It was the year 1854 and 29 year old Dudley Tyng, who had served as his father's assistant at the Episcopal Church of the Epiphany, in Philadelphia, was appointed as the new pastor. He became known as a bold, fearless and uncompromising preacher. The relationship became more tense as he began preaching on a regular basis against slavery. He was removed from his post in 1856 after which he and his followers organized the Church of the Covenant. He began preaching at a noon day Bible series at the local YMCA. On Tuesday, March 30, 1858, 5,000 men gathered for the regular preaching and by the end of it, more than 1,000 men had been converted. During that sermon, said to be one of the greatest of its time, Tyng said "I must tell my Master's errand and I would rather that this right arm were amputated at the trunk than that I should come short of my duty to you in delivering God's message." Ironically the next week he was viewing the operation of a corn thrasher in a barn. His hand moved too closely to the machinery and his loose sleeve and his right arm became ensnared in the cogs of the machinery. His arm was ripped from its socket, the main artery severed. The arm was severely lacerated, the main artery was severed and the median nerve was injured. Four days later an infection developed and due to shock and a loss of blood, he passed away on April 19, 1858. As he was dying, his father visited him. On his death bed, he whispered to his father, " Stand up for Jesus, father and tell my brethren of the ,ministry to stand up for Jesus." The minister from Philadelphia's Temple Presbyterian Church was deeply stirred and wrote a poem, based on Ephesians 6:14. The result is the 4 verse hymn (there were originally 6 verses) we have today that starts: Stand up, stand up for Jesus/Ye souldiers of the cross;/ Lift high his royal banner,/ it must not suffer loss. The editor of a Baptist periodical which gave it a wider circulation. From there it found its way into hymnals and hearts across America. The most familiar and popular tune was composed by George W. Webb. The tune was originally appeared in a secular song book with the title, "'Tis Dawn, the Lark is Singing," and was used in a show on board a ship crossing the Atlantic. There is a less familiar, though stirring tune, by Adam Giebel. The composer, was blind but became a skilled organist, conductor and prolific composer. He was known for his ability to arrange for male voices.
This
inspiring expression of praise was written in 1225 and appears in
nearly every modern hymnal. The author of this text, Giovanni
Bernardone, is one of the most interesting figures in all church
history. Better known as St. Francis of Assisi, he was a mystic,
medieval monk who spent his lifetime as an itinerant evangelist, helping
and preaching to the poor people of Italy. In our lifetime, this
humble monk has become the model and namesake for today's Pope Francis. There
are many strange incidents and legends associated with St. Francis.
There were encounters with the Lord including an occasion when Francis
was fasting for 40 days. The legend has it the Francis was left with a
reminder of the Lords suffering with marks on his hands, feet, and body,
commonly called stigmata. Another account concerned the time after his
death when his soul was being committed to the creator, a flock of larks
gather about his little hut and flew into the sky singing a beautiful
song in the still evening air. This text is from a book
of his writings, "Canticles of the Sun" which was written the year
before his death, when his eyesight had failed him.. Saint Francis made
much use of singing and believed strongly in the importance of church
music. He wrote more than 60 hymns for use in the monastery. This
beautiful expression of praise is one that has survived the passing of
almost 800 years. Saint
Francis is also well known as a great lover of nature and saw the hand
of God in all creation.He was widely credited with writing the famous
prayer, "Lord make me an instrument of Thy peace." As wonderful as that
legend is, we can't really confirm that the words came from earlier
than 1912. William Draper did the English translation for a children's choir festival sometime between 1899-1919. The tune Lasst uns erfreun
first appeared in a Romand Catholic hymnal im Cologne, Germany in
1623. After being forgotten for a time, the tune was revived and
combined with this text and first appeared in the English Hymnal published in London, England in 1906.. This YouTube version is a feast for the eyes as well as the ears and is sung by the Brigham Young University men's chours.
This origin of this hymn is from the Roman Catholic Jesuits in Germany and originally had 6 verses. It first appeared in 1677 in a Jesuit hymnbook titled Munster Gesangbuch, where it was published as "the first of three beautiful selected new hymns." but the text is probably actually at least 15 years older. The actual origin of the words still remain a mystery. One of the best-known accounts is that is was called the 'Crusaders Hymn' . Some think that this hymn was sung by the 12th century German Crusaders, especially by their children, as they made their long trek to the Holy Land. Another account that has more credence, is that it was one of the hymns used by singing followers of John Hus,beginning about 1400 by a small band of believers who settled in Silesia (now part of Poland) after they were driven out during the bloody anti-Reformation purge of 1620. The Hussites were expelled from Bohemia and once they moved to Silesia, they became weavers and cobblers, maintaining their faith in secret. They had a strong tradition of hymn singing and this hymn is generally said to be a folk song derived from those devout Silesian peasants. Later it is said that a man named Hoffman Fallersleben heard a group of Silesians singing the hymn in a service, recorded the words and music from the oral recitation, and published it in his Schlesische Volkslieder in 1842. An english translation appeared in 1850 with the subtitle, " sung by the German knights on the to Jerusalem." This explanation did much to popularize this Crusader account.
Richard Willis, the composer, also wrote "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear." Please enjoy the famed St. Olaf's Choir sing their signature piece--without accompaniment. This is a live recording and was on the occasion of graduation; students were joined by alumni.
