained, until recently, in manuscript form. Timothy Dwight’s hymn on the church, “I love Thy Kingdom, Lord” ([275]) is probably the earliest American hymn still in use.

After the middle of the 19th century the number of hymn writers became large and their works came into increasing use, some choice examples finding their way into English hymnbooks. America’s original contribution to Christian hymnody has not been only the Gospel Songs represented by the writings of Fanny Crosby, but the more permanent works of Whittier, George W. Doane, Hosmer, Samuel Longfellow, Washington Gladden, S. F. Smith, and many others. Our musical contributions have been less conspicuous, but the tunes of Mason are coming into their own again and many of them will doubtless survive for a long time, as will also those of Bradbury, Hastings, and others.

The tendency today in American hymnbooks is to unite the best in English and German traditions. The Hymnary illustrates this trend. It makes large use of the English hymns while at the same time preserving a considerable body of the German chorales. In keeping with this trend, the recent hymnbooks of the Episcopal, Presbyterian, Methodist and other churches of English origin, incorporate some of the German chorale tunes and in some cases the translations of the words. The hymn books of our time have become the channels through which flow the rich contributions to the stream of Christian hymnody from Christian people of all times and places.

American Hymns in the Hymnary

Early American Timothy Dwight, 1752-1817, “I love Thy kingdom, Lord” ([275]) Thomas Hastings, 1784-1872, “Hail to the brightness” ([332]) Henry Ware, Jr., 1794-1843, “Happy the home when God” ([361]) Wm. B. Tappan, 1794-1849, “’Tis midnight; and on Olive’s brow” ([103]) Francis Scott Key, 1779-1843, “Lord, with glowing heart” ([511]) George W. Doane, 1799-1859, “Softly now the light of day” ([36]) 19th Century Leonard Bacon, 1802-81, “O God, beneath Thy guiding hand” ([367]) John G. Whittier, 1807-92, “Dear Lord and Father” ([181]) Ray Palmer, 1808-87, “My faith looks up to Thee” ([150]) S. F. Smith, 1808-95, “The morning light is breaking” ([324]) Oliver W. Holmes, 1809-94, “Lord of all being, throned afar” ([53]) E. H. Sears, 1810-76, “It came upon the midnight clear” ([75]) W. H. Burleigh, 1812-71, “Lead us, O Father, in the paths” ([164]) Harriet Beecher Stowe, 1811-96, “Still, still with Thee” ([23]) Sylvanus Phelps, 1816-95, “Savior, Thy dying love” ([220]) Arthur C. Coxe, 1818-96, “O where are kings and empires” ([276]) Elizabeth Payson Prentiss, 1818-78, “More love to Thee” ([472]) Edward Hopper, 1818-88, “Jesus, Savior, pilot me” ([161]) George Duffield, Jr., 1818-88, “Stand up, stand up for Jesus” ([193]) Samuel Longfellow, 1819-92, “Holy Spirit, Truth divine” ([136]) James Russell Lowell, 1819-91, “Once to every man” ([346]) Anna Warner, 1820-1915, “We would see Jesus” ([201]) John H. Hopkins, 1820-91, “We three kings of Orient are” ([90]) Eliza Scudder, 1821-96, “Thou Grace Divine, encircling all” ([57]) Samuel Johnson, 1822-82, “Father, in Thy mysterious” ([188]) Jeremiah E. Rankin, 1828-1904, “God be with you” ([365]) Joseph H. Gilmore, 1834-1918, “He leadeth me” ([478]) Phillips Brooks, 1835-93, “O little town of Bethlehem” ([84]) Recent American Hymns Washington Gladden, 1836-1918, “O Master, let me walk” ([223]) Frederick L. Hosmer, 1840-1929, “Not always on the mount” ([98]) Mary Lathbury, 1841-1913, “Day is dying in the west” ([31]) “Break Thou the bread of Life” ([288]) Frank Mason North, 1850-1936, “Where cross the crowded” ([222]) M. Woolsey Stryker, 1851-1929, “Almighty Lord, with one” ([390]) Henry van Dyke, 1852-1933, “Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee” ([10]) Louis F. Benson, 1855-1930, “O sing a song of Bethlehem” ([92]) Maltbie D. Babcock, 1858-1901, “This is my Father’s world” ([48]) Katherine Lee Bates, 1859-1929, “O beautiful for spacious” ([343]) Milton S. Littlefield, 1864-1934, “O Son of man, thou” ([373]) Jay T. Stocking, 1870-1936, “O Master Workman” ([93]) Wm. M. Vories, 1880—, “Let there be light, Lord God” ([353]) Harry Webb Farrington, 1880-1931, “I know not how that” ([99]) W. Russel Bowie, 1882—, “Lord, through changing days” ([402]) Howard Arnold Walter, 1884-1918, “I would be true” ([207]) Earl Marlatt, 1892—, “‘Are ye able,’ said the Master” ([392])

11. Gospel Songs.

During the latter part of the 19th century there came into use, both in the United States and in England, a type of religious song known as the Gospel Song. Less dignified than the chorales or the English hymns, these songs made a popular appeal and were widely used in prayer meetings and revivals.

The words of the typical Gospel Song are usually simple and easily remembered and concern themselves largely with the individual’s salvation. The personal pronouns “I” and “my” predominate. The tunes are rhythmic and catchy and always have a refrain added. Their harmonies are largely built on the simple tonic, dominant, and subdominant chords. The masses of the people readily learned to sing these tunes and experienced a thrill in singing them which the use of the more stately and solid hymns failed to effect.

The great bulk of these songs were produced in America during the latter half of the 19th century and were found extremely useful in large mass meetings. The evangelistic work of Moody and Sankey during the 1870’s, 1880’s, and 1890’s brought the Gospel Songs into special prominence and the Salvation Army has made them known in nearly every country in the world. Collections of Gospel Songs sold by the millions of copies and every denomination was affected, to a greater or lesser extent, by this type of singing.

Since the standard of music and words in the Gospel Songs is considerably below that which prevails in our best hymnals as well as in secular music and literature taught in the public schools, churches should seriously consider the ultimate effect of their too frequent use. It is a fallacy to assert that the people will respond to nothing better. Gospel Songs have a legitimate place, particularly in special services and revivals, but they leave much to be desired in the total work and worship of the church. Neither the music nor the words possess the strength and dignity entirely adequate for the worshipful praise of the Eternal.

The principal names associated with Gospel Songs are the following:

Authors. Fanny J. Crosby, Philip P. Bliss, Robert Lowry, Katherine Hankey, E. A. Hoffman, and many others. Most of the words, though not all, were written by Americans during the latter part of the nineteenth century. Miss Crosby was by far the most prolific of them all and many of her works are found in all modern hymnals of denominations that use this type of music. In Germany, Ernst Gebhardt became the leader of the gospel song movement, composing words and music, publishing numerous song books, and serving as song leader in great revival meetings.

Music. William B. Bradbury, Robert Lowry, W. H. Doane, Philip Philips, James McGranahan, George C. Stebbins, P. P. Bliss, D. W. Towner, Wm. J. Kirkpatrick, and others.

Song Leaders. P. P. Bliss, Ira Sankey, James McGranahan, George C. Stebbins, Charles Alexander, Homer Rodeheaver.

It should be noted that there is no absolute line of demarcation between hymns and some of the Gospel Songs. Some of the numbers in the Gospel Songs section of the Hymnary might well be classified as hymns, e.g., Nos. [441], [444], [447], [458], [463], [468], [470], [471], [472], and [492]. Either words or music meet the generally accepted standards of a hymn.

12. Women Hymn Writers.

There have been no outstanding women composers of church tunes but some of our finest lyrics have been contributed by women, as the following list from the Hymnary will show:

German Katharina von Schlegel, b. 1697, “Be still, my soul” ([54]) Henriette Luise von Hayn, 1724-82, “Weil ich Jesu” ([430]) English Anne Steele, 1716-78, “Father, whate’er of earthly bliss” ([251]) Marianne Nunn, 1778-1847, “One is kind above all others” ([447]) Harriet Auber, 1773-1862, “Our blest Redeemer” ([138]) Dorothy Ann Thrupp, 1779-1847, “Saviour, like a shepherd” ([395]) Charlotte Elliott, 1789-1871, “Just as I am, without one plea” ([458]) Margaret Mackay, 1802-87, “Asleep in Jesus” ([314]) Sarah Flower Adams, 1805-48, “Nearer my God, to Thee” ([202]) Jemima Luke, 1813-1906, “I think when I read that sweet” ([427]) Anne Brontë, 1820-49, “Believe not those who say” ([210]) Cecil Frances Alexander, 1823-95, “There is a green hill” ([104]) Adelaide Proctor, 1825-64, “My God, I thank Thee” ([177]) Elizabeth Clephane, 1830-69, “Beneath the Cross of Jesus” ([112]) Anna L. Coghill, 1836-1907, “Work, for the night is coming” ([221]) Frances R. Havergal, 1836-79, “Take my life and let it be” ([215]) Dorothy Blomfield, 1858-1932, “O perfect love, all human” ([312]) Jessie Adams, 1863—, “I feel the winds of God today” ([391]) (Translators) Frances Cox, 1812-97, “Sing praise to God” ([512]) Jane L. Borthwick, 1813-97, “Be still my soul” ([54]) Sarah Borthwick Findlater, 1823-1907, “O happy home” ([358]) Catherine Winkworth, 1829-78. Numerous hymns. Foremost translator of German chorales. American Harriet Beecher Stowe, 1811-96, “Still, still with Thee” ([23]) Elizabeth Prentiss, 1818-78, “More love to Thee, O Christ” ([472]) Susan Warner, 1819-85, “Jesus bids us shine” ([420]) Anna B. Warner, 1820-1915, “Jesus loves me! this I know” ([428]) Fanny Crosby, 1820-1915, “Rescue the perishing” ([497]) and many others Eliza Scudder, 1821-96, “Thou Grace Divine, encircling all” ([57]) Phoebe Cary, 1824-71, “One sweetly solemn thought” ([264]) Katherine Hankey, 1834-1911, “I love to tell the story” ([493]) Mary Ann Thomson, 1834-1923, “O Zion, haste” ([328]) Annie Sherwood Hawks, 1835-1918, “I need Thee every hour” ([187]) Mary Lathbury, 1841-1913, “Day is dying in the west” ([31]) “Break Thou the bread of life” ([288]) Katherine Lee Bates, 1859-1929, “O beautiful for spacious” ([343])

13. Mennonite Hymnody.

Mennonites have made many contributions to society through their religious life and practices, but we have produced no important hymnody of our own. Throughout the four hundred years of our existence as a church, we have been a singing people, in times of persecution as well as in times of peace. Great emphasis has always been laid upon the importance of congregational singing in our worship services. Since the beginning of the 19th century the Mennonites of various branches, in America alone, have published over fifty hymnbooks. But an examination of these hymnbooks shows that we are heavily indebted to others. Instead of producing original hymns and tunes, we have borrowed, with minor exceptions, our entire repertory from other denominations. The wealth of verse and music produced by German and English writers throughout the centuries has been found to serve our needs adequately and well.

The churches in Europe used hymnbooks compiled from Lutheran and Reformed sources. Upon coming to the United States and Canada, they gradually adopted English and American hymns and in some sections of the church, the Gospel Songs came into wide use.

Our German collections of hymns have, until recently, been uniformly on a higher level, both as to music and poetry, than the collections used after the change was made to the English language. During the transition from the German to the English language, many churches, in their choice of their hymnbooks, sacrificed the fine chorales which had been a part of their religious heritage. This was due partly to the revivalistic influences of the times and partly to the fact that there were no good translations available of the German hymns which earlier were in use. The situation is gradually correcting itself. We are re-evaluating our hymnody, sifting the wheat from the chaff, and bringing back into our worship the rich treasure of song which had been used in the past. The Mennonite Hymnary is an effort in this direction.

14. The Antecedents of the Mennonite Hymnary.

The story of the hymn books antedating the Hymnary may be briefly summarized by listing the following books:

1565. The first German Mennonite hymn book was published in 1565 or 1566 (date omitted from title), entitled, Ein schön Gesangbüchlein Geistlicher Lieder, zusammengetragen aus dem A. und N. Testament durch fromme Christen und Liebhaber Gottes, welcher hiefür etliche getrucht sei gewesen, aber noch viel dazu gethan, welche nie im Truck aussgangen seindt, in welchen auch ein recht Leben und Fundament dez rechten Christlichen Glaubens gelehrt wirdt. Coloss. 3.

A second edition, 1570-1583, (date not given), adds to the above title the following:

Jetzo von neuem widerum übersehn, an vielen Orten gebessert und mit etlichen newen Liedern vermehret. Coloss. 3.

Of the 133 hymns in the book, 9 had been in use among other churches. Many of the others were by Mennonite authors, among them Johann Schütz, Thomas Ducker, Gerhard Siebenakker von Sittart, and Heinrich Krenen von Breidtbock. Many of the hymns are of a controversial nature and have no literary value; for example, this on infant baptism:

Die Schrift sagt nicht von Kindertaufe

Davon hab ich nicht gelesen.

Wer nach Gottes Wort getauft soll sein

Der musz gläubig wesen.

Es ist ein Bad der Wiedergeburt,

Ein Bund eines guten Gewissens

Ein’ Verneurung des heiliges Geistes

Davon keine Kinder wissen.

Most of the hymns were set to secular melodies popular at the time. Very little of this first hymnal survives.

1570—Ausbund, Das ist: Etliche schöne Christliche Lieder, wie sie in dem Gefängnis zu Passau in dem Schlosz von den Schweizer-Brüdern und von andern rechtglaubigen Christen hin und her gedichtet worden.

At least twelve editions have been printed in Europe, the last one in Basel, 1838. Its use was confined to the South Germans and Swiss Mennonites. Reprinted in America and still in use by the Amish, the Ausbund has the distinction of being the oldest hymn book officially in use by any church in America.

1780—Geistreiches Gesangbuch zur öffentlichen und besonderen Erbauung der Mennonitischen Gemeinde in und vor der Stadt Danzig.

The book has had long use in Danzig. A revised edition appeared in 1908.

1803—Das Kleine Geistliche Harfe der Kinder Zions. Germantown, Pa. The first Mennonite hymnbook printed in America. It was the official hymnbook of the Franconia Conference of Mennonites of which John H. Oberholzer, founder of the General Conference of Mennonites, was a member. Seven editions were printed, the last in Elkhart, Ind., 1904.

1804—Unpartheyisches Gesangbuch, Lancaster, Pa. The official hymnbook of the Lancaster Mennonite Conference for almost a century. Fourteen reprints were made, the last in 1923 for the Amish.

1843—Gesangbuch in welchem eine Sammlung geistreiche Lieder befindlich. 9th ed. Elbing. The hymnbook of the Prussian Mennonites. It was taken by the Prussians to Russia where it was republished in Odessa, 1844.

1856—Gesangbuch zum Gottesdienstlichen und haeuslichen Gebrauch in Evangelischen Mennoniten Gemeinden. Worms.

Published by the churches of Baden and the Palatinate. The hymnal committee was fortunate in securing the assistance of the eminent German hymnologist, Albert Knapp. The book contains 600 hymns and an appendix of prayers. A book of melodies was also provided. This collection holds an important place in Mennonite hymnody. It was reprinted in Danzig, 1873, for use by the Danzig Mennonites, and in Philadelphia, 1873, for use in the General Conference of Mennonites. The excellent qualities of the more recent Gesangbuch mit Noten may be traced, in considerable measure, to this work.

1869—Gesangbuch in Mennoniten Gemeinden für Kirche und Haus. Published for the churches of West Prussia, this work went through at least four editions, the fourth in 1901. The book was republished in Danzig, 1873.

1873—Gesangbuch zum Gottesdienstlichen und häuslichen Gebrauch in Mennoniten Gemeinden. Philadelphia. Ordered by the sixth General Conference of Mennonites held at Wadsworth, Ohio. The main body of the book is the same as that published in Worms, 1856, but with the appendix of prayers omitted, and an appendix of 22 hymns added, the latter the contribution of the Mennonites in Pennsylvania. The book was intended to form a closer bond of union between the Mennonites in the East and those west of the Mississippi.

1890—Gesangbuch mit Noten. Herausgegeben von der allgemeinen Conferenz der Mennoniten von Nord America. Berne, Ind. The book passed through 15 editions, the last in 1936. A noteworthy collection of hymns and tunes that met with wide approval in the General Conference churches.

1894—Mennonite Hymnal, A Blending of Many Voices. Berne, Ind. An A. S. Barnes publication adopted, practically unchanged, by the General Conference of Mennonites. Our first official English hymnal, though many collections from other sources were finding wide use in our churches. The book has nothing of distinctiveness or distinction.

1927—The Mennonite Hymn Book. Berne, Ind. Published by the General Conference of Mennonites. Compiled and edited by a committee appointed by the Conference. The book was more satisfactory than the Mennonite Hymnal of 1894, but never became very popular. Total sales of three editions were less than 5,000 copies.

1940—The Mennonite Hymnary. Published by the General Conference of Mennonites of North America, Board of Publication, Mennonite Publication Office, Newton, Kansas, 1940. Now in its sixth edition.

15. The Translation of Hymns.

A word may be in order concerning the translation of hymns. It is difficult to transfer the color and feeling of one language to another. For this reason many people who know the German hymns by heart have a sense of disappointment when they read them in an English version. In some instances a translation is inferior to the original but this is not necessarily the case. It is well to remember that nearly all of us read the Bible only in a translation, yet never doubt the literary quality of the English King James Version or the German Version of Luther. The hymn, “Ich weiss einen Strom,” is superior as poetry, and in its religious feeling, to the English original, “O have you not heard of that beautiful stream,” though the former is a translation of the latter. The reason is that Gebhardt, the translator, was a poet in his own right. Good translations are possible if the translator has poetic ability of a high order, and if he translates into his native tongue. Catherine Winkworth was the foremost translator of German hymns into English and Ernst Gebhardt performed a similar role in translating English and American hymns into German. Had either tried to do the work of the other, the results would in all probability have lacked true color and correct idiomatic and poetic expression.

16. Church Unity in the Hymnbook.

The unity of the Christian Church is expressed nowhere more eloquently than in the hymns we sing. Every modern hymnal, regardless of the denominational interest it represents, reaches across the ages to gather its treasures from sources new and old; it knows nothing of the external barriers which divide Christians into denominations, but makes use of the hymns of widely divergent Christian groups. The Mennonite Hymnary is no exception. Here are found hymns from the early church, East and West, translated from the Greek and Latin fathers. Others, like Savonarola’s hymn, come from the Middle Ages. Many are chorales from the land of Luther, or metrical psalms from the Calvinistic reformers. A substantial body of our hymnody stems from the Anglican Church, while some of our best hymns are from sturdy independents like Watts and Doddridge, and still others breathe the evangelistic fervor of Wesley, Cowper, and Newton. The Quakers too have made their contribution as well as certain Roman Catholics and Unitarians. In no aspect of our church life do we attain so nearly to ecumenicity as in our worship in song. Christians may differ widely in their religious views but they are able to unite as one body in singing their songs of praise.

The following classification of hymns by denominations is far from exhaustive. It is intended merely to suggest the wealth of material drawn from many denominations, listing only representative writers together with a representative hymn. The [index of authors] may be consulted for a complete list of hymns written by each author.

a. Anglican (Church of England) Addison, Joseph, “The spacious firmament on high” ([50]) Alexander, Mrs. Cecil (Irish), “Jesus calls us, o’er the tumult” ([140]) Baring-Gould, Sabine, “Onward, Christian soldiers” ([225]) Bode, John E., “O Jesus, I have promised” ([212]) Croly, George (Irish), “Spirit of God, descend” ([133]) Dix, William C., “As with gladness men of old” ([530]) Ellerton, John, “Savior, again to Thy dear name we raise” ([43]) Elliott, Charlotte, “Just as I am, without one plea” ([458]) Grant, Robert (Scotch), “O worship the King” ([7]) Hankey, Katherine, “I love to tell the story” ([493]) Havergal, Frances, “Take my life, and let it be” ([215]) Heber, Reginald, “Holy, holy, holy” ([1]) How, W. W., “O Jesus, Thou art standing” ([144]) Lyte, Henry F., “Abide with me” ([40]) Newton, John, “Glorious things of thee are spoken” ([274]) Pierpoint, Folliott S., “For the beauty of the earth” ([51]) Stone, Samuel, “The Church’s one foundation” ([273]) Toplady, Augustus, “Rock of ages” ([148]) Wordsworth, Christopher, “O day of rest and gladness” ([285]) b. Baptist Fawcett, John (Eng.), “Blest be the tie that binds” ([41]) Gilmore, Henry, “He leadeth me” ([478]) Hearn, Marianne (Eng.), “Just as I am, thine own to be” ([393]) Hawks, Annie S., “I need Thee every hour” ([187]) Lowry, Robert, “Low in the grave He lay” ([452]) Phelps, Sylvanus, “Savior, Thy dying love” ([220]) Rankin, Jeremiah, “God be with you till we meet again” ([365]) Smith, Samuel F., “The morning light is breaking” ([324]) Stennett, Samuel, “Majestic sweetness sits enthroned” ([120]) c. Bohemian Brethren (Moravians) Hayn, Luise von, “I am Jesus’ little lamb” ([430]) Montgomery, James, “Prayer is the soul’s sincere desire” ([184]) Rights, Douglas LeTell, “Veiled in darkness Judah lay” ([68]) Weisse, Michael, “Christ, the Lord, is ris’n again” ([544]) Zinzendorf, Nikolaus Ludwig, Graf von, “Jesu! geh’ voran” ([574]) Zinzendorf, Christian Renatus, Graf von, “Man of sorrows” ([537]) d. Catholic (Roman) St. Bernard of Clairvaux, “O sacred Head, now wounded” ([539]) Bridges, Matthew, “Crown Him with many crowns” ([118]) Faber, Frederick, “Faith of our fathers” ([154]) Franz, Ignaz, “Grosser Gott, wir loben dich” ([519]) Mohr, Joseph, “Silent night” ([83]) Newman, John Henry, “Lead, kindly Light” ([162]-3) Scheffler, Johann, “Mir nach, spricht Christus” ([565]) e. Congregational Bliss, Philip P., “Brightly beams our Father’s mercy” ([448]) Dwight, Timothy, “I love Thy Kingdom, Lord” ([275]) Gladden, Washington, “O Master, let me walk with Thee” ([223]) Luke, Jemima (Eng.), “I think when I read that sweet story” ([427]) Palmer, Horatio, “Yield not to temptation” ([477]) Palmer, Ray, “My faith looks up to Thee” ([150]) Shurtleff, Ernest W., “Lead on, O King Eternal” ([399]) Sleeper, W. T., “Ye must be born again” ([461]) Stocking, Jay T., “O Master Workman of the race” ([93]) Stowe, Harriet Beecher, “Still, still with Thee” ([23]) Walter, Howard A., “I would be true” ([207]) Wolcott, Samuel, “Christ for the world we sing” ([327]) f. English Independent Doddridge, Philip, “How gentle God’s commands” ([56]) Watts, Isaac, “When I survey the wondrous cross” ([105]-6) g. Episcopal (American) Brooks, Phillips, “O little town of Bethlehem” ([84]) Bowie, W. Russel, “Lord, through changing days” ([402]) Coxe, Arthur C., “O where are kings and empires now” ([276]) Doane, George W., “Fling out the banner” ([331]) Hopkins, John, Jr., “We three kings of Orient are” ([90]) Key, Francis Scott, “Lord, with glowing heart I’d praise” ([511]) Roberts, Daniel C., “God of our fathers, whose almighty” ([347]) h. Lutheran (German) Clausnitzer, Tobias, “Liebster Jesu, wir sind hier” ([553a]) Gerhardt, Paul, “Commit thou all thy griefs” ([558]) Luther, Martin, “A mighty fortress is our God” ([549]) Nicolai, Philipp, “Wake, awake for night is flying” ([522]) Rinkart, M. Martin, “Now thank we all our God” ([514]) Schmolck, Benjamin, “My Jesus, as Thou wilt” ([250]) Spitta, Karl Johann Philipp, “O happy home, where Thou” ([358]) i. Methodist Crosby, Fanny, “Jesus, keep me near the cross” ([490]) Farrington, Harry Webb, “I know not how that Bethlehem’s” ([99]) Gebhardt, Ernst (German), “Ich weiss einen Strom” ([232]) Lathbury, Mary, “Break Thou the bread of life” ([288]) Marlatt, Earl, “Are ye able, said the Master” ([392]) Nicholson, James, “Lord Jesus, I long to be perfectly whole” ([469]) North, Frank Mason, “Where cross the crowded ways of life” ([222]) Owens, Priscilla, “We have heard the joyful sound” ([334]) Wesley, Charles, “Jesus, lover of my soul” ([158]-9) Williams, William (Welsh), “Guide me, O Thou great” ([160]) j. Presbyterian Babcock, Maltbie, “This is my Father’s world” ([48]) Benson, Louis, “O sing a song of Bethlehem” ([92]) Clephane, Elizabeth (Scotch), “Beneath the cross of Jesus” ([112]) Duffield, George, “Stand up, stand up for Jesus” ([193]) Hastings, Thomas, “Hail to the brightness” ([332]) Hopper, Edward, “Jesus, Savior, pilot me” ([161]) Mackay, Wm. P., “We praise Thee, O God” ([437]) Matheson, George (Scotch), “O Love that wilt not let me go” ([175]) Merrill, Wm. P., “Rise up, O men of God” ([230]) Prentiss, Elizabeth, “More love to Thee, O Christ” ([472]) Small, James G. (Scotch), “I’ve found a Friend” ([445]) Van Dyke, Henry, “Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee” ([10]) k. Quaker Adams, Jessie, “I feel the winds of God today” ([391]) Barton, Bernard, “Walk in the light” ([209]) Whittier, John G., “Dear Lord and Father of mankind” ([181]) l. Unitarian Adams, Sarah F., “Nearer, my God, to Thee” ([202]) Bennett, S. F., “In the sweet bye and bye” ([504]) Bowring, John, “In the cross of Christ I glory” ([110]) Holmes, Oliver W., “Lord of all being, throned afar” ([53]) Hosmer, Frederick L., “Father, to Thee we look in all our” ([249]) Johnson, Samuel, “Father, in Thy mysterious presence” ([188]) Longfellow, Samuel, “I look to Thee in every need” ([244]) Martineau, James, “Thy way is in the deep, O Lord” ([242]) Parker, Theodore, “O Thou great Friend to all the sons” ([224]) Sears, Edmund, “It came upon a midnight clear” ([75]) Ware, Henry, Jr., “Great God, the followers of Thy Son” ([13]) m. No Church Affiliation Bates, Katherine Lee, “O beautiful, for spacious skies” ([343]) Vories, Wm. M., “Let there be light, Lord God of hosts” ([353])

17. Hymn Meters.

Meter (English, Metre) refers to the rhythmic element in poetry:

a. the number of lines in a stanza. b. the number of syllables in a line. c. the arrangement of accented and unaccented syllables.

The figures attached to the tune names in the Hymnary indicate the number of lines in a stanza and the number of syllables in a line, e. g., 8.7.8.7. means that the hymn has four lines in each stanza, the first line being made up of 8 syllables, the second of 7 syllables, the third of 8 syllables, and the last of 7 syllables. The figures are placed there to facilitate the fitting of tunes to hymns, a responsibility which is left now-a-days largely to hymnbook editors.

A given tune may be used with any variety of hymns provided the latter have the same meter as the tune. Likewise a given hymn may be sung to any tune that fits its meter, e.g., “Come, Thou Almighty King,” set to the tune, “Italian Hymn,” as both have the meter pattern 6.6.4.6.6.6.4. This is also the meter of “My country ’tis of thee” set to “America.” Hence the words and tunes of these hymns may be interchanged. As a matter of fact, “Come Thou Almighty King” was originally used with the tune “America.” The practice of using alternate tunes is less common now than formerly and must be done with care for while the meters may be suited, the words and tune may be incompatible otherwise.

Meter Names

A few meters have specific names. These, with their abbreviations are as follows:

Short Meter (S.M.) 6.6.8.6, e.g.

Short Meter Double (S.M.D.) is used for a tune in which the quatrain is repeated, e.g. “Terra Beata” ([48]), set to the words “This is my Father’s world.”

Common Meter (C.M.), also called Ballad Meter, consists of four lines of 8.6.8.6. syllables, e.g.

Nearly all the metrical psalms appeared in this meter.

Common Meter Double (C.M.D.) is employed when two Common Meter quatrains are used to form one stanza, e.g.,

“It came upon a midnight clear.” ([75])

Long Meter (L.M.) consists of a four line stanza in which each line is of eight syllables, e.g.,

Long Meter Double (L.M.D.), not often used, consists of a stanza of eight lines, each line of eight syllables, e.g.,

“The spacious firmament on high.” ([50])

Accentuation

In setting a hymn to music it is important that the accented syllables of the poetry fall on the accented beats of the musical bars. Try singing “Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling” ([456]) to the tune “Ich weiss einen Strom” ([232]). The meter is the same in each case—11.7.11.7.—with refrain—but the words and tune are obviously not suited to each other because of differences in accentuation.

18. Hymn Tunes.

[a. What is a good tune?] [b. Importance of tunes.] [c. Composers of tunes.] [d. Sources of tunes.] [e. Tune names.]

a. What is a good tune?

The quality of a tune must be judged by its definite and restricted use. It is to be sung by a congregation of people, the majority of whom have had only limited musical training, and without benefit of rehearsal. The tune must therefore be judged by such questions as these: Is it singable? Are the parts within easy pitch range of the voices? Is it free from difficult intervals or modulations into other keys? Is it interesting? Does it create a worshipful atmosphere? Does the mood of the tune fit the mood and thought of the words?

b. The importance of tunes.

The tune is of great importance to the success of the hymn. Our “best hymns” owe their popularity in many instances, to the tune with which they are associated. On the other hand many excellent hymns remain unused because the tunes given them are too difficult or too uninteresting. It is the tune that creates the mood of worship and charges the words with emotion so that their message is carried forth with feeling and power.

c. Composers of tunes.

The story of the development of the hymn tune begins with the worship song in the Temple at Jerusalem where the psalms were sung antiphonally by priests and people accompanied by harps and trumpets. Little is known of these tunes or their composers. This early Christian music would doubtless sound strange to modern ears.

The important names in the roll of church musicians, from the early centuries to the present time, include the following:

Italian—Ambrose, 4th century Gregory the Great, 6th century Palestrina, 1525-94 French—Louis Bourgeois, c. 1510-? German—Luther, 1483-1546; Nicolai, 1556-1608; Hassler, 1564-1612; Praetorius, 1571-1621; Crüger, 1598-1662; Bach, 1685-1750. English—Tallis, 1510-85; Gibbons, 1583-1625; Croft, 1678-1727; Gauntlett, 1805-76; Monk, 1823-99; Dykes, 1823-76; S. Wesley, 1810-76; Barnby, 1838-96; Stainer, 1840-1901; Sullivan, 1842-1900. American—L. Mason, 1792-1872; Bradbury, 1816-68; Hastings, 1784-1872; Stebbins, 1846-1945.

The great composers, besides Bach, whose names are found in church hymnals are: Haydn, Beethoven, Handel, Mozart, Mendelssohn, Gounod, and Sibelius.

The above is only a partial list of composers of good church music. Among their works is a corpus of fine hymn tunes far greater than has been utilized by the church so far. For years to come, compilers of hymn books will have a vast reservoir of excellent tunes, old yet new, to draw from.

d. Sources of tunes.

An examination of the origin of church tunes shows a variety of sources. Many tunes were especially written for the words to which they are set; others are adaptations from early medieval chants; still others, as for example, the “Passion Chorale” and “Londonderry Air”, were folk tunes originally used with secular words. Some of our best tunes are adaptations of melodies from larger musical works, as for example, “Hymn to Joy” ([10]) from Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony; “Finlandia” ([54]), from a tone poem by Sibelius; and “Seymour” ([36]), from Weber’s opera, Oberon.

e. Tune names.

Composers usually name their tunes in order to facilitate their identification. The names given them are selected quite arbitrarily. W. H. Havergal, prolific composer of church music, named his tunes after the rivers, mountains, valleys, etc., of Palestine, e.g. “Abana,” “Ahava,” “Ararat,” “Baca,” etc. Other tunes have been named for the composer, e.g., “Bradbury” ([395]); the name of a friend, e.g., “Rockingham” ([105]); name of a city or village, e.g., “Boylston” ([214]); a street, “Federal Street” ([192]); a cottage, “Hollingside” ([159]); an event in history, “Nicaea” ([1]); or the central idea in the words, “Pilot” ([161]).

In Germany, the usual practice has been to name the tune after the first line of the hymn to which it was originally set.

Some tunes, unfortunately, are known by more than one name, e.g., “St. Michel’s” ([93]) and “Jerusalem, Jerusalem” ([125]). In a few cases the same name is given to several tunes, e.g., “Wesley” ([309] and [332]). This is confusing and it is highly desirable that hymnbook editors strive toward uniformity of nomenclature.

[19.] John Wesley’s Rules for Singing.

In one of John Wesley’s compilations of tunes, Sacred Melody, the great preacher and founder of Methodism gives the following rules for singing. Some of the expressions used may provoke a smile but, as Lightwood suggests, “it would be a very good thing if these were read aloud from time to time in all churches and chapels where good congregational singing is aimed at.”

a. Learn these tunes before you learn any others; afterwards learn as many as you please.

b. Sing them exactly as they are printed here, without altering or mending them at all; and if you have learned to sing them otherwise, unlearn it as soon as you can.

c. Sing ALL. See that you join with the congregation as frequently as you can. Let not a slight degree of weakness or weariness hinder you. If it is a cross to you, take it up, and you will find it a blessing.

d. Sing lustily and with a good courage. Beware of singing as if you were half dead, or half asleep; but lift up your voice with strength. Be no more afraid of your voice now, nor more ashamed of its being heard, than when you sang the songs of Satan.

e. Sing modestly. Do not bawl, so as to be heard above or distinct from the rest of the congregation, that you may not destroy the harmony; but strive to unite your voices together, so as to make one clear melodious sound.

f. Sing in tune. Whatever time is sung be sure to keep with it. Do not run before nor stay behind it; but attend close to the leading voices, and move therewith exactly as you can; and take care not to sing too low. This drawling way naturally steals on all who are lazy: and it is high time to drive it out from among us, and sing all our tunes just as quick as we did at first.

g. Above all sing spiritually. Have an eye to God in every word you sing. Aim at pleasing Him more than yourself, or any other creature. In order to do this attend strictly to the sense of what you sing, and see that your heart is not carried away with the sound, but offered to God continually; so shall our singing be such as the Lord will approve of here, and regard you when He cometh in the clouds of Heaven.

BOOK I
Hymns for Worship and Praise

WORSHIP—PRAISE AND ADORATION

1. Holy, holy, holy

Reginald Heber, 1783-1826

A metrical paraphrase of Revelation 4:8-11. The hymn was written for use on Trinity Sunday of the Church Year but has found a wide general use as a morning hymn. It ranks high in any list of “best hymns.” Some give it first place.

The author, Reginald Heber, was educated at Oxford, England, for the Anglican ministry. For sixteen years he served as rector at Hodnet, Shropshire, where most of his hymns were written. He became an eminent churchman, as well as hymn writer, and was made bishop of Calcutta in 1822. After four years, his life came to an end suddenly at the close of a day in which he had baptized forty-two native converts. He is the author of the popular missionary hymn, “From Greenland’s icy mountains” ([333]).

“Holy, holy, holy,” was one of Alfred Tennyson’s favorite hymns, and it was sung at his funeral service in Westminster Abbey, April 12, 1892.

MUSIC. The tune, NICAEA, was composed for this hymn and was so named because the text deals with the doctrine of the Trinity as expounded in the Council of Nicaea which met in the city of Nicaea in Asia Minor, 325 A.D., the first ecumenical council of the Christian Church. It convened at the call of the Emperor, Constantine, to settle the so-called “Arian controversy” concerning the nature of Christ. Arius, a presbyter of Alexandria, taught that Christ was neither divine nor human, but superangelic. After sitting from May 20 to August 25, to hear all sides of the heated debate, the council decided in favor of Athanasius, a deacon of Alexandria and chief opponent of Arius. The result was incorporated in the Nicene creed which declares that Christ is “the same substance with the Father.” Our hymn asserts the same doctrine: “God in Three Persons, blessed Trinity.”

J. B. Dykes, 1823-76, composer of the tune, was born in Hull, England, the son of a banker. He was educated at Cambridge for the ministry but had also received a thorough training in music and became one of England’s leading hymn-tune writers. For a score of years he was vicar of the Anglican church, St. Oswald’s, in the city of Durham. He published sermons and other writings but is best known for his 300 hymn tunes, many of which are still in wide use. One of his most popular tunes is “Lux Benigna” which is always associated with John Henry Newman’s hymn, “Lead kindly light” ([162]).

2. God is in His holy temple

Anonymous

Based on Hab. 2:20: “The Lord is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.” The hymn, whose authorship is anonymous, is a call to silence and reverence as the worshipper bows in the presence of God.

MUSIC. The origin of the popular and useful tune, AUTUMN, has been in dispute. Some books refer to it as a Spanish melody, and others have seen in the tune a reminiscence of a psalm-tune found in the Genevan Psalter of 1551. It is ascribed here to one, Louis von Esch, but Dr. Robert McCutchan, editor of the Methodist Hymnal and author of Our Hymnody, says: “There is no basis whatever for ascribing it to any other than Barthélémon.”

Francois H. Barthélémon was born in Bordeaux, July 27, 1741, and died in London, July 20, 1808. He gave up his position as an officer in the French army to make music his profession and became a composer and distinguished violinist and conductor in England. Most of his compositions were of a secular nature. His other church pieces are “Morning Hymn” ([25]) and “Ballerma” ([146], [585]). Late in life Barthélémon joined the Swedenborgian Church. He died of paralysis at the age of 67.

3, 4, 5. All [hail] [the] power of Jesus’ name

Edward Perronet, 1726-92

The original version of this hymn contained eight stanzas and first appeared in the Gospel Magazine, Augustus Toplady’s journal, the first stanza together with the tune “Miles Lane,” in November, 1779, and the remaining stanzas in April, 1780. It is one of the popular, stirring hymns of the English language, sung in England almost invariably to the tune “Miles Lane” and in America more generally to “Coronation.”

Edward Perronet was born in 1726 and became a vicar in the Church of England in Shoreham. Later, under the influence of John Wesley, he left the established church to become an itinerant Methodist preacher. After some years he left the Methodists and ministered to a small dissenting congregation in Canterbury, where he died in 1792.

The fourth stanza is attributed by some authorities to the Rev. John Rippon, a Baptist minister.

A missionary in India, E. P. Scott, went to visit a mountain tribe when one day he found himself surrounded with a number of wild, ferocious tribesmen, pointing their spears at him. Expecting death, he closed his eyes and sang this hymn, “All hail the power of Jesus’ name,” playing the tune “Miles Lane” on his violin. The music and words produced such a profound effect upon these wild tribesmen that they spared Scott’s life and invited him to settle among them. For over two years, until his health failed, he worked with great success among them, and when he was compelled to return to America, they accompanied him thirty or forty miles and begged him to return. Upon regaining his health, he did return and labored with them until his death.

MUSIC. MILES LANE ([No. 3]) was composed by William Shrubsole, 1760-1806, especially for this hymn. He was an intimate friend of the author of the hymn. Most of his life was spent as music teacher and organist in various English churches. The tune is very effective, especially in its thrilling climax in the fourfold repetition of “Crown Him.” However, due to its wide melodic range, its sustained notes, and interrupted pace, it is more difficult to sing than “Coronation.”

CORONATION ([No. 4]) was composed by Oliver Holden. He had little formal training in music and was a carpenter by trade. He was born in Shirley, Mass., Sept. 18, 1765. After the English burned Charlestown, across the river from Boston, Holden helped in the task of rebuilding and made considerable money. Later he engaged in the real estate business, owned a music store, and all the while led choirs and singing schools. He was elected representative to the Congress. He was an influential citizen and a prominent member of the Baptist Church. However, he is remembered by posterity as the composer of this much-loved tune.

DIADEM ([No. 5]) is an effective tune widely used on anniversary occasions. The composer, James Ellor, an English Methodist, was born in Lancashire in 1819. He was not a professional musician, but a hatter by trade. For a time he worked as a railway employee. While still a young man, he came to America, where he worked at the hatmaking trade. For some years before his death in 1899, he was nearly blind. This tune was composed when Ellor was only 19 years old. It was written especially for this hymn and has had wide use as a choir number.

6. Ye servants of God, your Master proclaim

Charles Wesley, 1707-88

This hymn by Charles Wesley, perhaps the greatest hymnist of all ages, was No. 1 in a collection published in 1774 and entitled, Hymns for Times of Trouble and Persecution. The original had six stanzas and was marked, “To be sung in a tumult.” The Wesleys knew the meaning of persecution and tumults. They were often attacked by godless men who used physical violence. Hoodlums were known to try to break up their meetings by blowing horns, ringing bells, or barking in front of the preacher. Sometimes cattle were driven into the congregation. The Wesleys were also opposed by the clergy and people of the established church who hated the upheavals and disturbances these men caused in the staid and stolid church life of the times. Nothing could stop the Wesleys or repress their enthusiasm. John, who once thanked God for getting together such a “congregation of drunkards, swearers, and Sabbath breakers,” continued his preaching; and Charles his hymn writing. With the early apostles, the Wesleys could say, “We cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”

Charles Wesley, John’s youngest brother, graduated from Oxford in 1729 and became a devout priest in the Anglican Church. He came to Georgia in 1735 as secretary to General Oglethorpe but after one year, he returned to England on account of failing health. The years from 1738 to 1756 were devoted whole heartedly to assisting his brother John in the great revivalistic work among the masses of the common people in England, Scotland, and Ireland. He was a prolific writer, being the author of about 6,500 hymns. Of these only a few score survive, so difficult is it to write hymns that stand the test of time. Twenty-three of his hymns, more than of any other author, are included in the Hymnary. Wesley, being Arminian in his theology (as opposed to the predestinarian views of Calvinism) emphasizes in his hymns the power of Christ to save to the uttermost. Others of his hymns surpass this one from the standpoint of good literature, but very few equal its spirit of adoring praise and fervid enthusiasm.

MUSIC. HANOVER is a vigorous, singable, hymn-tune which has long been associated with these words, although the tune “Lyons” ([7]), too, is frequently set to this hymn. It is one of the earliest examples of the English psalm-tune, as distinguished from the Genevan. The triple measure was novel and met with objection when it first appeared.

The composer, William Croft, 1678-1727, had a doctor’s degree in music and was organist, for a time, in Westminster Abbey, London, where his remains lie buried. He labored hard, amidst many discouragements, to improve the music in the Church of England, and made for himself in the field of sacred music, one of the greatest names in English musical history. His tunes and anthems are widely used.

7. O worship the King, all glorious above

Robert Grant, 1779-1838

A simple, yet majestic hymn, based on the magnificent 104th Psalm. A careful reading of the Psalm will result in a new appreciation of this free paraphrase by Grant.

Robert Grant was born in Bombay, India. When six years old, his parents moved to London. He received his education in Oxford, was admitted to the bar, elected to Parliament in 1808, and then held various responsible government positions, climaxed in 1834 by his appointment as Governor of Bombay. He died at Delpoonie, India, where a medical school, bearing his name, was erected in his memory. Though a prominent man and active in public affairs, Grant will be remembered principally as the author of this, his most important hymn. He wrote a number of other hymns but only this one and “Savior, when, in dust, to Thee” ([145]) have survived.

MUSIC. The tune LYONS is by Haydn, not the famous “Papa” Haydn who wrote symphonies, string quartets, and The Creation, but J. Michael Haydn, 1737-1806, a younger brother. He was born in Austria. Though self-taught in music (like his famous brother Franz), he became the teacher of many eminent musicians of his time, including Carl von Weber. Haydn was a warm-hearted, devout, and gifted man, and might have become famous except for two things—his life was lived in the shadow of his more illustrious brother, and he was too modest to permit most of his works to be published.

LYONS is a singable tune with a fine melodic curve and is strikingly similar to “Hanover” ([6]) with which it may be interchanged with good effect.

8. Come Thou Almighty King

Charles Wesley, 1707-88

This hymn of praise and prayer is widely used in all branches of the Christian church in the English speaking world and has been translated into many foreign languages. It has been generally attributed to Charles Wesley, the great “Bard of Methodism,” but the authorship is uncertain. The hymn appeared as the first of only two selections in a small booklet published by John Wesley about 1757. The second hymn was by Charles Wesley and was entitled, “The Backslider.” “Come, Thou Almighty King,” with the title, “An Hymn to the Trinity,” did not bear the name of Charles Wesley, and it appears nowhere in his collected works. No one can be certain, therefore, of the authorship or date of its writing. Like all good hymns, it rises above time or personal circumstance and expresses for all Christians their feeling of praise and adoration of God. It was originally sung to the tune, “God Save the King,” the hymn following the same metrical pattern as the British National Anthem and our own “America.”

MUSIC. ITALIAN HYMN, also called “Trinity,” and “Moscow,” is one of our most famous hymn tunes and deserves its renown. It was composed for this hymn by Felice de Giardini, 1716-1796, an Italian violinist, who spent many years in England and ranked among the top-notch artists and teachers of violin in Europe. Though a great artist, he was a capricious and peevish personality, had few friends and many enemies, was a poor business manager, and died in poverty and distress in the city of Moscow where he had gone to better his fortune and failed.

9. Christ is our Cornerstone

Latin, 8th century

Tr. John Chandler, 1806-76

This is a translation of a mediaeval Latin hymn. At the beginning of the Christian era, the prevailing language was Greek. With the dominance of Rome over the empire of Alexander the Great, Greek gradually gave way to the Latin tongue, and from the fourth century to the dawn of the Reformation, a rich treasury of Latin hymns came into existence in the church. Many of these have now been translated for use in modern English speaking churches. They are stately, reverent, devout pieces of devotional literature which have been the joy and consolation of countless saintly souls down through the centuries. Other examples of hymns from Latin sources are found at Nos. [67], [80], [87], [114], [116], [171], [277], [382], and [415].

“Christ is our Cornerstone” is based on “Angularis fundamentum,” a dedication hymn of anonymous authorship, attributed here to the 8th century, but it may be of much earlier origin. [Hymn 277], “Christ is made the sure foundation,” is another rendering of the same Latin poem, by a different translator and into a different meter, and is there dated “6th or 7th century.”

John Chandler, the translator, was one of a group of Anglican clergymen belonging to what was known in England as the Oxford Group (not to be confused with the recent Oxford group movement headed by John Buchman). They were interested in restoring to the church a dignified service of worship. These Latin hymns contributed to this purpose. Chandler was a scholar as well as preacher, author of several books and many printed sermons and tracts, and was one of the first and best translators of Latin hymns. This, of course, is not a literal translation, for consideration had to be given to poetic and doctrinal fitness for modern use.

MUSIC. The tune DARWALL was composed by John Darwall, 1731-89, an Anglican clergyman and also an enthusiastic amateur musician. He composed a tune for each of the 150 metrical Psalms, each written in two parts only, treble and bass. DARWALL was set to Psalm 148. His tunes, for the most part, have not been published and have passed into oblivion.

10. Joyful, joyful we adore Thee

Henry van Dyke, 1852-1933

A nature hymn of the first order, written by one who himself had a profound appreciation and love of the out-of-doors. The words from beginning to end are an expression of the beauty in nature and the resulting joy and spirit of praise it brings to the worshipper. The hymn was written in 1907 while the author was on a preaching visit to Williams College; it was designated to be sung to the “Hymn to Joy” in the last movement of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. The words fit the music perfectly. It is one of the most joyful hymns in the English language.

Henry van Dyke was born in Germantown, Pa.; received his education in Princeton University and Theological Seminary; and began his work as pastor of the United Congregational Church in Newport, R. I. After four years he was called to the pulpit of the Brick Presbyterian Church in New York where he became a widely known figure. In 1900 he was called to the chair of English Literature in Princeton. He was a friend of President Woodrow Wilson who appointed van Dyke as minister to the Netherlands and Luxemburg, which post he held from 1913 to 1917. He is the author of many books, including the beautiful story entitled, The Other Wise Man.

MUSIC. HYMN TO JOY is a hymn tune arrangement from the fourth movement of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, probably the greatest symphony ever penned, even though the composer was stone-deaf when he wrote it.

Ludwig von Beethoven was born at Bonn, Germany, in 1770 and died in Vienna in 1827. During his tempestuous life, he composed many compositions for piano, violin, orchestra, and string quartet. His nine symphonies are on the repertoire of all the great modern symphony orchestras.

11. Give to our God immortal praise

Isaac Watts, 1674-1748

Recognized as the best of three versions which Watts made of Psalm 136. The hymn expresses with dignity and fervor the high praise of God.

Isaac Watts, scholar, poet, and pastor of the Independent Church in Mark Lane, London, ranks among the greatest of English hymn writers. He is the author of about 600 hymns and versions, many of which are still in common use. The Hymnary contains 19 of his works. Watts is often referred to as the “father of English hymnody.” Though suffering from bodily ailments during the greater part of his adult life, he was robust in his thinking and became a bold and sturdy fighter for the cause of intellectual and religious freedom. Watts was one of the gentlest and kindest of men and a friend of the young. His wide intellectual interests enabled him to write textbooks on logic, geography, and astronomy, which were used in the universities of England as well as Harvard and Yale. Though he was never married and had no children of his own, Watts was a lover of children and wrote one of the world’s most beautiful cradle songs—“Hush, my dear, lie still and slumber.” In 1715, he issued a notable book of verse for children. One of the poems, entitled, “Against Quarrelling and Fighting,” runs as follows:

Let dogs delight to bark and bite

For God hath made them so;

Let bears and lions growl and fight

For ’tis their nature to.

But children, you should never let

Such angry passions rise;

Your little hands were never made

To tear each other’s eyes.

Let grown-ups in our day grasp the idea in this simple poem!

MUSIC. The tune, LASST UNS ERFREUEN, one of the most famous in any hymn book, was published in Geistliche Kirchengesäng, Cologne, 1623. It was set to an Easter hymn beginning, “Lasst uns erfreuen herzlich sehr,” from whence it derives its name. The tune is unusual for its simplicity of structure and its invariable repetition of phrases throughout. Usually the alleluias in lines 3 and 6 are sung in harmony, the rest of the song in unison. The tune lends itself well to antiphonal or echo singing on the rare occasions when such varied effects are desired. The composer is not known.

12. O for a thousand tongues to sing

Charles Wesley, 1707-88

From a poem of 18 stanzas, written by Wesley to celebrate the first anniversary of his great spiritual change, a conversion experience in which he felt the clear light of the Gospel possessing his soul. The poem was entitled, “For the Anniversary Day of One’s Conversion.” Wesley was greatly influenced by the Moravian missionary Peter Bohler who once said to him: “Had I a thousand tongues, I would praise Him with them all.” The incident, lingering in Wesley’s mind, was turned into a song which expresses the joy and confidence of the redeemed. For 150 years, and until recently, this hymn appeared as No. 1 in Methodist hymnbooks on both sides of the Atlantic.

For further comments on Charles Wesley see [Hymn 6].

MUSIC. AZMON was introduced into this country from Germany where it was a favorite school song. Carl G. Gläser, the composer, was born at Weissenfels, Germany, 1784, and died at Barmen, 1829. He was a teacher of piano, violin, and voice, and director of choruses. He also owned and managed a music store.

Lowell Mason, the arranger of the tune, was one of America’s earliest exponents and teachers of public school music and did much to bring worthy popular hymn tunes into the churches. He was born January 8, 1792, at Orange, N. J. At the age of 16, he was a choir leader and teacher of singing classes. At 23, he went to Savannah, Ga., as a bank clerk, returning to Boston in 1827 to become president and conductor of the Handel and Haydn Society. He wrote a large number of singable hymn tunes which have had wide use in the hymn books of all denominations. More of his compositions are found in the Hymnary than of any other composer. He died at Orange, N. J., August 11, 1872.

13. Great God, the followers of Thy Son

Henry Ware, Jr., 1794-1843

Written for an ordination service which took place in Baltimore in 1819, William E. Channing preaching the sermon.

The author, Henry Ware, Jr., was born at Hingham, Mass., April 21, 1794; died September 25, 1843, at Framingham, Mass. He was educated at Harvard, and served as minister of the Second Unitarian Church, Boston, 1817 to 1829, with Ralph Waldo Emerson as assistant for a time. From 1829 to 1842, he was Professor of Pulpit Eloquence and Pastoral Care in the Harvard Divinity School. He was editor of the Christian Disciple and later of the Christian Register.

MUSIC. For comments on Lowell Mason, composer of HEBRON, see [Hymn 12].

14. The God of Abraham praise

Daniel Ben Judah, 14th century

Revised version by Thomas Olivers, 1725-99

This praise hymn, with its magnificent tune, had its origin in a Jewish synagogue in London. Thomas Olivers, a Welshman and follower of John Wesley, spent fifty years of his life as a Methodist minister, during which time he travelled more than 100,000 miles on horseback in his evangelistic work. His fame, however, rests upon this hymn. While visiting in London, he went to the Great Synagogue in Duke’s Place and heard the cantor sing the Hebrew Yigdal or doxology, in which the articles of the Jewish faith are recited. Upon hearing this, Oliver wrote “The God of Abraham praise,” a Christian version of the Yigdal. The original is by Daniel Ben Judah of the 14th century. Oliver then called on the Cantor, Meyer Leoni, who gave him this melody to suit the hymn he had written.

MUSIC. LEONI, according to Winfield Douglas, is probably not older than the 17th century and is not related to ancient Jewish music. Although written in a minor key, it strikes the note of praise. Its rhythm and vigor of movement adapts it well for use as a processional or recessional hymn.

15. We praise Thee, O God, our Redeemer

Julia Bulkley Cady Cory

A notable hymn of praise written by Mrs. Julia Cady Cory, who was born and reared in what was reputed to be one of the happiest Christian homes in New York City. Her father, J. Cleveland Cady, was a nationally known architect. A devout Christian, he had a genuine love for boys and girls and was superintendent of the same Sunday school for fifty-two years. Concerning the origin of this hymn, Mrs. Cory has written:

Years before I was married (in 1902), the organist of the Brick Presbyterian Church of New York City, knowing of my interest in hymnology, came to me and told me that he had a very fine Netherlands melody associated with most militaristic and unchristian words. He lamented the fact, and requested me to write more suitable words, which could be used for the Thanksgiving service at the Brick Church. The hymn as you see it today, was the result.

MUSIC. KREMSER is named after Edward Kremser, 1838-1914, a Viennese musician who arranged the tune from a Netherlands melody dating to 1625. The composer is not known. It is a stirring piece of music, simple in style, and easy to sing. It is equally impressive, whether sung in measured, stately tones like a chorale, or in the gayer festive mood in which young people like to sing. Children and young people usually respond to this hymn with enthusiasm.

16. Praise the Lord: ye heavens adore Him

Foundling Hospital Collection

Stanza 3 by Edward Osler, 1798-1863

A free rendering of some lines of Psalm 148 in which all the hosts of heaven and earth join in a magnificent chorus of praise to God.

The first two stanzas are anonymous. They were first published in the Foundling Hospital Collection, a book of hymns and anthems compiled by Thomas Coram, an English seaman, merchant captain and philanthropist. In later life, Mr. Coram devoted his time and fortune to the support of a children’s hospital in which a chapel was also maintained and the children trained in singing.

Edward Osler, author of the third stanza, was an English surgeon and author of books on scientific as well as religious subjects. He was also a distinguished hymnologist and wrote a number of versions of the Psalms and hymns for use in the Church of England.

MUSIC. FABEN was composed by John Henry Wilcox, 1827-75, Boston organist and expert in organ construction. The tune should not be taken too fast; otherwise the short notes become choppy and the effect is spoiled. Singers should avoid slurring the intervals of the melody, especially the descending fourth at the end of the first, third and seventh lines.

17. Come, let us join our cheerful songs

Isaac Watts, 1674-1748

A paraphrase of Revelation 5:11-13. It is one of the most widely esteemed of Watts’ poems and one of the classics of English hymnody.

The basses and tenors would be less likely to sing the wrong words at the beginning of the third score if the lines of all four stanzas had been printed. Let the song leader remind them to look ahead for the proper lines of each stanza before singing their solo part, and so avoid some incongruities of thought!

For comments on Isaac Watts see [Hymn 11].

MUSIC. CAMBRIDGE is an effective tune but with most congregations it needs some rehearsal before it is usable in a worship service. The composer, John Randall, 1715-99, was an organist and Professor of Music in Cambridge University. He was a friend of the poet Thomas Gray.

18. O come, loud anthems let us sing

Tate and Brady

A metrical version of Psalm 95, by Tate and Brady, two Irishmen who collaborated in producing, in 1696, the New Version of the Psalms. Their work partly supplanted the older version by Sternhold and Hopkins, then in use.

Nahum Tate, 1652-1715, was the son of an Irish clergyman, and, like Brady, received his education at Trinity College, Dublin. He was only a second-rate poet but managed to receive appointment as Poet Laureate of England in 1690.

Nicholas Brady, 1659-1726, was granted the honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity from Dublin University for services rendered to the Protestant cause. Among his many appointments were the chaplaincy to the king of England and incumbency of Stratford-on-Avon. Tate and Brady recast all of the Psalms into metrical verse in an attempt to improve on the old version then in use in the churches. Their work was done in a day when only the psalms were permitted to be sung in worship services in England. The writing of hymns was still in the future. Only a few of their renderings still find a place among our modern English hymns. The Hymnary includes two besides this one, Nos. [583] and [586].

MUSIC. The tune was found in St. Basil’s Hymn Book where it is credited to Haydn, but we are not told which Haydn. No further information concerning its origin has been traced. It is especially effective when sung by a large congregation.

MORNING

19. When morning gilds the skies

19th century

Tr. E. Caswall, 1814-78

A radiant morning hymn of adoration. It comes from the German song, “Bei frühem Morgenlicht,” of unknown authorship, which first appeared in print in the Katholisches Gesangbuch, 1828, bearing the title, “A Christian Greeting.”

Bei frühem Morgenlicht

Erwacht mein Herz und spricht.

Gelobt sei Jesus Christus!

So sing ich früh and spät,

Bei Arbeit und Gebet,

Gelobt sei Jesus Christus!

The translator, Edward Caswall, was an English scholar and clergyman, educated at Oxford. He left the Church of England to become a Roman Catholic priest. Caswall did much for the sick poor and the poor children in Birmingham, England, where he lived. He wrote excellent original hymns and made many translations from German and Latin sources. (See Nos. [88] and [155].)

MUSIC. O SEIGNEUR was composed or arranged by the Frenchman L. Bourgeois, c. 1500- c. 1561, who was an adherent of Calvin and followed him to Geneva in 1541. He was assigned by Calvin the task of providing music for the metrical psalter, but his work was attended with troubles and difficulties. Once he was thrown in prison for making unauthorized alterations in certain well-known tunes. He tried hard to introduce part-singing in a day when only unison singing was permitted by Calvin. Not succeeding in this, he left Geneva and returned to Paris, his birthplace. O SEIGNEUR is a superb tune. It gathers interest and force throughout its considerable length. The tune, which also may be used as a choir anthem, should be sung in fairly lively tempo to bring out its extraordinary power.

20. Lord, in the morning

Isaac Watts, 1674-1748

Based on Psalm 5:3: “My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer to thee, and will look up.” Watts did not hesitate to change the wording of the Psalms, when necessary, to “Christianize” them. In the preface to his book of Psalms, he states his method and purpose in these words:

It is necessary that I should inform my readers that they are not to expect in this book an exact translation of the Psalms of David. My design is to accommodate the Book of Psalms to Christian Worship.

For further comments on Watts see [Hymn 11].

MUSIC. WARWICK, a psalm-tune of somewhat ornamental style, was composed by Samuel Stanley, 1767-1822, who for thirty-three years was the leader of singing in Carr’s Lane Meeting House, Birmingham, England, where he made its music famous. He was a noted violincellist and an authority on the music of Handel. His position in the church was not then considered inconsistent with his being, for a time, keeper of the town tavern.

21. When morning gilds the skies

19th century, Tr. E. Caswall, 1814-78

For comments on the words see [Hymn 19].

MUSIC. LAUDES DOMINI was composed by Joseph Barnby, 1838-96, an English organist and one of the most prolific hymn-tune writers of his time. He was conductor of the Royal Choral Society in London, which presented many splendid performances of the great oratorios. It is a reverent and vigorous tune, written especially for this hymn, and makes a good processional.

22. New every morning is the love

John Keble, 1792-1866

Taken from John Keble’s Christian Year, a book of devotional poetry, one of the great religious classics in the English language. The original poem of sixteen stanzas is based on Lamentations 3:22b, 23a: “His compassions fail not. They are new every morning.” The hymn shows a deep appreciation of the beauties of the natural world, linking them with the worship of God.

John Keble was educated at Oxford where he was an outstandingly brilliant student. Later he taught at Oxford for nine years and then spent thirteen years as curate in his father’s church in Gloucestershire. Following that he became vicar of Hursley where he rebuilt the parish church with profits from his book, The Christian Year, which passed through 90 editions during the author’s lifetime. Keble was one of the influential leaders in the so-called Oxford or Tractarian Movement in England, an effort to emphasize worthier ideas of the church and a greater dignity and beauty in worship.

MUSIC. MELCOMBE, a melody of fine balance and great dignity, was composed by Samuel Webbe, 1740-1816, son of an English government official in Minorca. He spent his early life as a cabinetmaker but later turned to music, becoming a noted organist and composer of a large quantity of secular and sacred music.

23. Still, still with Thee

Harriet Beecher Stowe, 1811-96

Based on Psalm 139:18: “When I awake I am still with Thee.” It is a beautiful, personal, morning hymn, expressing the soul’s adoration upon waking to find itself in the glad consciousness of the divine presence.

Harriet Beecher Stowe belonged to a famous American family. Her father, Lyman Beecher, and her brother, Henry Ward Beecher, were eloquent and influential preachers in the Presbyterian and Congregational churches, respectively. Harriet’s girlhood was spent in Cincinnati, Ohio, where her father was president of Lane Theological Seminary. She married Calvin Ellis Stowe, of the Lane faculty. In 1852, she published Uncle Tom’s Cabin, a story which became immensely popular and made a notable contribution to the cause of freedom for the slaves.

MUSIC. CONSOLATION is No. 9 of the 48 pieces, all of distinctive lyric quality, composed by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, and known as Songs without Words. The tune appears here in slightly modified form. It is well adapted for the hymn but suffers frequently from dragging. It should be sung with a steady pace and clearly defined rhythm.

Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy was born in Hamburg, Germany, 1809, the son of a Jewish banker. His father, Abraham Mendelssohn, wished the children to be brought up as Protestant Christians and added the name “Bartholdy” to distinguish them from the Jewish members of the family. “Bartholdy” was the name of the proprietor of the garden belonging to the family. Mendelssohn composed extensively for the piano and wrote symphonies for the orchestra. Among his choral works are the great oratorios, Elijah and St. Paul. A man of culture and wealth, he travelled extensively and was popular wherever he went, especially in England. He died in Leipzig in 1847.

24. Father, we praise Thee

Gregory the Great, 540-604

Tr. Percy Dearmer, 1867-1936

The original of this morning hymn is attributed to Gregory the Great, Pope Gregory I, a sincere man, devoted to missions and reforms within the church, and one of the greatest of the line of Popes. The date of his election to the papacy, A.D. 590, is usually given by church historians as the end of the period of the Ancient Church and the beginning of the period of the Middle Ages—a witness to the importance of Gregory. A man of unblemished character and statesmanlike wisdom, he had a noble vision and ambition for Christianity and took a keen interest in the ritual and music of the church. Though not original or scholarly, he was a voluminous writer and had much influence in his time. He sent out missionaries, such as Augustine to England, and labored incessantly to purify and strengthen the church, care for its poor, and bring Christianity to the heathen. Gregory was particularly interested in the music of the church; and the “Gregorian Chants,” many of them composed by him, became the basis of cathedral music for a thousand years. He did away with certain embellishments which had crept in through the influence of Ambrose, and inaugurated the use of the solemn, stately chants which bear his name.

The translation of this hymn is by Percy Dearmer, an English hymnologist and clergyman who became Canon of Westminster, London, in 1931. He edited Songs of Praise, adopted widely in England for use in churches and public schools.

MUSIC. CHRISTI SANCTORUM is a tune of uncertain origin taken from a book by Francois de la Feillée, entitled Methode du Plain Chant, published in 1782. The melody, easily within range of all voices, is well adapted for unison singing. It is most effective when sung somewhat slowly. Though the tune appears in a book of plainsong, the melody has rhythm and is measured, and has none of the characteristics of a plainsong.

25. Awake, my soul, and with the sun

Thomas Ken, 1637-1711

Taken from a Manual of Prayers, which Bishop Ken wrote for Winchester College students in 1674. It appeared as the “Morning Hymn.” The preface of the book admonished the boys “to be sure to sing the Morning and Evening Hymn in your chamber devoutly.” Both the Morning and Evening Hymn ([33]) had for the closing stanza the famous doxology, “Praise God from whom all blessings flow,” now sung by the whole Christian church. The original poem had fourteen stanzas. According to Julian, this hymn is one of four at the head of all hymns in the English language.

Thomas Ken was an English poet and clergyman and had considerable musical talent. He was a man unafraid to declare his convictions. He once refused to read, at the king’s command, a certain document to his parishioners, and was imprisoned for his defiance. He finally lost his bishopric because he refused to swear allegiance to Mary and William of Orange when they became rulers of England. Ken was known for his saintly character, his great ability and eloquence as a preacher, and his pioneering in the art of hymn writing.

That all hymns must be written in the third person, as is sometimes asserted, is disproved by this great hymn in its use of “I” and “my.”

MUSIC. For comments on Francois H. Barthélémon, composer of the tune, MORNING HYMN, see [Hymn 2].

26. Christ, whose glory fills the skies

Charles Wesley, 1707-88

One of the greatest morning hymns in the English language, based on Mal. 4:2: “But unto you that fear my name shall the sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings.” James Montgomery called it “one of Charles Wesley’s loveliest progeny.” It pictures Christ as the true Light and the Sun of Righteousness triumphing over the darkness of sin and grief.

Charles Wesley was the second youngest in a family of nineteen children and became the “sweet singer of Methodism.” He and Isaac Watts were the most important hymnists of the 18th century in England.

For further comments on Wesley see [Hymn 6].

MUSIC. LUX PRIMA is by the French composer, Charles F. Gounod, 1818-93, a musician of a deeply religious nature. Gounod had taken two years of theology with the expectation of becoming ordained, but later decided that his greatest contribution to religion would be through music. His outstanding religious work is the oratorio, The Redemption. While composing it, he used to spend hours in Notre Dame Cathedral in prayer and meditation. LUX PRIMA is a stirring tune, building up to a climax at “Day-star,” and is widely used as a processional.

27. Come, my soul, thou must be waking

F. R. von Canitz, 1654-99

Tr. H. J. Buckoll, 1803-71

From a book of German lyrics, translated by H. J. Buckoll. The original poem of 13 stanzas begins with the words, “Seele, du muszt munter werden.” The hymn, expressing the glories of a new day, is especially suitable for use in schools and colleges. It is a translation of stanzas 1, 6, 8, 10, and 11 of the original:

Seele, du musst munter werden!

Denn der Erden

Blickt hervor ein neuer Tag.

Komm, dem Schöpfer dieser Strahlen

Zu bezahlen,

Was dein schwacher Trieb vermag.

Bitte, dass er dir Gedeihen

Mag verleihen,

Wenn du auf was Gutes zielst;

Aber dass er dich mag stören

Und bekehren

Wenn du böse Regung fühlst.

Denk, dass er auf deinen Wegen

Ist zugegen,

Und erkennet, was du tust;

Dass er auch verborgne Flecken

Kann entdecken,

Und die tiefste Sündenlust.

Drum so seufze, dass dein Scheiden

Nicht ein Leiden,

Sondern sanftes Schlafen sei—

Dass ich seh’ mit ew’ger Wonne

Jene Sonne,

Wann des Todes Nacht vorbei.

Treib’ nur Gottes Gnadenblicke

Nicht zurücke

Fasse treulich ihren Schein;

Dann wird deiner Seele Frieden

Schon hienieden

Süsser als die Sonne sein.

Friedrich Rudolph Ludwig, Freiherr von Canitz, was born in Berlin in 1654. He was a distinguished diplomat, a philanthropist, and a devout Christian. In the early morning of his last day on earth, August 11, 1699, ill with dropsy, he gazed at the rising sun and exclaimed, “Oh, if the sight of this created sun is so charming and beautiful, what will be the sight of the unspeakable glory of the Creator himself!” He was Staatrath (State Counsellor) at the time of his death.

The translator, Rev. Henry J. Buckoll, was educated at Oxford and spent most of his life teaching. He edited several collections of songs for schools and in 1842 published Hymns Translated from the German.

MUSIC. HAYDN comes from a tune in one of the movements of a string quartet by Franz Joseph Haydn, 1732-1809, the great Austrian composer, and important figure in the history of music. He was affectionately named “Papa Haydn” by Mozart. He wrote church music, song, opera, and oratorio, over 100 symphonies and 83 string quartets. His Creation, a sacred oratorio, is widely known. He was devoutly religious and did not hesitate to ascribe his musical scores to God’s glory. He gave as one of his reasons for writing music: “that the weary and worn or the man burdened with affairs might enjoy something of solace and refreshment.” There is a cheerfulness and optimism about his music which appeals to amateur and professional alike. Haydn was a teacher as well as composer and numbered among his pupils Mozart and Beethoven.

EVENING

28. Now on land and sea descending

Samuel Longfellow, 1819-92

Written for use in a series of vesper services the author was conducting in his church. It was published, with other hymns, in a small book called Vespers. This hymn and “Again as evening’s shadow falls” ([No. 280]), also by Longfellow, have become two of the most-loved evening hymns in the English language.

Samuel Longfellow, younger brother of the poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, was born and died in Portland, Maine. He was educated at Harvard for the ministry and served congregations in Fall River, Mass.; Brooklyn; and Germantown, Pa., resigning the last charge to write his brother’s Life, 1886. Though a Unitarian, he speaks of Christ as Lord and Saviour and accepted the miracles of the New Testament. He edited several important hymn books and wrote a number of hymns of excellent quality. Thirteen of his compositions are included in the Hymnary.

MUSIC. VESPERS is by the Russian composer Dimitri Stephanovitch Bortniansky who was born at Gloukoff, in the Ukraine, 1752, and died at St. Petersburg, 1825. He studied music at Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Venice, Italy, the Empress Catherine of Russia supplying the necessary funds. (It was this Empress Catherine who extended an invitation in 1786 to Prussian Mennonites to settle in South Russia, promising religious toleration, military exemption, and other special privileges.) Bortniansky became Director of the Imperial Kapelle, the Empress’ Church Choir. He was a distinguished composer of sacred music and has had a great and lasting influence on Russian church music. From his pen came the well-known chorale tune, “Ich bete an die Macht der Liebe” ([No. 517]).

The word “Jubilate” means “to shout for joy.” It comes from the same Latin root as “jubilee” and “jubilant.” Its English pronunciation in singing is Jōo-bĭ-lä-tĭ. If you prefer the Latin, sing it Yōo-bā-lä-tĭ.

29. Now the day is over

Sabine Baring-Gould, 1834-1924

Based on Proverbs 3:24:

“When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid;

Yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.”

The hymn was written for children, but is suitable for worshippers of all ages.

Sabine Baring-Gould was educated at Cambridge and became a clergyman of the Church of England. He was a man of great industry and versatility, and possessed a wide range of interests. He wrote books on travel, biography, history, and is the author of several novels. He also edited several collections of folk songs. Baring-Gould is the author of “Onward Christian soldiers,” another hymn written for children, which has received a much wider use than originally intended.

MUSIC. MERRIAL is a favorite tune for choir use in evening services. The average congregation can learn to sing it without difficulty, and when sung slowly and thoughtfully, it constitutes a deeply moving evening prayer.

For comments on the composer, Joseph Barnby, see [Hymn 21].

30. Sun of my soul, Thou Savior dear

John Keble, 1792-1866

Another evening hymn, widely used, and destined to live as long as English hymns are sung. It is taken from the author’s Christian Year, a book of devotional poetry which sold 305,500 copies in forty-six years. The original poem of fourteen stanzas, composed November 25, 1820, appeared with the title, “’Tis Gone, that Bright and Orbèd Blaze,” and was headed with the text, “Abide with us” (Luke 24:29). The hymn represents a lone traveller pressing on his way after the sun has set, but trusting in Christ, the “Sun of the soul,” for guidance and protection, and lifting a prayer for the sick and poor and the helpless. Tennyson, too, likened Christ to the sun. Asked what Christ meant to him he paused beside a flower in the garden and answered: “What the sun is to that flower, Jesus Christ is to my soul. He is the Sun of my soul.”

For further comments on John Keble see [Hymn 22].

MUSIC. HURSLEY is a good tune but not as good as the original, “Grosser Gott, wir loben Dich” ([No. 519]), from which some unknown person adapted it. The melody and harmonization have been changed, not for the better, to suit the English words. “Hursley” was the name of the parish of which Keble was vicar, and the tune was doubtless given this name when it came to be associated with Keble’s hymn.

31. Day is dying in the west

Mary Lathbury, 1841-1913

An evening hymn of high rank which has been used widely in American churches during the past half century.

Mary A. Lathbury, daughter of a Methodist minister, was a successful art teacher but is remembered chiefly for her work with the Methodist Sunday School Union and her literary contributions to periodicals for young people. The “Look Up” Legion which she founded had for its motto, Edward Everett Hale’s four rules of good conduct:

Look up, not down;

Look forward, not back;

Look out, not in,

And lend a hand.

Miss Lathbury wrote this hymn for use at the vesper services at Lake Chautauqua, in western New York, where hundreds of young people, eager to deepen their spiritual life, have met every year since 1873 for Bible study and prayer. This hymn and “Break Thou the Bread of Life” give the author a permanent place in American hymnody.

MUSIC. CHAUTAUQUA was written especially for Miss Lathbury’s hymn. William F. Sherwin, 1826-88, studied music under Lowell Mason and later became a teacher of vocal music. He was unusually successful in leading choral groups and was appointed music director at Lake Chautauqua. The tune is dignified and stately, yet simple. The refrain should be sung softly at the beginning and rise gradually to a climax.

32. Darkening night the land doth cover

Anon. Greek

Tr. Robert Bridges, 1844-1930

From an anonymous 8th-century or earlier Greek hymn. Some authorities believe it to be an expansion of the Greek candle lighting hymn ([No. 34]), also translated by Robert Bridges. The editors of the Hymnary, in search of a poem to fit the well-known UNTER LILIEN JENER FREUDEN tune in the Gesangbuch mit Noten, found for it this beautiful evening hymn published in the American Oxford Hymnal.

The translator, Robert Bridges, was one of England’s great literary scholars who gave serious attention to hymnology. After graduating from Eton and Oxford, he turned his attention to medicine and became a distinguished surgeon. At the early age of 38, however, he retired from medicine to give himself to literature and music. In 1913, he was made Poet Laureate of England. His most significant work in hymnology was the famous Yattendon Hymnal, which he published in 1899 while living in the village of Yattendon. It consisted of 100 hymns, 44 of which were from his own pen, either as author or translator. The hymns were set to music derived largely from the Genevan Psalter. The hymnal represented an extraordinarily high standard, both as to words and music, but it never became popular, and copies of it are nearly impossible to find.

MUSIC. The tune, UNTER LILIEN JENER FREUDEN, is found at No. 546 of the Gesangbuch mit Noten where it is set to a poem by J. Allendorf. No information has been traced concerning the composer, J. Voigtländer.

33. All praise to Thee, my God this night

Thomas Ken, 1637-1711

Based on Psalm 91:4: “He shall cover thee with his feathers; and under his wings shalt thou trust.”

This is the “Evening Hymn,” whereas [No. 25] is the “Morning Hymn” which Bishop Ken wrote for the devotional use of students at Winchester College. His endeavor was to express in simple, fitting words the thoughts that ought to be in the minds of the boys of the school “and all other devout Christians” in the evening. The two hymns were published in 1695 and have been growing in fame and power these two and one-half centuries. Both concluded with the doxology, “Praise God from whom all blessings flow,” now known and sung throughout Christendom.

MUSIC. The tune, EVENING HYMN, was originally in canon form, i.e., a form in which one voice begins the melody which is then imitated note for note by some other voice, as in a “round.” Tallis, as was customary at the time, started the melody in the tenor, imitated by the soprano. The tune used here is a later and altered form which, in the judgment of this writer, is less interesting than the canonic form used in many hymnbooks. Its choice was an editorial inadvertence.

Thomas Tallis, composer of the tune, died in 1585. The exact date of his birth, probably before 1520, remains uncertain. Styled the “Father of English Cathedral Music,” he was chorister at St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, and later held important posts as organist. He was indisputably the greatest English musician of his age, and EVENING HYMN is his most famous tune.

34. O Gladsome Light, O Grace

Greek 1st or 2d Century

Tr. Robert Bridges, 1844-1930

This is the oldest Christian hymn in common use, belonging to the first or second century. It was sung by the early Christians as a hymn of thanksgiving at the lighting of the candles at the vesper services in the church and probably also in the home. It is still so used in the Eastern churches. St. Basil wrote c. 370 regarding this hymn: “We cannot say who is the father of this expression at the Thanksgiving of the Lighting of the Lamps; but it is an ancient formula which the people repeat.” So in A.D. 370 the hymn was already ancient!

For comments on the translator, Robert Bridges, see [Hymn 32].

MUSIC. The tune NUNC DIMITTIS is by the French musician, Louis Bourgeois, c. 1510-61, the best melodist of his day, and composer of most of the music for the Genevan Psalter, a French metrical version of the Psalms published in 1549. Many of his melodies have been altered, as for example, “Old Hundredth,” but this one has come to us unchanged. It is a glorious melody which needs to be listened to repeatedly to be appreciated. The harmonization is by Claude Goudimel, c. 1505/10-72, another eminent Protestant musician, who provided harmonies for many of the Genevan psalm tunes. Goudimel’s life came to an end in the massacre of St. Bartholomew in 1572, one of those tragedies during the counter-reformation in which the Protestants suffered at the hands of the Jesuits.

35. God that madest earth and heaven

Stanza 1, Reginald Heber, 1783-1826

Stanza 2, William Mercer, 1811-73

Stanza 3, Richard Whateley, 1787-1863

The original hymn consisted of the first stanza only which was written by Reginald Heber after hearing the tune used here played by a Welch harpist in a home where Heber was visiting. Retiring to a quiet place, he promptly wrote the stanza to suit the melody.

For comments on Reginald Heber see [Hymn 1].

William Mercer, author of the second stanza, was a clergyman in the Church of England in Sheffield. In 1857, he issued The Church Psalter and Hymn Book, the most important Church of England book of its time. His aim was to promote greater participation by the congregation in the hymn singing.

Richard Whately was archbishop of Dublin. He was a man of great brilliance of mind, though, it is said, he had no ear for music and no eye for natural beauty.

MUSIC. The tune AR HYD Y NOS is a Welsh traditional melody commonly associated with the words “All through the night.” It appears in many modern hymnals. A growing number of folk tunes are being used for hymn tunes.

36. Softly now the light of day

George Washington Doane, 1799-1859

An American hymn characterized by simplicity and grace, and sung the world over wherever the English language is spoken. It appeared in 1824 in a collection of poems, Songs by the Way, with the heading “Evening.” It is based on Psalm 141:2, “Let my prayer be set forth before Thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.”

George Washington Doane was born in Trenton, New Jersey, in 1799, the year that the “Father of our Country” died; hence his name. He was educated at Union College, Schenectady, New York, and ordained, at the age of 22, in the Episcopal Church. At the early age of 33 he was made bishop of New Jersey. A pioneer in education, and ahead of his time in many things, his life was full of trials. But his exceptional talents, learning and force of character made him one of the great church leaders of his time.

MUSIC. SEYMOUR is by the eminent German composer of opera, Carl M. von Weber, 1786-1826. This tune, a great favorite, is from the opening chorus of his opera, Oberon, which is sung while fairies “trip it lightly” on the stage. When contributions towards the musical edition of the famous English book, Hymns Ancient and Modern, London, 1861, were invited by advertisement, the editor, W. H. Monk, received more requests for the insertion of this tune than any other, despite its secular origin.

37. At even, when the sun was set

Henry Twells, 1823-1900

This evening hymn, a prayer for the healing of our bodily as well as spiritual ills, has been translated into many foreign tongues, and is found in nearly all standard hymn books both in America and abroad. The original has eight stanzas. It is based on the touching evening scene described in Mark 1:32, “At even, when the sun was set, they brought unto him all that were sick.”

Henry Twells was ordained in 1849 in the Church of England. Among the parishes he served was Stratford-on-Avon, the birthplace of Shakespeare. At the time he wrote this hymn, he was headmaster of a large grammar school and penned the verses one afternoon while the boys were writing an examination.

MUSIC. The tune, ANGELUS, appeared in somewhat different form in Heilige Seelenlust, one of a series of Catholic collections of hymns in Germany, written in the vernacular, and edited by Johann Scheffler. The tune is credited to Georg Josephi, a German musician of whom little is known except that he was the musical editor of Heilige Seelenlust. It is a tune of rare beauty though its modulations into several different keys makes it more difficult to sing than some and gives it a sense of restlessness not found in other popular tunes.

38. Savior, breathe an evening blessing

James Edmeston, 1791-1867

This hymn ranks with the best of the evening hymns of the English language though it is practically all that survives of the more than two thousand hymns that came from the too prolific pen of the author.

James Edmeston, a member of the Church of England, was an eminent London architect and surveyor who had a great love for and interest in children and possessed a gift for writing sacred poetry. He had the habit of writing a hymn every Sunday and reading it at family worship.

During the Boxer uprising in China in 1900, in which many Americans lost their lives, a group of missionaries, beleaguered outside of Shanghai, found in this hymn the expression of their feelings, as well as a great source of comfort. One of them wrote:

Separated from home and friends, facing death in a far-off land, and full of tenderest feelings, we lifted our hearts in song:

“Though destruction walk around us,

Though the arrows past us fly:

Angel guards from Thee surround us;

We are safe if Thou art nigh.”

Out of the storm each soul, renewing its strength, mounted up with wings as eagles and found peace in the secret of His presence. Our Saviour breathed, in very deed, “an evening blessing,” the fragrance of which remains even unto this day. The last verse of the hymn, “Should swift death this night o’ertake us,” was omitted. It seemed too probable that it might. We wanted only to think of the safe-keeping, and such, thank God, it proved to be.

MUSIC. The tune EVENING PRAYER was written by Stebbins while music director at Tremont Temple, Boston, as a response to be sung after the morning prayer. Two years later it was set to this evening hymn by the composer himself, for use in an evangelistic campaign in Providence, R. I. Stebbins writes, “I arranged to have a male choir of 20 voices sing the music as set to the beautiful hymn, and to my gratification found they were admirably suited to each other. Since then the hymn has been used in many gospel hymn books and church hymnals, both here and abroad. It has been used also in St. Paul’s Cathedral, in London.”

George C. Stebbins, 1846-1945, was born and reared on a farm in New York. He became interested in music through the country singing school. After serving as music director at the First Baptist Church, Chicago, and Tremont Temple, Boston, he became associated with D. L. Moody and helped organize choruses for many of Moody’s evangelistic campaigns both here and abroad. He was co-editor with Ira Sankey and James McGranahan of various editions of Gospel Hymns and was himself one of the best composers of gospel hymn tunes. He lived to be nearly 100 years old.

The hymn is also set to the tune “Ringe Recht” ([147]) in some hymnals.

39. Unheard the dews around me fall

Anonymous

This hymn, emphasizing the silences of God as manifested in the world without and within, is of anonymous authorship. It is found in Hymns of the Spirit but most of the other modern hymnals have overlooked it.

MUSIC. WINDSOR is an English tune of unknown origin. It was set to Psalm 116 in a book of Psalm tunes by M. William Damon, published in 1591. It is one of a number of tunes written in the minor mode which appear in the Hymnary. Note that the “Amen” closes with the chord in F major, in keeping with the general practice of following a minor tune with an “Amen” in which the last chord is in the major mode.

In Songs of Praise, London, 1931, this tune is set to the hymn “Jesus, the very thought of Thee” ([155]).

40. Abide with me; fast falls the eventide

Henry F. Lyte, 1793-1847

One of the great consolation songs of Christianity. It is really not an evening hymn, but for a person in his last illness, when the thought of passing through the gateway of death, and the glory of the great beyond are the soul’s vital concern. It has long been sung at evening services because, presumably, the end of the natural day suggests the evening of life, and the mood of the tune is so well suited to the pensive quietness of the close of day.

Henry F. Lyte, a Scotsman, was a young clergyman in the Church of England when he wrote this hymn. There is a popular tradition that he wrote it near the end of his life when ill health compelled him to resign his parish and after he held his last communion on September 4, 1847. But James Moffatt, the distinguished historian and translator of the Bible, gives a different account of its origin. He says the hymn was inspired during the fatal illness of an intimate friend of the author, Rev. William A. Le Hunte. Dr. Lyte was constantly at the side of his dying friend who, in his closing hours, repeatedly said these words, “Abide with me,” which moved Dr. Lyte to write the hymn. Twenty-seven years later, 1847, when he felt his own end approaching, he recalled the hymn.

MUSIC. EVENTIDE is Monk’s best known tune. In a letter to J. C. Hadden, Mrs. Monk wrote: “This tune was written at a time of great sorrow—when together we watched, as we did daily, the glories of the setting sun. As the golden rays faded, he took up some paper and pencilled that tune which has gone over all the world.” The composition is said to have been completed in ten minutes. It was the last hymn sung by the Canadian nurse Edith Cavell before she suffered martyrdom in Belgium, October 12, 1915.

Wm. H. Monk, 1823-89, English organist and composer, devoted his life to the service of church music. For forty years he held the post of organist at King’s College, London, and St. Matthias, Stoke Newington, devoting himself to the advancement of good congregational singing. “He taught many to praise God who had never praised Him before; he taught others to praise Him more worthily than hitherto.” He was the music editor of the famous Hymns Ancient and Modern, published in England, 1861.

CLOSE OF WORSHIP

41. Blest be the tie that binds

John Fawcett, 1740-1817

This hymn is often sung at the close of church meetings. Sometimes the custom of the people joining hands while singing is observed.

John Fawcett, an English Baptist minister, was serving a small country church in Yorkshire when he received and accepted a call to a large city church in London, which paid a salary more suited to the needs of his big family. His farewell sermon had been preached, six or seven wagons stood loaded with his furniture and books, and all was ready for his departure. But when the members of his humble flock turned out to bid farewell, many of them in tears, and imploring him to stay, it was more than he or Mrs. Fawcett could stand. He ordered the wagons unloaded and the furniture put back in its place, and sent a message to the London church that he was not coming. Afterwards he wrote this hymn which was to become one of the most famous in the English language.

MUSIC. DENNIS is simple and easy of performance, yet pleasing and effective. The tune was composed by Hans Georg Nägeli, 1768-1836, a Swiss, who was born near Zurich where he spent most of his life as music publisher, composer, and teacher. He was a prominent figure in public school music and was greatly interested in church music.

Lowell Mason found this melody in manuscript form and arranged it for use as a church tune.

For comments on Lowell Mason see [Hymn 12]. The tune “Boylston” ([214]) is also used with this hymn.

42. The Lord be with us as we bend

John Ellerton, 1826-93

The hymn is particularly appropriate for the close of an evening service.

John Ellerton was a minister of the Church of England, a teacher, author, and one of England’s most distinguished hymnists. He assisted in editing the famous Hymns Ancient and Modern, London, 1861. He was early surrounded with religious influences and had a happy childhood life. Of his parents he wrote, “I used to feel how happy my father and mother were, even more than how good they were.” He composed about fifty hymns and made about ten translations, a large proportion of which have found their way into church hymnals. He refused to take out a copyright for any of his hymns, saying that “if any are counted worthy to contribute to Christ’s praise in the congregation, one ought to feel very thankful and humble.” His hymns, of which there are eight in the Hymnary, are elevated in tone and devotional spirit.

MUSIC. BEATITUDO was written for the Revised Edition of Hymns Ancient and Modern, 1875, and was set to the words, “How bright these glorious spirits shine.”

For comments on the composer, J. B. Dykes, see [Hymn 1].

43. Savior, again to Thy dear Name we raise

John Ellerton, 1826-93

This, the most popular of Ellerton’s hymns, was originally written in 1866 for a choir festival. It was revised and condensed to these four verses, rich in poetic beauty and spiritual power, to take a high place among our evening hymns. The first stanza may be used with good effect as a choral benediction. The last stanza was sung at Ellerton’s funeral on June 20, 1893.

For comments on John Ellerton see [Hymn 42].

MUSIC. ELLERS was composed for this hymn in 1869.

Edward John Hopkins, 1818-1901, was a distinguished English church musician who served as organist in several important London churches, including Westminster Abbey. He was a prolific composer of church music of fine quality—services, hymn-tunes, anthems, organ pieces—and enjoyed a great reputation as editor of hymn books.

44. O Savior, bless us ere we go

Frederick W. Faber, 1814-63

A hymn for the close of evening worship.

Frederick W. Faber was educated at Oxford and became a minister in the Church of England. He began his parish work at Elton where he became a forceful preacher and was known for his fine Christian character and lovely spirit. Church attendance increased, the parish grew, and the people who had been known for their intemperance and immorality were now reputed for their thrift and good behavior.

Under the influence of John Henry Newman, Faber changed his views and joined the Roman Catholic Church. After a trip to Rome, he lived at Birmingham where he formed, with eight others, a community called “Brothers of the Will of God.” Later he moved to London where he continued his service in the Catholic Church until his death at the age of forty-nine. He wrote many theological and devotional books but is best known for his hymns of which he wrote 150, among which are such favorites as “There’s a wideness in God’s mercy” ([58]) and “Faith of our fathers” ([154]). His hymns are numbered among the treasures of English hymnody. They are devotional in spirit and with slight alterations appropriate for use in all Christian churches.

MUSIC. SURREY is a beautiful tune which became immediately popular and has remained so, especially in England. The composer, Henry Carey, 1692-1743, was a teacher in boarding schools and private families in England. He composed a large number of secular songs and was only incidentally a writer of church music.

45. Lord, dismiss us with Thy blessing

John Fawcett, 1740-1817

This popular dismission hymn is ascribed to the English Baptist minister, John Fawcett, who is best known as the author of “Blest be the tie that binds.” The hymn has undergone some alteration with the passing of the years. The third stanza originally read:

“So whene’er the signal’s given

“Us from earth to call away,

“Borne on angels’ wings to heaven

“Glad the summons to obey,

“May we ever

“Reign with Christ in endless day.”

For comments on John Fawcett see [Hymn 41].

MUSIC. SICILIAN MARINERS is a familiar tune of unknown origin which has been set to various hymns, including the Latin “O Sanctissima, O Purissima,” and the German “O du fröliche, o du selige.” The tune, sometimes called “Sicily,” is not known in Sicily today.

GOD THE FATHER—HIS MAJESTY AND POWER

46. Mighty God, while angels bless Thee

Robert Robinson, 1735-90

The author of this hymn had a unique career. Robert Robinson, born in Norfolk, England, of lowly parentage, was left fatherless at eight to be the sole support of his widowed mother. At fourteen he was apprenticed to a barber in London who frequently reprimanded him for giving too much time to the reading of books and too little to business. At seventeen he heard the great evangelist Whitefield preach a sermon on Matthew 3:7 and decided to dedicate his life to God. His complete conversion he dates a few years later, 1755. He began preaching under the Methodists but soon developed independent views and in 1759 he received adult baptism and united with the Baptists. Shortly afterwards he became the pastor of a small Baptist church in the university town of Cambridge. He was a gifted scholar, and though he had little formal education, he held the respect of Cambridge students, notwithstanding the taunts of university professors. Serving a small and poor congregation and being without finances to support his large family, he helped himself by engaging in farming and carrying on business as a coal and corn merchant while preaching twice a Sunday and holding evangelistic meetings during the week. In this he succeeded in a very remarkable measure, aided by the fact that he knew the soil and the tillers of the soil and was gifted with the sense of humor and a Spurgeon-like wit. Besides this hymn, he also wrote the well-known hymn, “Come, Thou fount of every blessing” ([189]).

MUSIC. CRUCIFER, originally known as “Bethany,” was composed by Henry Smart for “Jesus, I my cross have taken.” The composer favored unison singing of this melody, at moderate tempo. Most congregations will find the pitch range in the melody too wide for best results in unison singing.

Henry Smart, 1813-1879, turned from the legal profession to devote his life to music. Though largely self-taught, he became one of England’s distinguished organists and builder of organs. He suffered from poor eyesight and the last fourteen years of his life he was totally blind, but he kept on playing and composing for he had a very retentive memory and possessed a rare skill in extempore playing. Smart was a strong advocate of congregational singing, but favored the unison singing of melodies, and had a decided prejudice against what he considered unduly fast congregational singing.

47. I sing the mighty power of God

Isaac Watts, 1674-1748

A hymn of praise, magnifying the power, wisdom, goodness, and omnipresence of God as revealed in creation. It appeared first in Watt’s Divine and Moral Songs for the Use of Children where it was entitled, “Praise for Creation and Providence.” The original has eight stanzas.

For comments on Watts see [No. 11].

MUSIC. ELLACOMBE is a cheerful, unpretentious tune that deserves to be better known. The source designated is Gesangbuch der Herzogl published in 1784, but some of our best authorities are content to leave its exact origin in doubt. It found its way into English hymnals soon after it was published in Vollständige Sammlung der gewöhnlichen Melodien zum Mainzer Gesangbuche, by X. L. Hartig, in 1833.

MAKER OF HEAVEN AND EARTH

48. This is my Father’s world

Maltbie D. Babcock, 1858-1901

The original has sixteen stanzas, each beginning with the words “This is my Father’s world,” a good slogan to begin and end the day. It appeared in the author’s Thoughts for Every Day Living, a book of religious verse. The hymn expresses a confident attitude toward life and a buoyant faith in God.

Maltbie D. Babcock, prominent Presbyterian minister, was born in Syracuse, New York, graduated from Syracuse University and Auburn Seminary and then began his first pastorate at the First Presbyterian Church, Lockport, N. Y. His second pastorate was at Brown Memorial Church, Baltimore, where he was popular with the students at Johns Hopkins University. He then received a call to the Brick Church, New York City, where he became the successor of Henry van Dyke. In his student days he was known as a fine student, a great athlete, a good musician, and a friend to all. He loved young people and during his ministry they turned to him for counsel.

MUSIC. The tune TERRA BEATA is simple, light in movement, and easy to sing. It was composed by Franklin Sheppard, 1852-1930, a Philadelphia business man, Presbyterian layman, and friend of Dr. Babcock. Sheppard was also an accomplished musician. He modestly attributed the tune to an old English folk melody, but it is known now that he himself was the composer. He named the tune “Terra Beata,” happy or blessed earth.

The arrangement in the Hymnary, known as “Terra Patris,” is by Edward Shippen Barnes, a contemporary American organist and composer. His harmonization is a little more difficult to sing but also more interesting than the original by Sheppard.

49. Let the whole creation cry

Stopford A. Brooke, 1832-1916

The hymn is an imitation of Psalm 148. It is a universal call to praise rather than an expression of praise, hence it is addressed not to God but to his creation everywhere, as a call to worship God. The hymn is characterized by literary grace, simplicity, and tenderness, and is included in many modern hymnals.

Stopford A. Brooke, born in Ireland, was educated at Dublin, then became a clergyman in the Anglican Church. For a time he was one of the most popular preachers in London. In 1880, being restive under the doctrinal standards of the church, he severed his relation with the Anglicans and continued a ministry of preaching and lecturing and writing as an independent, not associated with any denomination. His Life and Letters of F. W. Robertson ranks among the classic biographies. In 1881, he compiled Christian Hymns for use in his own congregation, in which this hymn is found, the original having ten stanzas.

MUSIC. ROLAND is an easy, flowing tune which congregations love to sing after learning it well. It is suitable for use as a processional. The composer, Caleb Simmer, born 1856, was an American musician. His sacred pieces include anthems, quartets, cantatas, and organ music.

50. The spacious firmament on high

Joseph Addison, 1672-1719

This hymn was praised by Lord Selbourne as “a very perfect and finished composition, taking rank among the best hymns of the English language.” The author, Joseph Addison, was an eminent Englishman of letters. Dr. Samuel Johnson said of him, “Whoever wishes to attain an English style, familiar, but not coarse, elegant but not ostentatious, must give his days and nights to the volumes of Addison.” In 1712, Addison wrote a series of essays in the Spectator, concluding each essay with a hymn. In the issue of August 23, this hymn, a free rendering of Psalm 19, formed the conclusion to an essay on “The Proper Means of Strengthening and Confirming Faith in the Mind of Man.”

MUSIC. CREATION is an adaptation of a part of the magnificent chorus (No. 14) in Haydn’s oratorio, The Creation. For comments on Haydn, see Hymn [No. 27].

51. For the beauty of the earth

Folliott S. Pierpoint, 1835-1917

This delightful hymn of thanksgiving was originally written for the communion service to bring the note of joy into the solemn sacrament, making it truly an “eucharist.” It is now used frequently at Thanksgiving and children’s services. It names many causes for praise and thanksgiving, from the “beauty of the earth” to the “church that lifteth holy hands.”

The author, Folliott S. Pierpoint, was born at Bath, England, and educated at Cambridge. He was a teacher of the classics, published several books of poems, and made notable contributions to the hymnody of the church.

MUSIC. DIX appeared first in a collection of chorales edited and published by Kocher in Stuttgart in 1838, set to the hymn “Treuer Heiland, wir sind hier.” It has long been used with the words, “As with gladness men of old” ([530]), by W. C. Dix, hence the name “Dix.” It has a strong, joyous tune which marches with stately tread and is a favorite processional.

Conrad Kocher, 1786-1872, was a German student of church music, a composer and teacher. He studied at St. Petersburg and in Rome. He founded the School of Sacred Song in Stuttgart, which did much to improve German church music and popularize four-part singing in Germany.

52. God of the earth, the sky, the sea

Samuel Longfellow, 1819-92

A hymn which finds God in every aspect of nature. For comments on the author, Samuel Longfellow, see [Hymn 28].

MUSIC. SHELTERING WING, a long-meter melody admirably suited to these words, is by the English church musician, Joseph Barnby, 1838-96. For comments on him see [Hymn 19].

53. Lord of all being, throned afar

Oliver W. Holmes, 1809-94

A hymn difficult to praise too highly, probably the greatest penned on the omnipresence of God. Its first appearance was in the Atlantic Monthly as the final installment of the series of articles later collected into book form and entitled The Professor at the Breakfast Table. The work closed with the following lines and the hymn:

Peace to all such as may have been vexed in spirit by any utterances these pages may have repeated! They will, doubtless, forget for the moment the differences in the hues of truth we look at through our human prisms and join in singing (inwardly) this hymn to the Source of the light we all need to lead us, and the warmth which alone can make us brothers:

Lord of all being! throned afar,

Thy glory flames from sun and star;

Centre and soul of every sphere,

Yet to each loving heart how near.

Oliver Wendell Holmes was the son of a Congregational minister in Cambridge, Massachusetts, although later when he became established as a physician in Boston, he united with the Unitarians. His writings are nevertheless permeated by an evangelical warmth which has made his hymns acceptable to all denominations. Holmes was a distinguished graduate of Harvard University in Arts and Medicine and spent most of his years teaching anatomy at Harvard. But he is best known to us as a man of letters. None of his writings is so widely known as the two hymns, “Lord of all being” and “O Love divine, that stooped to share” ([172]), both of them found in the author’s The Professor at the Breakfast Table.

MUSIC. LOUVAN is by an American musician, Virgil C. Taylor, 1817-91, organist and editor of song books. This is the only one of his tunes now in common use. An alternative tune that fits the hymn very well is “St. Crispin” found at [No. 149].

HIS LOVE AND MERCY

54. Be still, my soul, the Lord is on thy side

Katharina von Schlegel, born c. 1697

Tr. Jane L. Borthwick, 1813-97

The hymn is a translation of a poem by Katharina von Schlegel. She was born in Germany, 1697. No one seems to have found anything definite concerning her life, except that she wrote some hymns, one of which passed into the English language. The original, based on Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God,” had four stanzas, as follows:

Stille, mein Wille! Dein Jesus hilft siegen;

Trage geduldig das Leiden, die Not;

Gott ist’s, der alles zum besten will fügen,

Der dir getreu bleibt in Schmerzen und Tod.

Stille, mein Wille! Dein Jesus wird machen

Glücklichen Ausgang bedenklicher Sachen.

Stille, mein Wille! Der Herr hat’s in Händen;

Hält sich dein Herz nur im Glauben an ihn,

Wird er den Kummer bald wenden und enden

Herrlich wird endlich, was wunderbar schien.

Stille, mein Wille! Dein Heiland wird zeigen,

Wie vor ihm Meer und Gewitter muss schweigen.

Stille, mein Wille! Wenn Freunde sich trennen,

Die du so zärtlich und innig geliebt,

Wirst du die Freundschaft des Höchsten erkennen,

Der sich zum Eigentum treulich dir gibt.

Stille, mein Wille! Dein Jesus ersetzet,

Was dich beim Sterben der Liebsten verletzet.

Stille, mein Wille! Es kommen die Stunden,

Dass wir beim Herrn sind ohn’ Wechsel der Zeit;

Dann ist das Scheiden, der Kummer verschwunden.

Ewige Freundschaft vergütet das Leid.

Stille, mein Wille! Nach zeitlichem Scheiden

Sehn wir uns wieder ohn’ Schmerzen und Leiden.

The words, both in the original and in the English translation, are of great beauty and their message has brought real comfort to many a burdened and disquieted soul.

The translation is by Jane Borthwick, born in Edinburgh, who, with her sister, Sarah B. Findlater, did outstanding work as a translator of German hymns. Only Catherine Winkworth surpassed her. Miss Borthwick, a member of the Free Church of Scotland, was a devout Christian character, especially interested in the mission work of the church, both home and foreign. Another of her well-known translations is “My Jesus, as Thou wilt” ([250]) from the original by Benjamin Schmolke.

MUSIC. FINLANDIA is from the pen of Jean Sibelius, born December 8, 1865, in Finland, and undoubtedly the greatest living composer. At this writing, 1948, he is still living, but, through the misfortunes of war, reduced to penury and poverty. Besides seven symphonies, he wrote many smaller orchestral works. This tune is from the tone poem “Finlandia,” the arrangement having been made for the Hymnal of the Presbyterian Church in 1932. It is included in a number of recent hymn books and has become a favorite with worshipping congregations wherever introduced.

55. God is love; His mercy brightens

John Bowring, 1792-1872

A bright, joyful hymn which we owe to a layman, Sir John Bowring, born at Exeter, England, 1792. Though a member of the Unitarian Church, his faith was apparently that of an evangelical. On his tombstone are engraved the words of another great hymn which he himself wrote, “In the Cross of Christ I glory” (See [110]). Bowring was the son of a manufacturer of woolen goods and he spent his early years travelling in all parts of the world in the interest of his father’s business. Though he left school at the age of 14, he became an outstanding linguist and scholar and writer. At the age of 16, he had acquired five languages and late in life he is said to have known 200 languages and spoken 100. One of his primary interests was politics. He was elected to the British Parliament and later became the British consul at Canton and the governor of Hong Kong. He published a book of Hymns with the desire that they might be useful in strengthening the religious faith of others who under suffering and disheartening circumstances might chance to read them.

The hymn is constructed to emphasize in each stanza the idea of God as wisdom (I Cor. 1:30) and love (I John 4:8).

MUSIC. STOCKWELL, a very useful tune, appeared in Lowell Mason’s popular collection of hymns, New Carmina Sacra, in 1850, set to the words, “Silently the shades of evening,” written by Christopher Cox.

The composer, Darius Eliot Jones, 1815-81, was born at Carroll, N. Y. His father, Abner Jones, was a well-known music teacher in New York. Darius spent twenty years of his adult life in business. He served for a time as assistant editor of the Choral Advocate, published by Mason Brothers, New York, and at the same time conducted the music in Plymouth Church, Brooklyn, where Henry Ward Beecher was pastor. At Beecher’s suggestion, Jones prepared a new hymn book, Temple Melodies, 1861, for use in Plymouth Church. Feeling a call to the Christian ministry, Jones entered Iowa College, at Davenport, as a student and at the age of 43 was ordained as a Congregational minister. He served churches at Columbia City and Newton Center, Ia., until 1863, when he became treasurer of the Iowa General Association. For a year, he was agent for the American Bible Society; and for four years, 1866-70, he was agent for Iowa College, later located at Grinnell and known as Grinnell College. Here Jones published a second hymn book, Songs for the New Life, in 1869. From that time on, he served various churches in Iowa until his death in 1881.

56. How gentle God’s commands

Philip Doddridge, 1702-51

This hymn, beautiful in poetic imagery, is based on I Peter 5:7, “Casting all your care upon Him: for He careth for you.” When it first appeared, posthumously, in a book of hymns by the author, it bore the title, “God’s care a remedy for ours.”

Philip Doddridge was born in London, the youngest of a family of twenty, most of whom died in childhood. His father was an oil merchant. Before he could read, he had learned from his mother the stories of the Bible by the aid of Bible pictures on the Dutch tiles that covered a portion of the living room. Doddridge became a minister in the Congregational Church and devoted his life not only to preaching, but to writing books and teaching young men for the ministry. In 1751, he went to Lisbon to seek relief from tuberculosis but died there. He is the author of over 400 hymns, a few of which have survived, and are found in most hymn books. The Hymnary contains six of his compositions.

MUSIC. DENNIS. For comments on this tune see [Hymn 41].

57. Thou Grace Divine, encircling all

Eliza Scudder, 1821-96

The hymn was written by Eliza Scudder, an American hymn writer of the middle nineteenth century. She was born in Boston, and died in Weston, Massachusetts. She was a niece of Edmund H. Sears, author of “It came upon a midnight clear” ([No. 75]). Miss Scudder was a person of deep religious insight and lived a quiet, retiring life. She published a book of religious verse, Hymns and Sonnets, in 1880. During most of her active life she was a Unitarian, but in later life joined the Episcopal Church.

MUSIC. BALLERMA (misspelled Balerma in some editions of the Hymnary) is a very simple tune, the second pair of lines varying only slightly from the first pair. The origin of the tune is uncertain. It is thought to be an old Spanish melody, arranged by F. H. Barthélémon.

For comments on Barthélémon see [Hymn 2].

58. There’s a wideness in God’s mercy

F. W. Faber, 1814-63

The original of this poem has thirteen stanzas, the first of which reads:

Souls of men! why will ye scatter

Like a crowd of frightened sheep?

Foolish hearts! why will ye wander

From a love so true and deep?

The five stanzas selected for use here make an impressive and coherent hymn with no trace of the author’s strong Roman Catholic bias which characterizes nearly all of his hymns.

For comments on F. W. Faber see [Hymn 44].

MUSIC. WELLESLEY was written, by request, for the graduation hymn of the Newton (Mass.) high school class of which Miss Tourjee was then a member. The original tune had a slight fault in voice leading which was corrected, with her permission, by Dr. Hamilton C. Macdougall, then Professor of Music at Wellesley College.

Lizzie S. Tourjee, 1858-1913, was a student at Wellesley College during the year 1877-78. In 1883, she married Frank Estabrook. Her father, Dr. Eben Tourjee, encouraged her in the writing of the tune, and named it for the new college nearby where she became a student for one year.

59. Father Almighty, bless us with Thy blessing

Anonymous

A prayer of invocation seeking the blessing and guidance of Almighty God. The authorship is anonymous.

MUSIC. INTEGER VITAE (or FLEMMING) was composed by Flemming for a chorus of men’s voices. It was set to “Integer Vitae,” an ode by Horace. The tune became a great favorite with college men not only in this country but also in England and Germany. It was introduced as a hymn tune through the hymnals of Dr. Charles R. Robinson, Songs of the Sanctuary, and Laudes Domine, and has since been widely used and accepted as one of our most satisfactory hymn tunes. It is one of the favorite tunes in the Gesangbuch mit Noten where it is set to the words, “Ach mein Herr Jesu.”

The composer, Frederick Ferdinand Flemming, M. D., 1778-1813, received his training in medicine and was a successful practitioner in Berlin. He is known to posterity, however, as a composer of part songs for men’s choruses, and more particularly as the composer of this tune.

60. God moves in a mysterious way

William Cowper, 1731-1800

There is no basis, according to most hymnologists, for the story that this hymn was written after Cowper was mysteriously prevented from committing suicide by drowning. The hymn was published by John Newton in the Olney Hymns, 1779, and rapidly became popular. It is still found in nearly all the hymnals. Its original title was “Light shining out of darkness.” Its central thought is that God is working His sovereign will even in the mystery and perplexity of human life, bringing light, not after darkness, but out of darkness.

William Cowper, 1731-1800, was the greatest English poet of his age. He had been trained for the law and was called to the bar at the age of twenty-three but had to retire on account of ill health. He lost his mental balance and became deeply melancholic, a misfortune which is attributed to cruelty received at the hands of older and stronger lads while he attended preparatory school. After treatment in a private asylum, and living for a time in the home of Rev. Morley Unwin, he moved to Olney where his devoted friend, the Rev. John Newton was curate. Here he assisted Newton in his parochial and evangelistic work and collaborated with him in the production of what became known as the Olney Hymns. In spite of efforts at literary work, his depression of spirit returned and never left him, except for brief intervals, until his death in 1800.

MUSIC. DUNDEE (or FRENCH) is one of the twelve Common Tunes appearing in the Scottish Psalter, The CL Psalms of David &, Edinburgh, 1615, where it is named “French Tune.” Its first appearance in an English Psalter is in Ravencroft’s Whole Book of Psalms, 1621, where it is called “Dundy.” It is one of the best known of the psalm tunes and its smooth, flowing melody has enjoyed great popularity.

For comments on the Scottish Psalter see [Hymn 575].

61. O God, our help in ages past

Isaac Watts, 1674-1748

Based on Psalm 90:1-6: “Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations,” etc., this is Watt’s greatest hymn and one of the greatest in the English language. It is found in all English hymn books and has been translated into many languages. Its smoothness, simple dignity, and faithfulness to Scripture give it the marks of a true church hymn, and it has probably been chosen more than any other for use upon important occasions. It is an indispensable New Year’s hymn.

A press dispatch related how the hymn was used during the Second World War by a group of eleven doomed Norwegians as they faced a Nazi firing squad in the village of Selbu outside of Trondheim, Norway, for “general hostility” to German occupiers. “Despite the torture to which they had been subjected to earlier,” writes an eye-witness, “the group of prisoners, linked hand in hand, proudly and firmly faced their executioners. One of the men, Peter Morseth, who for years led the singing in the local church, read a short prayer and was joined by his companions in singing the hymn, ‘O God our help in ages past.’ Then the shots rang out.”

John Wesley printed the hymn in his Collection of Psalms and Hymns, 1734, altering the opening line from “Our God, our help,” to “O God, our help.”

For comments on Isaac Watts see [Hymn 11].

MUSIC. ST. ANNE appeared anonymously, in two parts—treble and bass—in A Supplement to the New Version of Psalms by Dr. Brady and Mr. Tate. ... the sixth edition, corrected and much enlarged, 1708, where it was set to Psalm 42. It is attributed upon good authority to William Croft, 1678-1727, who was interested in the production of the Tate and Brady New Version. Croft is one of the greatest names in English musical history.

For further comments on Croft, see [Hymn 6].

62. The Lord is my Shepherd

James Montgomery, 1771-1854

One of the fine metrical versions that have been made of the Twenty-third Psalm. It Is found in Montgomery’s Songs of Zion, being Imitations of Psalms, 1822. Another much-loved and widely used version of the same Psalm is that in the Scottish Psalter (See [579]).

James Montgomery, greatest of Moravian hymn writers, was born in Ayrshire, Scotland, near the birthplace of Robert Burns. His father became a minister in the Moravian Church and finally went as a missionary to the West Indies where both he and his wife died. After spending a part of his youth in precarious and doubtful ways of living, and failing in several business ventures, James became the editor of The Sheffield Register, a position he held with honor and distinction for thirty-one years. He was twice imprisoned for expressing liberal political views in his paper. He is classed by the literati as a minor English poet, but in the writing of hymns he ranks with Wesley, Watts, and Doddridge. Of his 400 hymns, 100 are still in use. Eleven of his hymns are found in the Hymnary, exceeded in number only by those of Hosmer, Wesley and Watts. All of Montgomery’s hymns show a marvelous knowledge of the Scriptures on the part of their author. He found in the Psalms an inexhaustible source of devotional material and made metrical versions of many of them.

MUSIC. POLAND. The tune is unique in the Hymnary in that the melody in the first three lines is found in the alto. To bring the melody out with sufficient clearness, the altos might well be reenforced by some sopranos, or men’s voices, or both.

Thomas Koschat, 1845-1914, was an Austrian composer and singer. While a student of natural science at Vienna University he sang in the Court Opera Chorus, and soon became its leader. In 1875, Koschat organized the Kärnthner Quintet which became famous for its singing of Carinthian folk songs. He is known for his harmonization of Carinthian melodies and original songs in their style, for which he wrote the texts.

63. Father and Friend, Thy light, thy love

John Bowring, 1792-1872

A hymn on the omnipresence of God who reigns as Lord of life and cares for His children.

For comments on John Bowring see [Hymn 55].

MUSIC. ILLA, a simple long-meter tune within easy compass of the voices, is by the American composer, Lowell Mason, 1792-1872, an exact contemporary of Bowring. Mason’s tunes were popular at first and then for a time they were frowned upon by some of the “highbrow” musicians but in late years are returning with new favor into the hymn books. Mason’s name appears 24 times in our collection.

For further comments on Mason see [Hymn 12].

64. Let us with a gladsome mind

John Milton, 1608-74

This delightful lyric is the result of John Milton’s paraphrasing of Psalm 136 when he was a boy of 15 years. The original has 26 stanzas. The Psalm tells the story of Israel’s history, ending each verse with the refrain, “For his mercy endureth forever.” The selections here are his renderings of verses 1, 2, 7, and 25. The closing stanza returns to verse 1.

John Milton, the poet, was born in London, the son of the John Milton, who had turned from the Roman Catholic Church to become a Protestant. The future poet went to Christ’s College, Cambridge, where he received his B.A. in 1628 and M.A. in 1632. His short poems and paraphrases were written at an early age and constitute some of his best work. The second period of his literary career was given almost entirely to writings on political subjects for he lived in the day of the controversies which led to Civil War and the establishment of the Commonwealth in England. Milton joined Oliver Cromwell as his secretary for foreign tongues to the Council of State, a position he held until the eve of the Restoration, when he barely escaped the scaffold. For years he had suffered from poor eyesight and became totally blind in his forty-fourth year. The third period of his life, after the Restoration of the Monarchy, was lived in close retirement. During this time he produced his greatest writings: Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained, and Samson Agonistes, all of them dictated to others. He ranks second only to Shakespeare among English poets. He translated 19 psalms into meter. Being the scholar’s rather than the people’s poet, he, however, had no great influence on hymnology. His version of Psalm 84 is found at [No. 592].

MUSIC. INNOCENTS appeared, anonymously, in the Parish Choir, 1850, a publication issued by members of the Oxford Movement in England who went by the name of “The Society for Promoting Church Music.” The “Society” laid down the following principles for singing:

1. Congregational singing should be in unison.

2. The melody should be clearly marked.

3. The compass should be within the natural limits of the human voice.

4. Metrical psalmody should be confined to tunes in common time, as being more simple and solemn than triple time.

After three years of precarious existence, 1846-49, the Parish Choir was discontinued. INNOCENTS appeared at the end of Volume III amongst a number of old psalm tunes, appointed to be sung to a hymn for Innocents Day, hence the name. Lightwood attributes the tune to Joseph Smith, born in 1800, near Birmingham, England. Smith was not a professional musician but very fond of music, an excellent singer, and composer of many hymn tunes and other pieces. The editor of the Parish Choir altered the original to the present form. It made its way into Hymns Ancient and Modern, 1861, and is now found in many modern hymn books.

JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD—HIS ADVENT

65. Hail to the Lord’s Anointed

James Montgomery, 1771-1854

A rendering of Psalm 72, made in 1821 for the Christmas worship of a Moravian settlement. The original has eight stanzas. Montgomery was greatly interested in missions and this hymn, generally esteemed his finest composition, is a good missionary hymn as well as a splendid one for the Advent season. Dr. Adam Clarke gave it wide publicity by publishing it in his famous Bible Commentary, 1822, at the end of his exposition of Psalm 72, adding this note:

I need not tell the intelligent reader that he has seized the spirit, and exhibited some of the principal beauties, of the Hebrew bard; though (to use his own words in a letter to me) his “hand trembled to touch the harp of Zion.” I take the liberty here to register a wish, which I have strongly expressed to himself, that he would favor the Church of God with a metrical version of the whole book.

It is interesting to compare this hymn with Isaac Watts’ rendering of the same psalm ([341]).

For comments on James Montgomery see [Hymn 62].

MUSIC. WEBB, also known as “Morning Light,” was composed for a secular song, “’Tis dawn, the lark is singing,” and first published in Odeon: A Collection of Secular Melodies, by G. J. Webb and Lowell Mason, 1837. It first appeared as a hymn tune in The Wesleyan Psalmist, 1842, and later it was used for the hymn “The morning Light is breaking,” in books by Mason and Webb.

The composer, George James Webb, 1803-87, a member of the Swedenborgian Church, was born near Salisbury, England; studied theology and music; came to the United States and became associated with Lowell Mason in editing and publishing music books. He was married to Mason’s daughter, Mary. He played the organ at Old South Church, Boston, and was Professor of Secular Music in the Boston Academy of Music.

66. Watchman, tell us of the night

John Bowring, 1792-1872

An Advent and missionary hymn, unique in that it consists of a dialog (between a watchman and a traveller). The hymn is based on Isaiah 21:11, 12: “Watchman, what of the night? watchman, what of the night? The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night: if ye will enquire, enquire ye: return, come.” The meaning of the passage is not evident from the context. Dr. C. S. Robinson describes the setting as follows:

The image it presents is singularly dramatic and picturesque. The scene is laid in the midst of the Babylonian Captivity. A lonely watchman is represented as standing on the ramparts of some tower along the defenses of the citadel. He seems to be anxiously looking for the issues of the siege leveled against it. The time is midnight. Calamity is over the land. The people are afflicted. Their enemies are pressing them hard. That solitary sentinel sadly remains at his post, peering into the unlit gloom, trying to discern signs of deliverance. But the heavens are starless, and the impenetrable clouds keep rolling on. Suddenly an unknown voice pierces the air. Whether in wailing sorrow or in bitter taunt, is not evident; but out of the stillness already grown oppressive breaks the question with repetitious pertinacity: “Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?” The sentinel waits through a moment of surprised meditation and then tranquilly answers: “The morning cometh and also the night; if ye will inquire, inquire ye: return, come.” Then the dialog lapses into silence again, and the night gathers its unbroken shadows deeper than ever.

For comments on John Bowring see [Hymn 55].

MUSIC. WATCHMAN is by Lowell Mason who wrote the tune in 1830 in 3-4 time. He intended it as a duet between soprano and tenor, with the congregation repeating the last line of each stanza (the reply of the watchman). The tune also lends itself well to antiphonal singing.

For comments on Mason see [Hymn 12].

67. O come, O come, Emmanuel

From the Latin, 12th Century

Stanza 1, Tr. John M. Neale, 1818-66

Stanzas 2, 3, Henry Sloan Coffin, 1877—

Veni, veni, Emmanuel

captivum solve Israel,

qui gemit in exilio,

privatus Dei Filio.

Gaude, gaude; Emmanuel

nascetur pro te, Israel.

The hymn comes from the Latin, being a translation of the first of the seven greater Antiphons (short anthems-verses) sung in the Roman Church at Vespers on the seven days before Christmas. The refrain, “Rejoice, rejoice,” etc., added to the hymn during the 13th century, is the answer to the longing for Christ expressed in each stanza.

The translation of Stanza 1 is by John M. Neale, 1818-66, a Cambridge scholar and the most noted hymnologist and liturgist of his time. He was a minister and author of books on biblical and historical subjects, but his fame rests chiefly on his translations of Greek and Latin hymns. The Hymnary contains ten of his works.

The second and third stanzas were translated in 1916 by Henry Sloan Coffin, eminent Presbyterian minister, formerly of the Madison Avenue Church in New York City, and then for many years president of Union Theological Seminary. He is a recognized leader in contemporary American church life.

MUSIC. VENI EMMANUEL, written in the first Gregorian mode, is an adaptation by Thomas Helmore, in 1856, of a melody said to have been found in a French manuscript in Lisbon, which has since disappeared. The original is believed to have been a 12th century “Kyrie.” The harmony in the minor mode gives the tune its quaint flavor. It should be sung with spirit, in keeping with the joyful anticipation embodied in the words. It is effective with men’s voices singing the first part in unison, then all the voices in harmony on the refrain. The tune also lends itself to interesting effects in antiphonal singing.

68. Veiled in darkness Judah lay

Douglas LeTell Rights, 1891—

Written in 1915, while World War I was raging in Europe and the clouds were gathering thick over the United States. The hymn is an appeal for the Spirit of Christ to bring peace and light to a troubled world. It was composed while the author, a Moravian, was a student at the Divinity School of Harvard University. It was the custom at that institution to have students of the School submit original compositions of hymns, one of which would be selected to be sung at the annual Christmas service of the school. This hymn was selected for the Christmas of 1915.

Douglas LeTell Rights, born in Winston-Salem, N. C., received his A. B. degree from the University of North Carolina and then prepared for the ministry at the Moravian Theological Seminary, Bethlehem, Pa., and at Harvard University. A member of the Moravian Church, anciently called the Unitas Fratrum, his first pastorate was at the First Moravian Church, Greensboro, N. C., 1916-18. In 1918-19, he was chaplain in the army in World War I. Since 1919, he has been pastor of Trinity Moravian Church, Winston-Salem, N. C. Rights is the author of A Voyage Down the Yadkin-Great Peedee River, 1928, and has written numerous articles on historical and archaeological subjects pertaining to his native state. His latest book is the American Indian in North Carolina.

MUSIC. EBELING. For comments on the composer of this tune, Johann Georg Ebeling, 1620-76, see [Hymn 555].

69. Come, Thou long-expected Jesus

Charles Wesley, 1707-88

A dignified, yet stirring Advent hymn, based on Haggai 2:7: “The desire of all nations shall come.” One of the first hymns of Wesley, it appeared in a small book of 24 pages. Hymns for the Nativity of our Lord, published in 1744. It is found in nearly all the modern hymn books in England and America.

For comments on Charles Wesley see [Hymn 6].

MUSIC. HYFRYDOL is a Welsh tune composed by Rowland Hugh Prichard, 1811-87, of Bala, Wales, who was active in the church as song leader, soloist, and composer of tunes. This tune is a composition of his youth, while he was still under twenty. It is characterized by its length, smoothness, and utter simplicity, the whole melody moving throughout, except for one note, within the compass of the fifth.

HIS BIRTH

70. Joy to the world! the Lord is come

Isaac Watts, 1674-1748

This hymn, which has such an important place in the yearly celebration of the Nativity, is a free rendering of the latter part of Psalm 98: “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.” Watts entitled it, “Messiah’s Coming and Kingdom.” His effort to put the New Testament gospel into the Psalm resulted in a great hymn of the Advent and Nativity, though his free rendering nearly lost sight of the Psalm itself. He feels all nature thrilling with joy at the Saviour’s birth.

For comments on Isaac Watts see [Hymn 11].

MUSIC. ANTIOCH is an arrangement, credited by some authorities to Lowell Mason, from Handel’s Messiah. The opening phrase resembles the first bar of the chorus, “Lift up your heads,” and the four measures set to “and heaven and nature sing” are reminiscent of the introduction to the tenor recitative, “Comfort ye my people.” It is a stirring tune well fitted to the words. It may be sung antiphonally to good effect, the congregation singing lines 1 and 2 (1st score), the choir, lines 3 and 4 (2d and 3d scores), and both choir and congregation the refrain (last score).

71. Christians, awake! salute the happy morn

John Byrom, 1692-1763

From a longer poem of 48 lines, written about 1749, by Dr. John Byrom for his daughter Dolly who, when asked what she would like to have for a Christmas present, replied, “Please write me a poem.” On Christmas morning she found on her plate at the breakfast table a sheet of paper on which was written this poem, entitled, “Christmas Day. For Dolly.” It is based on Luke 2.

John Byrom was born in Manchester, England, graduated from Cambridge, studied medicine but gave up its practice in order to teach a system of shorthand he himself had invented, and which became the chief system of shorthand in his time. He was a friend of Charles and John Wesley and taught them shorthand, which Charles especially put to good use in dashing down hymns as they flashed into his mind. Byrom was a man of learning and piety and also was given to wit and humor. He coined the phrase “tweedledum and tweedledee” when the friends of Handel and Buononcini were debating the relative merits of the two composers:

Some say, compared to Buononcini

That Mynheer Handel is a ninny.

Others aver that he to Handel

Is scarcely fit to hold a candle.

Strange all this difference should be

Twixt tweedledum and tweedledee.

MUSIC. YORKSHIRE was composed by a musician and organist, John Wainwright, of whom little is known. He is remembered principally by this tune. Musically and emotionally, the tune is completely satisfactory and well deserves its great popularity. It has been a favorite among English speaking people for nearly a century.

72. Today be joy in every heart

Frederick L. Hosmer, 1840-1929

A hymn of Christmas peace.

The author, Frederic L. Hosmer, one of America’s foremost hymn writers, was born in Framingham, Mass., and died in Berkeley, Calif. He was educated at Harvard University and Divinity School and served as minister of Unitarian churches in Northboro, Mass., Quincy, Ill., Cleveland, O., St. Louis, Mo., and Berkeley, Calif. At least 35 of his hymns have come into more or less use in this country and in England. The Hymnary includes thirteen, a larger number than of any other writer except Wesley and Watts.

MUSIC. DORKING, an English folk tune of anonymous composition, as all folk tunes are, has characteristic grace of melody and strength of rhythm.

73-74. [While] shepherds watched their flocks

Nahum Tate, 1652-1715

This carol is the work of Nahum Tate, poet laureate and co-author with Nicholas Brady of the New Version of the psalms in meter, to which was added a supplement in 1770 containing this hymn. The quaint and picturesque paraphrase of Luke 2:9-11, closing with the doxology, was one of the few hymns permitted to be sung in the English churches along with the metrical psalms. It became very popular and has been translated into the Latin and nearly all the living languages. The words have been set to many tunes.

For comments on Nahum Tate, see [Hymn 18].

MUSIC. CHRISTMAS is an adaptation of a melody from Handel’s opera, Siroe. Geo. F. Handel was born in Prussia in 1685 (the same year as J. S. Bach) and died in 1759. He lived in England 50 years and became a naturalized English citizen. He wrote many forms of music but is chiefly known and loved for his oratorio, The Messiah.

MUSIC. ST. MARTIN’S (74), by William Tans’ur, is less joyful than “Christmas,” but the tune fits the words perfectly. Its quiet, mystic melody suggests the serenity of the Judean hillside where shepherds watched their flocks.

William Tans’ur, 1706-85, was the son of a laborer, whose name is spelled “Tanzer” in the church register. He became a teacher of psalmody, moved from town to town to conduct singing classes, and did much to improve psalm-singing in the Church of England. He published a number of books on music. An eccentric man, given to self-advertisement, he described his first volume The Harmony of Sion, 1734, as “The most curiosest Book that ever was published.”

75. It came upon a midnight clear

Edmund H. Sears, 1810-76

Published by the Christian Register in 1860, the hymn quickly attained wide popularity. Edmund H. Sears was minister of a Unitarian Church at Wayland, Mass. He wrote, “Though I was educated in the Unitarian denomination, I believe and preach the divinity of Christ.” A careful reading of the hymn reveals a fine social message. The author was writing at a time of extraordinary unrest throughout the world, caused in America by the passing of the Fugitive Slave Law, the great forty-niner gold rush to California, and in Europe by the aftermath of the revolution in France and Germany. In the stillness of the first Christmas night, the author finds a message of healing for our restlessness, and with Isaiah looks forward to a golden age when peace shall reign on earth. But when will that time come? The Civil War, tragic irony, followed in ten years! The hope, however, abides and is valid, for peace is in the ultimate plan of God.

MUSIC. CAROL was composed by Richard Storrs Willis, brother of the American poet, N. P. Willis. It is a graceful, popular tune, and is often set to “While shepherds watched their flock by night,” for which it is admirably adapted.

76. The first Noel the angel did say

Traditional

“Noel” is a French word which came to mean several things—a “song of the Birthday,” or “Christmas,” or “Carol.” A carol is a religious song telling the story of a place or person or event. It is less formal and solemn than an ordinary church hymn and was originally intended to be sung outside rather than within the church walls. The words and music of this carol are traditional, which means that no one knows who composed them or when. They are known to have existed as early as the 17th century. It is a very popular carol even though not quite true to the gospel account in verse 2, for it was the wise men, not the shepherds, that saw the star. Since most of the words have to do with the coming of the wise men, the carol is fully as suitable for Epiphany as for Christmas.

MUSIC. The tune THE FIRST NOEL is one of the best-known of all English carol airs, especially in the west of England.

77. The stars were silent and the hills

E. Royce

The poem was published in the Presbyterian about 1939. No specific information is at hand concerning the author. Bixel, composer of the music, is under the impression that E. Royce was a missionary to China who sent this poem to her church paper for publication.

MUSIC. SILENT was composed for this carol by James W. Bixel, who was born at Bluffton, Ohio, November 7, 1913. After graduating from Bluffton College, Bixel studied music in Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, where he received his Master of Music degree in composition. He taught music in the public schools of Mt. Gilead, Ohio, and then spent nearly four years in Civilian Public Service. In the fall of 1947 he became a teacher of harmony and piano in the music department of Bethel College. The tune, begun and completed in one evening, has the distinction of being the only one in the Hymnary composed by a Mennonite. Which leads one to observe that our hymns and tunes, like many other elements in our culture, are “ours” by appreciation and use rather than by invention or creation. It may be the future will find us less “practical” minded than heretofore and that poetic and musical gifts will yet come to fruition to make our contribution to the stream of hymns and tunes that have enriched the worship of the Visible Church of all places and ages.

78. What child is this

William C. Dix, 1837-98

One of numerous carols written by William Dix about 1865.

William Chatterton Dix was the son of a Bristol surgeon. He was educated for a business career and became the manager of a marine insurance company in Glasgow. He maintained, however, his literary interests and wrote the Life of Chatterton, the poet; a book of Pen Pictures of Popular English Preachers; and other works, including several volumes of devotional poetry. He had been ill in bed on Epiphany Day, and after reading the Gospel for the day, he wrote this hymn, finishing it by evening. It became very popular and is found in nearly all English hymnals. The accuracy of the second verse may be questioned—“To that lowly manger bed.” For it is not likely that the babe Jesus was still in the manger when the wise men appeared.

MUSIC. CHRIST THE KING, known in many hymnals as “Greensleeves,” is an old English melody of the 17th century, mentioned somewhere by Shakespeare. It is a joyous tune which may be sung as a solo, or with the sopranos singing the words of the stanzas, while the other parts hum the accompaniment, then all parts singing the refrain in harmony or in unison.

79. Come, all ye shepherds

Traditional

A shepherd carol from Bohemia.

The words and music are traditional.

MUSIC. The tune was arranged by Edward Shippen Barnes, b. 1887, American organist and composer who received his musical education at Yale and in Paris. He now lives at Santa Monica, California. His personal counsel was solicited and secured in the compilation and editing of the Hymnary.

80. O come, all ye faithful

Latin

Adeste, fideles,

Laeti triumphantes;

Venite, venite in Bethlehem;

Natum videte

Regem Angelorum:

Venite, adoremus Dominum.

Deum de Deo;

Lumen de Lumine,

Gestant puellae viscera

Deum Verum,

Genitum, non factum:

Venite, adoremus Dominum.

Ergo Qui natus

Die hodierna,

Iesu, Tibi sit gloria:

Patris Aeterni

Verbum Caro factum!

Venite, adoremus Dominum.

A priceless legacy from the Latin Church and one of the most popular of Christmas hymns. It has been translated into at least 125 languages. The origin of the text and tune is obscure. The original poem may have been German or French of the 17th or 18th century.

From the lengthy (and on the whole profitless) discussions of the possible origins of the hymn, it may be concluded that the hymn and tune came into use together, in the services of the Roman Church, during the first part of the 18th century; that they were circulated first in manuscript form and later appeared in print, the earliest known book containing them being a small volume, An Essay on the Church Plain Chant, published in London, 1782. Nothing definite can be stated as to the authors of either words or music.

The translation was made in 1841 by Frederick Oakeley, 1802-80, Church of England minister who later joined the Roman Catholics.

MUSIC. ADESTE FIDELES belongs by long association to this hymn, its name being derived from the first words of the Latin. It is also widely used with “How firm a foundation.” The present arrangement is credited to Vincent Novello, organist in the Portuguese Chapel in London about 1785.

81. Angels from the realms of glory

James Montgomery, 1771-1854

A graceful lyric presenting to the imagination a series of pictures—the Angels, the Shepherds, the Wise Men, and the Saints who like Simeon and Anna, were waiting for the consolation of Israel. The fourth verse is reminiscent of the prophetic words of Malachi: “The Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant whom ye delight in: behold he shall come, saith the Lord of Hosts” (3:1).

It is widely used for the Christmas season.

For comments on James Montgomery see [Hymn 62].

MUSIC. REGENT SQUARE is a jubilant, vigorous tune, composed for the English Presbyterian Hymnal of 1867 in which it was set to Bonar’s hymn, “Glory be to God the Father.”

The composer, Henry Smart, 1813-79, studied law for four years and then decided to become a musician. Though he had little formal musical training, he became a great organist, composer, and conductor. He became totally blind by 1865, but, being a capable improviser, and possessing a keen memory, he was able to continue as an organist. He did much for the cause of good music in the church.

For further comments on Smart see [Hymn 46].

82. Angels we have heard on high

Bishop Chadwick

A popular carol of French origin, sung first in England by the Westminster Abbey Choir and for that reason it is sometimes called the “Westminster Carol.”

No information has been traced concerning Bishop Chadwick.

MUSIC. GLORIA is a traditional melody of anonymous composition. The tune has been variously harmonized. This version is found in the St. Basil’s Hymnal, compiled by the Basilian Fathers, and published in Chicago, 1918 (Revised Ed.).

83. Silent night, holy night

Joseph Mohr, 1792-1848

The most loved and most widely used of all Christmas carols.

It was composed December 24, 1818, by Joseph Mohr, 1792-1848, assistant Catholic priest in an obscure German village, Oberndorf, near Salzburg, Austria. At a Christmas celebration in the schoolhouse Mohr withdrew for a time, then returned with a folded sheet of paper on which this carol was written. He handed it to his friend, Franz Gruber, 1787-1863, schoolmaster, song writer, and organist, as a Christmas gift. Gruber composed the tune for it the same evening. The author and composer sang it together, the latter accompanying on the guitar, and a choir of girls from the village joining in the melody. The hymn and the tune became immensely popular in Germany and Austria even before they appeared in print, through their use by wandering Tyrolese singers. Today the carol is sung in all Christian lands. It was a favorite of the great opera singer Madame Ernestine Schumann-Heink, and she sang it on many of her concert appearances.

MUSIC. STILLE NACHT. In keeping with German custom, the tune is named after the first line of the hymn for which it was written.

A plaque in the schoolhouse at Oberndorf bears the following inscription:

Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht!

Wer hat dich, O Lied, gemacht?

Mohr hat dich so schoen erdacht,

Gruber zu Gehoer gebracht,

Priester und Lehrer vereint.

84. O little town of Bethlehem

Phillips Brooks, 1835-93

This carol was written for children, but it has become popular everywhere with adults as well.

Phillips Brooks, one of America’s greatest preachers, grew up in a musical home where memorizing and reciting of hymns was a part of the children’s education. By the time he was ready for college he had committed over 200 hymns to memory. He graduated from Harvard and from the Episcopal Theological Seminary, Alexandria, Virginia, and served as rector at the Church of the Advent, Philadelphia, and at Trinity Church, Boston, where his preaching powers came to full and fruitful fruition. In 1891, he became Bishop of Massachusetts. While in Philadelphia, he was given a year’s leave of absence to travel in Europe and the Near East. In Christmas Week in 1865, he rode on horseback from Jerusalem to Bethlehem. The view of the little town is thought to have inspired this hymn which he wrote several years later for the Christmas service of the Sunday school in his church.

MUSIC. ST. LOUIS. Brooks asked his church organist, Lewis Redner, who was also Sunday school superintendent, to set the carol to music. This was done in great haste on the Saturday night before Christmas, 1868. The words and tune, printed on leaflets, were sung by six teachers and 36 Sunday school children, and then practically forgotten until 1892 when they were published in the Hymnal of the Episcopal Church. The hymn has become popular since, not only in America but also in England. The tune generally used in England, however, is not “St. Louis,” but “Forest Green.” (See [290].)

85. Hark the herald angels sing

Charles Wesley, 1707-88

One of the most popular English hymns. Julian listed four hymns as standing at the head of all in the English language: “When I survey” (105-6), “Rock of Ages” ([148]), “Awake my soul” ([25]), and this one.

It is taken from Wesley’s Hymns and Sacred Poems, 1739. The original had 10 four-line stanzas and no refrain. The hymn has been altered in various ways and improved. For example, the lines,

With the angelic host proclaim,

Christ is born in Bethlehem,

originally read

Universal nature say

Christ the Lord is born today.

And for our familiar first lines,

Hark! the herald angels sing!

Glory to the new-born King,

Wesley had

Hark! how all the welkin rings,

Glory to the King of Kings.

These, and other changes, disprove the common assertion that hymns should always be sung just as the authors left them. As a rule, however, it still remains true that “the professional hymn mender is an odious creature.”

For comments on Charles Wesley see [Hymn 6].

MUSIC. MENDELSSOHN, also called “Bethlehem” and “St. Vincent,” is from Mendelssohn’s Festgesang for Male Chorus and Orchestra, composed in 1840 to celebrate the invention of printing. The tune is adapted from chorus No. 2 of that work. Dr. W. H. Cummings, organist at Waltham Abbey, set the tune to the words of this hymn and had it sung by the Abbey Choir. It was so well received that he published it in 1856 and it has since found its way into the hymn books of all denominations.

It is interesting to note Mendelssohn’s own estimate of the tune, as he expressed it in a letter to his English publishers.

I am sure that piece will be liked very much by the singers and hearers, but it will never do to sacred words. There must be a national and merry subject found out, something to which the soldier-like and buxom motion of the piece has some relation, and the words must express something gay and popular as the music tries to do.

86. O holy night

The night of the Saviour’s birth is the subject of Christmas carols in every land, of which this and “Silent Night” are outstanding examples. The words are anonymous.

The omitted third stanza reads as follows:

Truly He taught us to love one another;

His law is love and His gospel is peace.

Chains shall he break for the slave is our brother,

And in His name all oppression shall cease.

Sweet hymn of joy in grateful chorus raise we,

Let all within us praise His holy name;

Christ is the Lord, Oh, praise His name forever!

His power and glory evermore proclaim.

His power and glory evermore proclaim.

MUSIC. The tune, HOLY NIGHT, is by Adolphe Adam, 1803-56, distinguished French composer of comic operas and teacher of composition. He became a professor in the Conservatory of Music in Paris in 1849.

HIS EPIPHANY

87. What star is this

C. Coffin, 1676-1749

A Latin hymn, Quae stella sole pulchrior, was included in the Paris Breviary, 1736, and, again, in Coffin’s Hymni Sacri, 1736. Charles Coffin, rector of the University of Paris, wrote a large number of hymns, “not so much,” he says, “to gratify the poetic Spirit as to achieve elegance and piety.”

The translation is by John Chandler, 1806-76, in his Hymns of the Primitive Church, 1837. Chandler was educated at Oxford and became a minister in the Church of England. Besides making a collection of hymns, he is the author of several biographies and volumes of devotional literature. His translation of this hymn has passed into many English hymn books but invariably with some alterations.

MUSIC. PUER NOBIS is an arrangement of a German folk tune published by the German composer, Michael Praetorius, 1571-1621, which he wrote in 1609. It was harmonized in 1904 by G. R. Woodward, an English musician. It is a spirited tune and should be sung briskly and merrily.

88. Bethlehem, of noblest cities

Prudentius, 348-c. 413

Tr. E. Caswall, 1814-78

Based on Matt. 2:6: “And thou, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, art not the least among the princes of Judah: for out of thee shall come a governor, that shall rule my people Israel,” and the story of the three wise men bringing their gifts to Jesus.

The author, Prudentius, 348-c. 413, a Spaniard, was one of the best and most prolific of early Latin Christian poets. He received legal training and served as lawyer and judge in several cities. At the age of 57 he entered a monastery and for the rest of his life was a writer of poetry in defense of and in praise of the Christian faith. He is regarded by some as the first really great Christian poet and was widely read in Europe throughout the Middle Ages, Erasmus being one of his admirers.

The translation is by Edward Caswall who shortly before had left the Church of England to become a priest in the Roman Catholic Church. Caswall was a Latin scholar and did much translating of Latin hymns. For further comments on Caswall see [Hymn 19].

MUSIC. STUTTGART is adapted from a melody by Christian F. Witt in his Psalmodia Sacra, published in Gotha, 1715, where it is set to the hymn, “Sollt es gleich bisweilen scheinen.” It is a stately, straightforward tune of simple, rhythmic pattern and is singable by any average congregation.

Christian F. Witt, 1660-1716, was a court organist and later Kapellmeister at Gotha. He composed a number of hymn tunes.

89. From the eastern mountains

Godfrey Thring, 1823-1903

Based on Matt. 2:2: “We have seen his star in the east and are come to worship Him.” Its reference to the guiding star and its missionary emphasis fit it ideally for the Epiphany season, but the hymn may be used appropriately on more general occasions.

Godfrey Thring was educated at Shrewsbury and Balliol College, Oxford, and held various positions as minister in the Church of England. In 1859, he succeeded his father as rector of Alford-with-Hornblotton and in 1876, became prebendary of East Harptree in Wells Cathedral. He published various hymn books of a high literary standard.

MUSIC. PRINCETHORPE. This tune, by William Pitts, 1824-1903, was taken from The Hymnary of the United Church of Canada. No information is at hand concerning the composer or the origin of the tune.

90. We three kings of Orient are

John H. Hopkins, Jr., 1820-91

A popular carol giving the story of the wise men seeing the star and bringing gifts to the Christ child.

John Henry Hopkins, Jr., was born at Pittsburgh, Pa. His father was an Episcopalian minister who became the Bishop of Vermont. John was educated at the University of Vermont and later was minister at Williamsport, Pa. He is the author of several books of poems.

MUSIC. KINGS OF ORIENT was composed for this hymn by the author.

91. Brightest and best of the sons

Reginald Heber, 1783-1826

A lovely hymn of great beauty and simplicity of form and characterized by robust faith—“richer by far is the heart’s adoration.” It was written for the feast of Epiphany and was entitled, “Star of the East.” The hymn was first published in the Christian Observer, 1811.

Heber, a hymnist of the first order, ranking with Wesley and Watts, was governed by three ideas in his hymn writing: (1) the hymn is liturgical and should follow the church year; (2) the hymn should follow and supplement the sermon; (3) the hymn should be literary art.

For further comments on Reginald Heber see [Hymn 1].

MUSIC. BRIGHTEST AND BEST was composed by Rev. Joseph Francis Thrupp, 1827-67, fellow of Cambridge College and minister in the Church of England. He is the author of several books on Biblical subjects and wrote a number of hymns of merit, none of which have come into general use.

HIS LIFE AND MINISTRY

92. O sing a song of Bethlehem

Louis F. Benson, 1855-1930

Written as a Christmas carol but sings also of the later life of Jesus in Nazareth, Galilee, and at Calvary. It was contributed to The School Hymnal (Presbyterian), edited by Dr. Benson in 1899.

Louis Fitzgerald Benson was born in Philadelphia and educated for the bar. After seven years of practice, he gave up law to enter Princeton Theological Seminary and was ordained a Presbyterian minister. He became minister of the Church of the Redeemer, Germantown, Pa., but resigned his charge after six years, to begin his great work as editor of hymn books and writer and lecturer on hymnology. His book, The English Hymn, unfortunately out of print, has no rival as a source of accurate information about the development and use of English and American hymns. His Studies in Familiar Hymns (2 vols.) is unexcelled. For forty years Dr. Benson rendered outstanding service to all students of hymnology through his writings and lectures on the subject. He composed 32 original hymns and made 16 translations from the Latin which were published as Hymns, Original and Translated, Philadelphia, 1925, in which the present hymn appears.

MUSIC. BETHLEHEM, also called “Evangel,” was composed by Gottfried W. Fink, 1783-1846, German minister, musician, music critic, and editor, who was appointed in 1842 to a Professorship of Music at Leipzig. It is a joyful tune in popular style, especially suitable for large choruses or congregations.

93. O Master Workman of the race

Jay T. Stocking, 1870-1936

A hymn entitled, “The Carpenter of Nazareth,” written for young people while the author was watching some carpenters at work in an Adirondack Camp. It is one of a number of excellent modern hymns concerned with the earthly life of Jesus and connecting Him with our daily life and labor. Others are “O Master let me walk with Thee” ([223]), “Where cross the crowded ways” ([222]), and “O Son of Man, Thou madest known” ([373]).

Jay T. Stocking was educated at Amherst, Yale Divinity School, and at the University of Berlin. He was ordained in 1901, held a number of prominent pastorates in the Congregational Church, and was made moderator of the Congregational Council in 1934. He is the author of several books and was a member of the Commission on International Justice and Good Will of the Federal Council of Churches.

MUSIC. ST. MICHEL’S appeared in a collection of Psalms and Hymns, compiled by William Gawler, and published in London around 1784 to 1789, for use of the children of an orphan asylum at Lambeth. It was set to “Creator Spirit, by whose aid,” a long-meter hymn. Later the tune was changed to common meter double. It is also known by the names “St. Maria,” “Beulah,” and “Woolrich Common.” The composer of the tune is not known. The Hymnary of the United Church of Canada attributes it to Haydn. At No. 125 of the Hymnary it appears as “Jerusalem, Jerusalem,” where it is erroneously attributed, in the earlier editions, to Thomas Hastings—an error carried over from the Gesangbuch mit Noten. Hastings was born at about the same time the tune was already in print! It is possible, of course, that he made an arrangement of the tune, and thereby getting his name associated, inadvertently, with its composition.

Wm. Gawler, c. 1750-1809, was a London musician and music publisher. In 1785, while organist at the Lambeth “Asylum,” a home, the first of its kind in England, for fatherless girls, he published the book Psalms and Hymns, referred to, later adding a supplement. Gawler made other compilations of music books and also did some composing.

94. Ye fair green hills of Galilee

Eustace R. Conder, 1820-92

A fine hymn, setting forth obedience to duty and love to God and man as the marks of Christ’s followers. It was contributed by the author to the Congregational Church Hymnal, London, 1887.

Eustace Rogers Conder studied for the Congregational ministry in Birmingham and later graduated with high honors in philosophy at London University. For 17 years, he was minister of a Congregational Church at Poole, where he trained students for missionary work, besides attending to his regular duties as pastor. In 1873, he was elected chairman of the Congregational Union of England and Wales. He wrote several books, including Outlines of the Life of Christ and Sleepy Forest, a book of fairy tales for children.

MUSIC. STELLA is from an old English melody in 6-8 time which the children sang to “Sweet Mary, sweet Mary, my age is sixteen.” About 1850, it was arranged by Henri F. Hemy, 1818-88, English organist, for use in Catholic churches as an easy choir number. In 1875, the tune appeared (almost note for note as in the Hymnary) in the Appendix of St. Alban’s Tune Book, a book of pre-Reformation hymns set to plainsong melodies. The Appendix of the book is a treasure house of arrangements and adaptations of singable tunes from sacred and secular sources.

95. Thine arm, O Lord, in days of old

Edward H. Plumptre, 1821-91

A hymn on the healing ministry of Christ, written in 1864 for use in the Chapel of King’s College Hospital, London. Suitable for Hospital Day and other occasions.

Edward Hayes Plumptre, an English scholar and church man, was educated at King’s College, London, and at Oxford. He was minister in various churches (Anglican) and became Professor of New Testament Exegesis at King’s College. He wrote many excellent books, including the standard Life of Bishop Ken, and several volumes of poems. He was appointed a member of the Old Testament Company of Revisers of the Bible. This hymn was included in the 2d edition of his Lazarus, and other Poems, from which it made its way into the hymnals.

MUSIC. ST. MATTHEW, a psalm tune, appeared in the 6th ed. (1708) of A Supplement to the New Version of Psalms, by Tate and Brady, where it was set, in two parts, treble and bass, to Psalm 33. In slightly altered form, it became one of the great hymn tunes but is more popular in England than in America.

For comments on William Croft, 1678-1727, an important name in English church music, see [Hymn 6].

96. Who is he in yonder stall

Benj. R. Hanby, 1833-67

A hymn on the birth, ministry, passion, resurrection, and exaltation of Christ, the refrain answering the question asked in each stanza. It may be used effectively for antiphonal singing between choir and congregation.

The author, Benjamin Russel Hanby, was a minister in the United Brethren Church but was strongly inclined to music and decided to make that his life work. An interesting and talented man, he became associated with George F. Root in the publication of sacred and secular song books in Chicago. He was the author of a number of Sunday school songs and of “Darling Nellie Gray,” “Old Shady,” and other popular numbers. His untimely death ended his career almost before it was well begun. His father, the Rev. William Hanby, was a bishop in the church of the United Brethren in Christ and editor, for a number of years, of The Telescope, the church’s official paper published at Circleville, Ohio.

MUSIC. LOWLINESSS was composed by the author of the words.

97. Fairest Lord Jesus

Münster, 1677

Translated, c. 1850

Called the “Crusader’s Hymn,” but there is no foundation for the tradition that it was sung by the German knights of the 12th century on their way to Jerusalem. The text and tune are modern. The German text was published in Münster Gesangbuch, 1677 (Catholic). Our translation, the oldest English version, is by an unknown author, about 1850. A later translation, beginning “Beautiful Savior,” was made by J. A. Seiss in 1873. The original is as follows:

Schönster Herr Jesu,

Herrscher aller Herren,

Gottes und Mariä Sohn!

Dich will ich lieben,

Dich will ich ehren.

Meiner Seelen Freund’ und Kron’.

Schön leucht’t der Monden,

Schöner die Sonne

Als die Sternlein allzumal.

Jesus leucht’t schöner,

Jesus leucht’t reiner,

Als all die Engel im Himmelssaal.

Schön sind die Wälder,

Schöner die Felder

In der schönen Frühlingszeit.

Jesus ist schöner,

Jesus ist reiner,

Der unser traurigs Herz erfreut.

Alle die Schönheit

Himmels und der Erde

Ist nur gegen ihn als Schein.

Keiner soll nimmer

Lieber uns werden

Als er, der schönste Jesus mein!

MUSIC. CRUSADER’S HYMN, also known as Schönster Herr Jesu, appeared in a book of Silesian folk songs, Schlesische Volkslieder, Leipzig, 1842. The hymn with this tune was first published in America in Church Carols and Choir Studies by the American composer Richard Storrs Willis, 1850. F. Melius Christiansen, director of the St. Olaf Choir, has arranged an exquisite anthem on this melody with the words “Beautiful Savior.”

It is a useful and charming melody. Its popularity in Germany ranks with Paul Gerhardt’s “Befiehl du deine Wege.”

98. Not always on the mount

Frederick L. Hosmer, 1840-1929

Based on the story of the transfiguration in Matthew 17, the lesson enforced by the hymn is that the mount is necessary for vision; we cannot abide there, yet our work in the valley will be nobler for the pattern shown us on the mount.

For comments on Frederick L. Hosmer see [Hymn 72].

The hymn, written in 1882, was first published in Unity, Chicago, April 1, 1884. A year later it was included, in revised form, in the author’s first series of The Thought of God.

MUSIC. TRANSYLVANIA is from a 16th century Hungarian chorale, arranged by Robert L. Sanders, F. A. A. R., Chicago, for Hymns of the Spirit, Beacon Press, 1938.

99. I know not how that Bethlehem’s Babe

Harry W. Farrington, 1880-1931

A Christmas song written in 1910, while the author was a graduate student at Harvard University. It was awarded the prize which had been offered for the best Christmas hymn written by a student. Though simple and unpretentious, Professor George Herbert Palmer declared it “a perfect poem.” The few lines encompass a vast body of Christian truth.

The author, Harry W. Farrington, 1880-1931 (date of death printed erroneously as 1911 in earlier editions of the Hymnary), was educated at Harvard and then became a Methodist minister. He was greatly interested in work among children and inaugurated the Week Day Church School at Gary, Ind., in 1914. After returning from service in World War I, he became widely known as a speaker for children and it is estimated that he addressed more than two million children in the public schools of America. He is the author of several volumes of poems and has written books on Franklin, Washington, Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt.

MUSIC. ES IST EIN BORN, also named “I Do Believe,” and “Camp-meeting,” is an early American camp-meeting chorus sung to:

I do believe, I now believe,

I can hold out no more;

I sink by dying love compelled

And own Thee Conqueror.

It is used in the Gesangbuch mit Noten to the words “Es ist ein Born, d’raus heil’ges Blut.”

HIS TRIUMPHAL ENTRY

100. All glory laud and honor

St. Theodulph of Orleans, c. 820

Tr. John M. Neale, 1854

From a long Latin hymn of 39 couplets, based on Psalm 24:7-10; Psalm 118:25-26; Matthew 21:1-17; and Luke 19:37-38.

Gloria, laus et honor tibi sit, rex, Christe, redemptor,

cui puerile decus prompsit hosanna pium.

Israel tu rex, Davidis et inclyta proles,

nomine qui in Domini, rex benedicte, venis.

Coetus in excelsis te laudat caelicus omnis

et mortalis homo, cuncta creata simul.

Plebs Hebraea tibi cum palmis obvia venit;

cum prece, voto, hymnis adsumus ecce tibi.

Hi tibi passuro solvebant munia laudis;

nos tibi regnanti pangimus ecce melos.

Hi placuere tibi; placeat devotio nostra,

rex pie, rex clemens, cui bona cuncta placent. Amen.

The hymn was used as the processional in the Palm Sunday service of the medieval church.

St. Theodulph of Orleans composed the words about A.D. 820. He was probably born in Italy, though neither the date nor place of his birth are definitely known. Theodulph became the abbot of a monastery in Florence but was later brought to France and made bishop of Orleans. Emperor Louis the Pious imprisoned him on a false charge of conspiracy in 818. There is a legend, but only a legend, that this hymn was composed during the author’s confinement, and that St. Theodulph sang it at the window of his cell as the King passed the prison on the way to church and that the latter was so moved by it that he ordered the release of Theodulph and his restoration to his office as bishop.

The translation was made by the learned John M. Neale (See [67]) who wrote that “another verse was usually sung, until the 17th century, at the pious quaintness of which we can scarcely avoid a smile:

“Be thou, O Lord, the rider,

And we the little ass;

That to God’s holy city

Together we may pass.”

MUSIC. ST. THEODULPH was composed by Melchior Teschner (c. 1615), a Lutheran pastor and musician. It was originally sung to the German chorale, Valet will ich dir geben (“Farewell, I gladly bid thee”), a hymn for the dying. That the same tune is used to carry a cheerful, festive hymn, as well as a hymn for the dying, illustrates the plasticity of hymn tunes. Bach used the tune in his St. John’s Passion, and it is also associated with Gerhardt’s “Wie soll ich dich empfangen.” It is widely used as a Palm Sunday processional with St. Theodulph’s words. The refrain may be sung by the congregation, answering to the verses sung by the choir. Processional hymns were almost invariably sung that way in the medieval church and Canon Douglass suggests that “we should put this plan into far wider practice if we really desire to improve our congregational singing.”

101. Ride on, ride on in majesty

Henry H. Milman, 1791-1868

A popular Palm Sunday hymn and incidentally one of the finest poems in our hymn books. It was written by Henry H. Milman at the age of 30, the year he was elected Professor of Poetry at Oxford University—1821.

Henry H. Milman was born in London, the son of Sir Francis Milman, physician to the King. After a brilliant career at Oxford, he was ordained at 25, appointed Professor of Poetry at Oxford at 30. Later he became canon of Westminster and finally dean of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, which high office he filled with distinction. He is the author of thirteen hymns. Milman was interested, too, in drama and wrote several plays and translated Greek plays. He is best known, however, as a historian, having published The History of the Jews in 1829, and the History of Latin Christianity in 1855, both of them classics.

MUSIC. ST. DROSTANE was written for the words “Ride on, ride on” for the Congregational Hymn and Tune Book, London, 1862. It has since come into wide use with this hymn. Other tunes also used with this text are “Winchester New” ([369]) and “Park Street” ([272]).

For comments on the composer, J. B. Dykes, see [Hymn 1].

HIS PASSION

102. When my love to God grows weak

John R. Wreford, 1800-81

A useful hymn, true to the Gospel record, and free from the emotional morbidity that is found in many passion hymns.

John Wreford, an Englishman trained for the Unitarian ministry, was compelled to give up his ministry on account of a failing voice. He then opened a school at Edgbaston. The later years of his life were spent in retirement at Bristol. The original of this hymn written in 1837, received little notice until it was rewritten and improved by Samuel Longfellow, brother of the more famous Henry Wadsworth. In this revised form it has been included in a number of the best English hymnals.

MUSIC. ORIENTIS PARTIBUS, the so-called “Donkey Festival Tune,” has a most peculiar origin. During the Middle Ages, the church in some parts of France celebrated January 14 as the “Feast of the Ass,” to commemorate the flight into Egypt. A beautiful young woman holding a child in her arms rode a donkey through the streets of the town and then into the principal church. The donkey, with its burden, stood beside the high altar while mass was celebrated, during which the hymn beginning with the line “Orientis partibus adventatis asinus” was sung. The melody of this hymn is the basis for our tune which was adapted by Richard Redhead and published in his Church Hymn Tunes, 1853. The original was the work of Pierre De Corbeil, Archbishop of Sens, who died in 1222. It is a virile tune worthy of its increasing place in modern hymn books.

For Richard Redhead see [Hymn 109].

103. ’Tis midnight and on Olive’s brow

William Bingham Tappan, 1794-1849

A midnight hymn, depicting the darkness and sadness of Gethsemane. It is often sung at communion services held on Thursday evening before Good Friday.

William Bingham Tappan, a clock maker, was an influential leader in Sunday school work in the Congregational Church in America. In early manhood he taught school in Philadelphia, and then from 1826 until his death he was in the employ of the American Sunday School Union as manager and superintendent at Philadelphia, Cincinnati, and Boston. He wrote and published eight or ten volumes of poetry of no special significance.

MUSIC. OLIVET’S BROW was composed for this hymn and was first published in The Shawm, 1853, by Bradbury and Root.

William Batchelder Bradbury, 1816-68, was born in York, Maine. After many struggles, due to poverty, he learned music from Lowell Mason and G. J. Webb and began conducting singing classes. He did outstanding work in New York City in teaching music to children. His Juvenile Music Festivals at the Baptist Tabernacle became an important feature of New York’s musical life and gave a powerful stimulus to the introduction of music into the public schools. In 1847, he went abroad for further study in music. Upon returning to America, he became associated with Geo. F. Root, Thos. Hastings, and Lowell Mason in musical Normal Institute work. The group collaborated in the production of a new type of church music, known as gospel songs, which swept the country during the revivalistic work of Moody and Sankey.

104. There is a green hill far away

Mrs. Cecil Frances Alexander, 1823-95

A popular hymn on the atonement, written for children but appropriated for general use with all ages. It was first published in the author’s Hymns for Little Children, 1848, her most famous book which ran into 100 editions. The accuracy of the first line may well be questioned for the Gospels do not state that Jesus was crucified on a hill, only that it was a place called “the skull” (Lk. 23:33). In any case, the sun-baked Judean hills are seldom green.

Cecil Frances Humphrey, daughter of Major John Humphrey, was a native of Ireland. Her father was an Englishman who, as a landowner and government agent, went to reside in Ireland. In 1850, she married the Rev. Wm. Alexander who, after spending many years in obscure parish work, was elected Archbishop of Armagh and later Primate of all Ireland. Mrs. Alexander was preëminently a writer for little children, her verses being characterized by simplicity and tenderness and poetic beauty; but she also contributed some notable church songs, e.g., “Jesus calls us o’er the tumult” ([140]).

To make the truths of the church catechism interesting and intelligible to little children, Mrs. Alexander wrote a series of poems to illustrate the Apostle’s Creed. This hymn is on the clause “suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried.” “All things bright and beautiful” ([410]) was written for the first clause, “I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.” For the second clause, “And in Jesus Christ His Son, born of the virgin Mary” she wrote “Once in royal David’s city” ([412]).