657 Love Divine All Loves Excelling

The words for this hymn were written by one of the most prolific author of hymn texts in the English language, Charles Wesley.  Charles was the author of no less than 6,00 hymns.  As such, it would seem that he never made it out of his study.  However, for most of his life, he was actually a traveling preacher--traveling on horseback, that is.  He scribbled hymn texts in shorthand and kept them on small cards he carried in his pocket. When he arrived at the inn where he was spending the night, he would rush in, ask for pen and ink, and he wrote the hymns he had composed during the day's travels.

At one point after a horse had thrown him, he wrote in his journal, "My companion thought I had broken my neck; but my leg was only bruised, my hand sprained, and my head stunned, which spoiled my making hymns till the next day."

Even though Charles had been a classical scholar at Oxford, his hymn texts revealed no allusions to the classics.  This particular text follows the meter of John Dryden's "King Arthur" but between Charles and Samuel Wesley, they have bequeathed to us many great hymn tunes and texts.

In today's hymnals, this text is set to two different tunes:  Beecher written by John Zundel and to Hyfrydol written by the Welsh composer, Rowland Hugh Prichard. In England, this hymn text is also sung to the tune, Blaenwern.  This combination was used at the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

In looking for an appropriate YouTube video, I was overwhelmed by the choices of settings of Hyfrydol including: a beautiful vocal solo arrangement sung by Katherine Jenkins.  There were also several organ soloists as well as organ-accompanied congregational singing.  There was also an amazing trumpet and piano duet by Masanz and Maketru.  There was an arrangement on small bagpipes played by a fellow named Piper Steven.  There are arrangements for hammered dulcimer, for classical guitar by Jeffry Teeler and a piano and violin duet by Duncan/Cummings. There was a six chime English tower bells at Marton, England,.  There were handbells and solo harp arrangements.  That comprised two pages of 7 pages of arrangements. This is an arrangement recorded in the National Cathedral in Washington, DC

The one I ultimately love the best is an arrangement of the Welsh tune, Blaenwern sung by the Wells Cathedral Choir.  Turn up the volume, enjoy it and allow the voices of the men and boys' choir wash over you.

450 All Hail the Power of Jesus Name

This hymn is often called "The National Anthem of Christendom." The hymn first appeared in 1779  in an issue of the Gospel Magazine, edited by Augustus Toplady (who authored "Rock of Ages").  This text, written by Edward Perronet, has been translated into almost every language.  Perronet was a descendant of a distinguished French Hugenot family who had fled to Switzerland and subsequently to england because of religious persecution in France. Edwards was sympathetic to the evangelical movement of the Wesleys and George Whitefield in the 1740s and 1750s.

Though Perronet wrote many other hymns and other forms of poetry, most of which he published anonymously, this is the only work that remains. The success of the text was certainly augmented through two fine hymns: in America "Coronation" and in England "Miles Lane."

	Oliver Holden, 1765-1844, the composer,  was one of the pioneers of American psalmody, was born in 1765, and was brought up as a carpenter. Subsequently he became a teacher and music-seller. He died at Charlestown, Massachusetts, 1844. His published works are American Harmony, 1793; the Worcester Collection, 1797; and other Tune books. One of his most popular tunes is "Coronation." It is thought that he edited a small hymn-book, published at Boston before 1808, in which are 21 of his hymns with the signature "H."
	This musical version is from a 1958 crusade.

 

Many interesting stories have been associated with this text. One of the more remarkable stories surrounds E.P. Scott. a missionary to India.  He saw an unusual-looking tribesman on the street, and he asked where the man came from.  He was told that the man was from a mountain tribe and came only once a year to the major city to trade.  The missionary discovered that the gospel had never been taken to that tribe.

After praying about it, Scott packed up his bags and his violin and started moving towards the mountain village.  When Scott told other missionaries about his decision, they told him, "We will never see you again.  It is madness for you to go."  He went anyway and after two days of traveling, he found himself in the mountains.  Suddenly he was surrounded by spear-carrying tribesmen, and every spear was pointed at him.

Not knowing what else to do, Scott got out his violin, closed his eyes and started playing and singing "All Hail the Power of Jesus Name," including the verse, "Let ev'ry kindred, ev'ry tribe/On this terrestrial ball,/To Him all majesty ascribe,/And crown Him Lord of all,/And crown Him Lord of all."   When he opened his eyes, he realized all the tribesmen had not only put their spears down, but they had tears in their eyes.  Scott remained in the village and ministered to the villagers for the next two-and-a-half years telling them about Jesus and His love for them.  When Scott had to leave them because of his health, the tribes-people escorted him 40 miles to where he was able to get transportation out of the area.

561 Stand Up Stand Up for Jesus

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.

400 All Creatures of Our God and King

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.  

383 Fairest Lord Jesus

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.

680 O God Our Help in Ages Past

This hymn, which is a paraphrase of Psalm 90 by the great English hymn writer, Isaac Watts, is considered one of the grandest in the whole realm of English hymnody.  Originally consisting of 9 stanzas, it is a grand commentary on the whole subject of time.  Often this hymn is uses on the occasion of the first or last Sunday of the year as well as other festive occasions such as retirement.  The hymn was first published in Isaac Watts' 1719 publication The Psalms of David Imitated in the Language of the New Testament. In this hymnal he paraphrased the entire psalter (with the exception or 12 psalms that he considered 'unsuited'). This hymn possibly represents the finest of all 600+ hymns he wrote.  This hymn is still used at all festive occasion in England. Another of the favorite English hymns include the seasonal favorite, "Joy to the World" which was a paraphrase of hymn 98.  This was not originally written for Christmas but has become one of the most beloved Christmas carols associated with the holiday.

Watts is considered the father of English hymnody and he was concerned with the low ebb of music in the churches.  At his time the church only used ponderous hymn-psalms.  One day Watts' father challenged his son to write something better for congregational singing.  That began a 2-year process of writing a new hymn for congregational singing every week! Because of Watts' commitment  to use "hymns of human composure", he was considered a radical churchman in his day.

Watts was also a true scholar and literary genius whose writings included essays, discussions of psychology, three volumes of sermons and catechisms, twenty nine treatises on theology, textbooks on logic and a variety of other works. These works had a powerful impact upon the thinking of the late 17th and early 18th century. When he died in 1748, he was extended one of the highest honors for any Englishman by being interred in Westminster Abbey. 

A hymn text of this stature deserves an equally significant hymn tune.  The tune associated with this text was composed by William Croft in 1708.  Croft was a well-trained church musician, having earned his Doctorate in Music from Oxford University.  He was the organist at the Church of St. Anne in Soho, London, during the reign of Queen Anne.  It was quite common during his time for composers to name their newly composed tunes after where they lived or worked.

The evidence of the significance of this tune is borne out by the fact that it was used by master composers such as George Frederick Handel in an anthem entitled "O Praise the Lord. "  While Bach made use of it in his great Fugue in E-Flat Major, often called "St. Anne's Fugue."

107 Good Christian Men, Rejoice

This particular hymn could truly be identified as a folk song...and a very old one at that. In 1601, Bartholomaeus Gesius adapted a tune that he already knew of previously. He called the "new" tune, In Dulci Jubilo which literally means, " With Sweet Shouting." When Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) found the tune, he wrote and arrangement for the organ published in The Liturgical Year. John Stainer also wrote a choral arrangement.

The words come from Latin but very early on the Germans translated it and added some thoughts to the pre-existing words. Many other language groups have also translated and/or adapted it for their own usage. The great translator, John Neale Mason ("O Come O Come Emmanuel" and "Good King Wencelslas" among others) standardized the hymn in English.

As proof of the variety of versions of this favorite carol, it is reported that in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in 1745, a gathering of Moravian missionaries sang this carol to thirteen different European and native American languages. In the spirit of that variety, I am offering three different versions of the popular carol. Our Mens' Occasional Choir will be singing it as the opening song this coming Sunday.  Please come and enjoy them.  In the meantime, enjoy these different versions.

This first version is a choral arrangement accompanied by harpsichord while you can view the German words and their translation.

 

The second version is a traditional choir and organ accompaniment

The last version shows an instrumental rendition synchronized with Christmas lights.