BOOK I Hymns for Worship and Praise (continued 2)

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 40 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.

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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—

The hymn comes from the Latin, being a translation of the first of the seven greater Antiphons (short anthems-verses) sung in the Roman 42 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 43 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 44 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:

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 45 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 46 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.

47

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

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 48 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 49 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:

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 50 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,

originally read

And for our familiar first lines,

Wesley had

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.

51

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:

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, 52 “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 53 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 54 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 55 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 56 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 57 J. A. Seiss in 1873. The original is as follows:

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 58 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:

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.

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 59 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:

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, 60 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. 61 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 62 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).

MUSIC. MEDITATION appeared in Original Tunes, 1890, by John H. Gower, where it is set to “There is a land of pure delight.” The tune has since become closely associated with Mrs. Alexander’s hymn for which it forms an appropriate setting.

John Henry Gower, 1855-1922, English organist and concert artist, became professor of music at Trent College, Nottingham. Later he came to America on account of mining interests in Colorado but maintained his activity in music. He served as organist and choirmaster of St. John’s Cathedral, Denver, and during the World’s Fair in Chicago, 1893, became organist of the Church of the Epiphany in that city.

105-106. When I survey the wondrous cross

Isaac Watts, 1674-1748

One of the twenty-five hymns prepared by Watts to be sung at the Lord’s Supper. Matthew Arnold, the famous literary critic, called it the “most majestic hymn in the English language.” It is one of four hymns which have been printed in more collections, translated into more tongues, and used in more congregations, than any other. The three hymns classed with this in popularity are “Rock of Ages,” “Jesus, Lover of my soul,” and “All hail the power of Jesus’ name.”

Watts gave this hymn the title “Crucifixion to the World by the Cross of Christ.” It is based on Galatians 6:14: “God forbid that I should glory save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified to me, and I unto the world.” In the first stanza there is a reference to Phil. 3:7: “Howbeit what things were gain to me, these have I counted loss for Christ.” The whole hymn, and especially the closing stanza, reflects the thought of Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ ... who loved me and gave himself for me.” The third stanza, a sublime picture of the suffering Saviour, should always be sung softly.

For comments on Isaac Watts, see Hymn 11.

MUSIC. ROCKINGHAM OLD is a famous tune always used with this hymn in England. It was named after the Marquis of Rockingham, a Whig statesman who was thrice prime minister of England, and a friend of the composer.

Edward Miller, 1731-1807, was born at Norwich, England, the son of 63 a stone mason. He was a man of great literary attainments and considerable musical ability. For 56 years he was organist of the parish church at Doncaster, receiving the appointment in 1751 and retaining the post until his death in 1807. Miller played the flute in Handel’s orchestra in London and had many a story to tell of the great composer’s eccentricities. Dissatisfied with the church music of his time, he was led to publish a book, Psalms of David, which turned out to be a great success. The book contained such tunes as “Burford” (228), “St. Magnes” (582), “St. Anne” (61), “Surrey” (44), and others of a similar style from the early part of the 18th century. It also contained some of his original tunes, including ROCKINGHAM OLD, destined to become one of the most popular English tunes ever written. This tune was not identified at first with any particular words. Miller had set it to 9 different psalms, using 3 keys—F, E flat, and E. It became associated with Watts’ “When I survey the wondrous cross,” in 1854, the combination appearing in Mercer’s Church Psalter, and again in 1861, in Hymns Ancient and Modern. The words and tune have now become inseparable in England.

HAMBURG (106), an arrangement by Lowell Mason from a Gregorian Chant, illustrates the greatness of simplicity. The tune employs only five tones of the scale and yet breathes the dignity and solemnity of the great hymn to which it is set.

For comments on Lowell Mason see Hymn 12.

107. Go to dark Gethsemane

James Montgomery, 1771-1854

A song of the sufferings and death of Christ.

Gethsemane, the Judgment Hall, and Calvary are successively brought to mind and at each stage there is found in the example of Christ a lesson for his disciples to learn.

The fourth verse in the original poem reads:

For comments on James Montgomery see Hymn 62.

MUSIC. GETHSEMANE is a dignified tune in the minor mode, well adapted to carry the words of this hymn. It was composed by Christopher Tye (c. 1508-72), a musician and minister in the Anglican Church, of whom a contemporary document says that he is “a doctor 64 of music but not skilful at preaching.” He has been called the “father of the anthem,” having given it a model for others to follow.

For comments on W. H. Monk, who adapted the tune, see Hymn 40.

108. Alas! and did my Savior bleed

Isaac Watts, 1674-1748

A fine hymn of consecration, published by Watts in his Hymns and Spiritual Songs, 1707, under the title “Godly Sorrow Arising from the Sufferings of Christ.” Dr. Charles S. Robinson states that “more conversions in Christian biography are credited to this hymn than to any other.” Fanny Crosby, the blind poet, ten of whose lyrics are found in the Hymnary, credits this hymn with a share in her conversion. In telling the story she says that during a revival in the old Thirtieth Street Church, New York, in 1850, several times she sought the Saviour at the altar; but not until one evening, November 20, did the light come. “After a prayer was offered they began to sing the good old consecration hymn, ‘Alas! and did my Saviour bleed,’ and when they had reached the third line of the fourth stanza, ‘Here, Lord, I give myself away,’ my very soul flooded with celestial light.”

For comments on Isaac Watts see Hymn 11.

MUSIC. MARTYRDOM. The original form of this melody is in common time (4/4). It appeared in triple time in R. A. Smith’s Sacred Music sung in St. George’s Church, Edinburgh, 1825, where it was designated “Old Scottish Melody.” In 1827, it appeared in The Seraph, Selection of Psalms and Hymns, edited by J. Robertson and published at Glasgow. In a footnote to the tune it is stated that “the above tune ‘Fennich,’ or ‘Martyrdom,’ and by some called ‘Drumclog,’ was composed by Hugh Wilson, a native of Fennick.” A legal dispute arose between Smith and Wilson over the ownership of the tune. The evidence was abundant to show that Wilson composed it. It is an effective tune. When it was first sung in St. George’s, Edinburgh, the minister, Dr. Thomson, said, “O man! I could not sing for weeping.”

Hugh Wilson, 1766-1824, the composer of the tune, learned his father’s trade of shoemaking, studied and taught mathematics, and made sun-dials as a hobby. He then held positions of responsibility in certain mills and afterwards became a draftsman. He was interested in Sunday school work and wrote a number of psalm tunes but MARTYRDOM is the only one found in modern hymnals.

109. Throned upon the awful tree

John Ellerton, 1826-93

A solemn dirge of the Passion, written in 1875 in the seclusion of a quiet rural parish and regarded as the author’s best composition. It appeared in Hymns Ancient and Modern, 1875.

For comments on John Ellerton see Hymn 43.

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MUSIC. REDHEAD NO. 76, also called “Petra,” and “Gethsemane,” was composed by Richard Redhead, 1820-1901, English chorister and organist, and proponent of the Oxford Movement (not to be confused with the modern Oxford movement headed by Buchman). The tune, without name, appeared in his Church Hymns and Tunes, Ancient and Modern, 1853, as No. 76. In England it has long been sung to the hymn “Rock of Ages, cleft for me.”

110. In the Cross of Christ I glory

John Bowring, 1792-1872

The most popular of John Bowring’s Hymns, published in 1825, and a classic among the hymns of the cross. It is based on Gal. 6:14: “But God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.” Bowring died on November 23, 1872, and the words, “In the cross of Christ I glory,” were placed on his tombstone.

It is remarkable that so great a hymn on the cross should be written by a Unitarian, a communion which denies the deity of Jesus and the evangelical doctrine of the atonement. Yet the hymn can be sung whole-heartedly by every evangelical Christian for it magnifies the cross and makes it the center of the Christian faith. Bowring, in spite of his Unitarian connection, was a devout, evangelical believer.

For further comments on John Bowring see Hymn 55.

MUSIC. RATHBUN was composed by Ithamar Conkey, 1815-67, an organist and prominent bass soloist who took part in many oratorio performances in New York City. The tune was composed one Sunday afternoon after the minister, Dr. Hiscox, of the Central Baptist Church, Norwich, Conn., had preached one of a series of sermons on the “Words of the Cross.” Conkey named the tune after the leading soprano in his choir, Mrs. Beriah S. Rathbun.

111. Cross of Jesus, Cross of sorrow

William J. Sparrow Simpson

From Stainer’s oratorio, The Crucifixion, where it appears as No. 4 under the title, “The Mystery of Divine Humiliation.” The original has 10 stanzas.

The libretto of The Crucifixion was written by Wm. J. Sparrow Simpson, Church of England clergyman. He was educated at Cambridge, ordained in 1882, and became chaplain of St. Mary’s Hospital, Great Alford. His theological works include the Catholic Conception of the Church and the History of the Anglo-Catholic Movement.

MUSIC. CROSS OF JESUS in Stainer’s Crucifixion is intended among other numbers in the oratorio, “to be sung by the congregation.” Its depth of feeling is best realized if sung in rather slow tempo.

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John Stainer, 1840-1901, began his career as a choir boy at St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, at the age of seven, continuing there for nine years. He early became acquainted with Arthur Sullivan and the two remained fast friends throughout life. Stainer became one of England’s greatest organists and succeeded Sir John Goss, at St. Paul’s Cathedral. He was one of the most prolific and best-loved of the Victorian composers. A bronze tablet, installed in his honor in St. Paul’s, was dedicated by a service in which parts of his cantatas were sung, and closed with his “sevenfold Amen” (623).

112. Beneath the Cross of Jesus

Elizabeth Cecilia Clephane, 1830-69

A hymn of Scottish origin, especially appropriate for use in Good Friday services, but it can also be used on more general occasions.

Elizabeth Cecilia Douglas Clephane, daughter of the Sheriff of Fife and Kinross, was born in Edinburgh. She was a member of the Free Church of Scotland. Her hymn, “There were ninety and nine,” became widely known through its use by Moody and Sankey in their famous evangelistic meetings.

The hymn, “Beneath the Cross of Jesus,” appeared in Scotland, three years after the death of Miss Clephane, in The Family Treasure, a home magazine, with this explanatory note by the editor:

These lines express the experiences, the hopes, and the longings of a young Christian lately released. Written on the very edge of this life, with the better land fully in view of faith, they seem to us footsteps printed on the sands of Time, where those sands touch the ocean of Eternity. These footprints of one whom the Good Shepherd led through the wilderness into rest, may, with God’s blessing, contribute to comfort and direct succeeding pilgrims.

MUSIC. ST. CHRISTOPHER was composed for this hymn by Frederick C. Maker, 1844-1927, an English organist and composer of numerous hymn tunes. Maker spent all his life in Bristol, England, thirty years of which were devoted to the position of organist at the Redland Park Congregational Church.

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HIS RESURRECTION

113. Come ye faithful, raise the strain

John of Damascus, c. 700

Tr. John M. Neale

A Greek hymn based on the Song of Moses, Exodus 15.

It was written by John of Damascus about the middle of the 8th century.

John of Damascus, Greek theologian and distinguished hymnist, as well as the greatest scholar and poet of his time, was born in Damascus of a prominent family, about A.D. 700. He was educated by an Italian monk named Cosmas, and retired to the monastery of St. Sabas in the Holy Land. He died between 754 and 787. He wrote a number of canons. A canon in Greek hymnology was a series of odes, usually eight or nine, threaded on an acrostic. This hymn is from his canon for the Sunday after Easter.

For comments on the translator, John M. Neale, see Hymn 67.

MUSIC. ST. KEVIN. The composer, Arthur Sullivan, 1842-1900, was born in London, the son of an Irish band-master. He received a thorough musical education in London and on the continent and became a famous choir leader, hymn book editor, conductor, and composer. In collaboration with W. S. Gilbert, he composed light operas for which he is best known.

114. Jesus Christ is ris’n today

Latin

Charles Wesley, 1707-88

This hymn, which Percy Dearmer called “the Easter hymn par excellence,” is based upon some Latin verses of an Easter carol of the 14th century, except verse 4, which is attributed to Charles Wesley. 68 It is of unknown authorship, appearing with the tune “Easter Hymn” in a now rare book, Lyra Davidica.

“Allelujah” is “Hallelujah” with the “H” omitted to soften it.

For comments on Wesley see Hymn 6.

MUSIC. EASTER HYMN, one of the most famous of all hymn tunes, is from Lyra Davidica, or a Collection of Divine Songs and Hymns, partly New Composed, partly Translated from the High German and Latin Hymns; and set to easy and pleasant Tunes, published in London, 1708. The composer is unknown. The hymn and tune were headed, “The Resurrection.”

115. The day of Resurrection

John of Damascus, c. 700

Tr. John M. Neale

Another resurrection hymn from the Eastern Church by John of Damascus. (See 113.) It is sung after midnight on Easter morning to set forth the fact of the resurrection. Julian describes the service in his Dictionary of Hymnology (p. 62). The people assemble in the church with unlighted tapers in their hands. While the priest chants in a half whisper, they await the signal that Easter Day has begun. A cannon is fired when the moment comes, the Cross is raised, and the people cry, “Christos anesti” (Christ is risen.) The tapers are lighted and the church is set ablaze with light. Outside there is the sound of drums and trumpets, the people embrace and congratulate each other, and salute one another with “Christos anesti.”

The reference in stanza 2 is to Matt. 28:9: “Jesus met them, saying, ‘All Hail!’”

For comments on the translator, John M. Neale, see Hymn 67.

MUSIC. LANCASHIRE, a thrilling tune of steady swing, was composed for “From Greenland’s icy mountains,” to be used at a missionary meeting at Blackburn, England. It is also, in some hymn books, used with “Lead on, O King Eternal” (399).

For comments on the composer, Henry Smart, 1813-79, see Hymn 46.

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116. The strife is o’er, the battle done

Latin

Tr. Francis Pott, 1832-1909

One of the most celebrated of Easter hymns. It comes from an anonymous medieval Latin poem which appeared in the Jesuit Symphonia Sirenum, Cologne, 1695.

The translation is by Francis Pott, an Englishman. He was educated at Oxford University and after serving a long number of years as curate and rector in various churches, he retired on account of increasing deafness. Pott published several volumes of hymns and wrote a book on the “Te Deum.” He was a member of the original committee which produced Hymns Ancient and Modern.

MUSIC. VICTORY, also called “Palestrina,” is an adaptation from the “Gloria Patri” of a work called, Magnificat Tertii Toni, 1591, by the eminent Italian composer, Giovanni Pierluigi Sante Da Palestrina, 1525-94.

The present arrangement was made by Wm. H. Monk for this hymn.

Palestrina, foremost composer of the Roman Catholic Church and supreme master of polyphonic music, was born at Palestrina, Italy, the son of a wealthy peasant, Pierluigi Sante. He was named “Da Palestrina” after his birthplace, a common custom in his time. He received his musical training at Rome where he came under the powerful influence of Orlando di Lasso, the great master from the Netherlands. Palestrina served as chapelmaster in his home town, master of the boys in the Julian Chapel in Rome, and in 1555 was appointed one of the pontifical singers in the Sistine Chapel but was dismissed a few months later when he became guilty of the “crime” of matrimony. He then became chapelmaster at St. John Lateran and later of the Liberian Chapel of Santa Maria Maggiore, during which time he became known as “the saviour of church music.” Many abuses had crept into the music of the church, particularly in the use of secular airs grafted on 70 stately church themes, and improvizations by the singers who sometimes departed from the solemn words of the service and substituted profane and lewd words in Italian and French. To correct this scandal, the Ecumenical Council of Trent, in 1552, asked Palestrina to prepare a mass free from the admixture of alien words and secular melodies, and suitable for church use. The result was the composition of three 6-part services, one of which, Missa Papae Marcelli, has been regarded as one of the most sublime creations of all music and the model of what church music should be. As a reward for this service, Palestrina was granted a stipend by papal decree which was not large but gave him a sufficient income. In 1571 he was re-elected to his old post as Chapelmaster of St. Peter’s, where he remained for life. His fame as teacher and composer extended throughout Europe, but his happiness was clouded by the loss of two sons and the death of his wife in 1580, while the remaining son, Igino, became a source of grief to him. Palestrina’s compositions were many and of great variety, including 93 masses, 179 motets, hymns, prayers, responses, madrigals, etc.

For comments on Monk see Hymn 40.

HIS ASCENSION

117. Hail the day that sees Him rise

Charles Wesley, 1707-88

This hymn, originally in ten stanzas, appeared in Wesley’s Hymns and Sacred Poems, 1739, under the caption “For Ascension Day.” The Hallelujah was added later in White’s Introits and Hymns, 1852.

For comments on Charles Wesley see Hymn 6.

MUSIC. LLANFAIR, also named “Bethel,” is a Welsh hymn tune by Robert Williams, c. 1781-1821, a basket maker. He was born blind, but became a skilled craftsman and a musician of considerable ability.

118. Crown Him with many crowns

Matthew Bridges, 1800-94

Based on Rev. 19:12: “On his head were many crowns.” The hymn mentions a four-fold crowning of Christ, as: (1) Lamb upon His throne; (2) Son of God; (3) Lord of life; (4) Lord of heaven. Two omitted stanzas mention “Lord of peace,” and “Lord of years.”

Matthew Bridges was brought up in the church of England but became interested in the Oxford Movement and entered the Roman Catholic Church in 1848. He was a student of history and wrote The Roman Empire under Constantine the Great. He is also the author of several books of poems. The latter part of his life was spent in the Province of Quebec, Canada.

The hymn was recast by Godfrey Thring to eliminate several obvious Roman tendencies in it.

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MUSIC. DIADEMATA, a solid, dignified tune which organists like to play and congregations enjoy singing, was written for this hymn and named after the Latin title given the hymn.

The composer, George Job Elvey, 1816-93, was a gifted organist and composer and a devout Christian. He received the Bachelor of Music and Doctorate in Music from Oxford University and was organist of St. George’s Chapel, Windsor, for 47 years.

119. Look, ye saints, the sight is glorious

Thomas Kelly, 1769-1854

A majestic coronation hymn ranking with the best hymns of Watts and Wesley. It is based on Rev. 11:15: “The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ. And he shall reign forever and ever.”

Thomas Kelly was born in Dublin, the son of an Irish judge. He at first intended to follow his father into the legal profession, but his profound religious convictions led him to train for the ministry. As a young clergyman, he was summoned, with others, to appear before the Archbishop of Dublin to answer for his evangelistic zeal. He was rebuked and prohibited from preaching in Dublin pulpits. He then withdrew from the Church of England and started a number of independent churches. He was much interested in the hymnody of the church and wrote 736 hymns in all. They are characterized by loyalty to Jesus Christ and a deep evangelical glow.

MUSIC. CORONAE is a virile tune, written in 1871, and well adapted by its voice range for congregational singing.

For comments on the composer, Wm. H. Monk, see Hymn 40.

120. Majestic sweetness sits enthroned

Samuel Stennett, c. 1727-95

This hymn was published in John Rippon’s Selection, 1787, with the title, “Chief among Ten Thousand: or the Excellencies of Christ.” It is based on Song of Solomon 5:10-16. The original has 9 stanzas.

The author, Samuel Stennett, prominent non-conformist and champion of religious freedom, was a Baptist clergyman who in 1741 became his father’s assistant in Little Wild Street Church, London, and then succeeded his father in 1758, continuing in the pastorate of the church until his death in 1795.

MUSIC. ORTONVILLE has been a favorite hymn tune for over a century. It is associated with these words now, but at first it was set to “O for a closer walk with God.” Among Hastings’ tunes, this is second in popularity to “Toplady” (148), the tune he made for “Rock of Ages.”

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Thos. Hastings, 1784-1872, was born in Connecticut, moved to New York state to farm but left the farm at the age of 33 to devote himself to music. In 1831 he moved to New York City to serve the musical interests of a group of churches. He wrote 600 hymns and about 1,000 hymn tunes. He published 50 books of music and collaborated with Lowell Mason in Spiritual Songs for Social Worship. The University of the City of New York gave him the degree of Doctor of Music in 1858.

121. Rejoice, the Lord is King

Charles Wesley, 1707-88

A jubilant song of Christ’s exaltation and coming in power, based on Phil. 4:4: “Rejoice in the Lord alway, and again I say, rejoice.”

The hymn, in seven stanzas, appeared first in John Wesley’s Sacred and Moral Poems, 1744, and later in Wesley’s Hymns for our Lord’s Resurrection, 1746. Though the resurrection note is in the hymn, it is appropriate also for general occasions.

Charles Wesley wrote four great festival hymns: (1) “Hark! the herald angels sing” for Christmas; (2) “Christ the Lord is risen today” for Easter; (3) “Hail the day that sees Him rise” for Ascension; and (4) “Rejoice, the Lord is king” for Whitsuntide.

For comments on Charles Wesley see Hymn 6.

MUSIC. ARTHUR’S SEAT appeared in Hymns and Songs of Praise 1874, by John K. Paine and Uzziah C. Burnap. The tune is believed to be an arrangement by Burnap from a melody composed by Sir John Goss, 1800-80, English organist and composer of church choir music. Handel composed a tune, “Gopsal,” especially for this hymn, but it is not well known and has not found its way into many of the hymn books.

For comments on Paine and Burnap see Hymn 134.

122. Hail, Thou once despisèd Jesus!

John Bakewell, 1721-1819

A worshipful and strongly doctrinal hymn, bringing out plainly the doctrine of the atonement as well as the Saviour’s enthronement and glorification.

The authorship is traditionally assigned to John Bakewell, one of John Wesley’s lay preachers. But it is not clear that he wrote all of it. It appeared in 1760 in a collection by M. Madan, and later, in 1776, it was included in Psalms and Hymns by Augustus M. Toplady. Both editors apparently made some changes and omissions in the hymn, resulting in our present version.

MUSIC. IN BABILONE is a Dutch traditional melody, its present arrangement having been made by Professor Julius Röntgen, 1855-1933, of Amsterdam. It appeared in The English Hymnal in 1906 and 73 has since won its way into many American hymn books. It is a joyous, robust melody well suited to carry this hymn.

123. Hark, ten thousand harps and voices

Thomas Kelly, 1769-1854

Based on Heb. 1:6: “Let all the angels of God worship Him.”

The original poem has 7 stanzas. Lowell Mason added the “Hallelujahs” and the “Amen” when he set the hymn to music. Some hymn books have softened the “Hallelujah” to “Allelujah.” The last stanza is a prayer for the hastening of the day when heaven and earth shall pass away, which some may not be able to sing heartily and sincerely.

For comments on Thomas Kelly see Hymn 119.

MUSIC. HARWELL was written for this hymn in 1840. The original version had the men’s voices introduce lines 5 and 6 with a dotted eighth and a sixteenth note, in unison, while the soprano and altos observed a quarter rest. Later editing changed the tune so all the parts observed the quarter rest.

For comments on the composer, Lowell Mason, see Hymn 12.

124. Alleluia! sing to Jesus!

William C. Dix, 1837-98

Based on Rev. 5:9: “Thou hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every nation.”

The original poem of five stanzas appeared in Dix’s Altar Songs, 1867, and was entitled “Redemption by the Precious Blood.” The hymn was linked to the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. The third and fourth stanzas, omitted here, are as follows:

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For comments on William C. Dix see Hymn 78.

MUSIC. The tune was taken from St. Basil’s Hymnal, Chicago, 1918, where it appears unnamed. It is a traditional Dutch melody. The present arrangement of it is anonymous.

HIS COMING AGAIN

125. The King shall come when morning dawns

From the Greek

Tr. by John Brownlie, 1859-1925

This hymn, setting forth the hope of Christ’s Second Coming in triumph, comes from the Greek, but no information is at hand concerning the original poem. It is not included in Julian’s Dictionary.

The translation is by John Brownlie, a Scottish minister, born in Glasgow. He published several books of original hymns and translations from the Greek.

MUSIC. JERUSALEM, JERUSALEM is wrongly attributed here to Thomas Hastings though it is possible that the arrangement is his. The same tune, named “St. Michel’s,” appears at No. 93, which see for comments.

For comments on Thomas Hastings see Hymn 120.

126. Thou art coming, O my Savior

Frances R. Havergal, 1836-79

The first hymn Miss Havergal wrote after Advent Sunday, December 2, 1873, when she “first saw clearly the blessedness of true consecration.”

Frances Ridley Havergal was the daughter of Rev. Wm. H. Havergal, an Anglican clergyman who was greatly interested in the hymns and music of the church and composed a number of tunes still in use. His tune, “Evan,” is used in the Hymnary (153 and 253). Frances thus grew up in a cultured religious environment in which hymns and church music held a prominent place. She was handicapped by a frail body and died at the early age of forty-three. But throughout her short life, from the time of her confirmation at seventeen until the end, she had an unbounded joy in Christian service. No suffering could diminish her faith in the grace of God through Jesus Christ. Despite her poor health, she was a devoted student of the Bible and was able to repeat from memory the four Gospels, the Epistles, Revelations, all the Psalms, Isaiah, and the Minor Prophets. Besides writing many letters counselling those who sought her advice, she wrote devotional books and composed sacred hymns and poems, always emphasizing consecration and service. She made a considerable contribution to the 75 hymnody of the church. Six of her compositions are to be found in the Hymnary (126, 190, 215, 219, 296, 380).

MUSIC. BEVERLEY was composed for this hymn for use in Hymns Ancient and Modern, Rev. ed., 1875.

For comments on W. H. Monk see Hymn 40.

127. Christ is coming, let creation

John R. Macduff, 1818-95

A Scottish hymn setting forth the glowing hope and expectation of the coming of Christ in glory. It is based on Rev. 22:20: “He which testifieth these things saith, Surely, I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”

John R. Macduff was minister of the Sandyford Parish, Glasgow. He is the author of several books of devotions and wrote numerous hymns. His ministry at Sandyford was singularly fruitful. George Mattheson, blind Scottish preacher, then a boy in Macduff’s congregation, afterwards said of him: “Dr. Macduff gave me my first real conviction of the beauty of Christianity.” Macduff held strongly to the premillennial view of the coming of Christ.

MUSIC. NEANDER. This famous tune has been associated with various words. The composer first published it in 1680 set to the hymn, “Unser Herrscher, unser König.” It is also used with Schmolk’s “Open now the gates of beauty” (505), and in England it is almost invariably associated with “Come, ye saints, and raise an anthem,” by J. Hupton and others.

Joachim Neander, 1650-80, whose real name was Neumann, was born at Bremen, where he spent most of his life. As a youth he was somewhat wild but in time became converted and associated himself with the Pietists of Germany. He was a friend of Spener, the leader of the Pietists. His unconventional zeal brought him into conflict with the authorities of the Reformed Church of which he was a member, and he was dismissed for a time from his office as teacher in the Düsseldorf schools. Being obliged to leave town, he lived for some months in a cave in the region of the Rhine, where he composed many of his hymns. He is the foremost hymn writer of the German Reformed Church and is called “the Paul Gerhardt of the Calvinists.” Neander, like Luther, was a man of scholarship and accomplishment in poetry and music, as well as theology. He wrote more than 60 hymns and composed tunes for them.

128. Ye servants of the Lord

Philip Doddridge, 1702-51

“The Active Christian” is the author’s title of this hymn. It appeared 76 first in Job Orton’s posthumous edition of Hymns founded on Various Texts, 1755. It is founded on Luke 12:35-37:

Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning;

And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately.

Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.

Doddridge, known for his sound learning and genuine Christian character, was a first-rate hymn writer. He taught Hebrew, Greek, algebra, trigonometry, logic, philosophy, and theology to classes of candidates for the Congregational ministry.

For further comments on Doddridge see Hymn 56.

MUSIC. OLD 134TH (ST. MICHAEL) is one of the greatest of short-meter tunes, derived from the tune composed by L. Bourgeois for Psalm 101 in the Genevan Psalter of 1551.

For comments on L. Bourgeois see Hymn 34.

129. Come, Lord, and tarry not

Horatius Bonar, 1808-89

A plaintive, sad hymn bordering almost on pessimism, by an able, pious author who held the doctrine of the premillenarian coming of Christ. All his life, Bonar’s mind was occupied with the subject of the second advent, an interest which inspired much of his writing.

Horatius Bonar, born in Edinburgh, was the prince of Scottish hymn writers. Educated at the University of Edinburgh, he was ordained in 1837 and became a minister in the Established Church of Scotland at Kelso. At the Disruption in 1843, Bonar “came out” and was one of the founders of the Free Church of Scotland (Presbyterian). Leaving Kelso, he became the minister of Chalmer’s Memorial Church in Edinburgh, where he served, a greatly beloved man, until his death. He was known as a man of wide scholarship and culture. His mind was saturated with Scripture and his heart possessed by a broad and generous faith.

His son, Rev. H. N. Bonar, wrote his father’s Life which gives some interesting information concerning his hymn writing. Bonar carried notebooks with him in which he jotted thoughts, verses, and hymns as they came to his mind.

“These notebooks,” writes the son, “contain most of the better-known hymns, hastily written down in pencil in his spare moments. They are full of contractions, with an occasional word or phrase in shorthand; sometimes a line is struck out and another substituted, yet 77 in nearly every case the complete hymn, almost as it was afterwards published, can be gleaned from this rough draft.”

MUSIC. SHIRLAND was composed by Samuel Stanley, 1767-1822, English composer and precentor of Carr’s Lane Congregational Chapel, in Birmingham. Through his skilled leadership the music of this church became famous. The hymn singing attracted attention and resulted in a great growth in the congregation.

For further comments on Stanley see Hymn 20.

130. Lo, He comes, with clouds descending

John Cennick, 1718-55

A hymn on the Second Advent, based on Rev. 1:7: “Behold He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.”

The author, John Cennick, came from a Quaker family though he grew up in the Church of England. For some years his religious convictions were unsettled. Then while engaged in land surveying, he came under the influence of Wesley and became one of his lay preachers. Later he became a follower of George Whitefield, and finally he joined the Moravians. While limited in culture and outlook, he possessed genuine lyric fire; and his name is of note among the hymnists, even though only a few of his many hymns survive.

This hymn has been much revised. It owes not a little to Charles Wesley who changed Cennick’s first line, “Lo! he cometh; countless trumpets,” to the familiar “Lo, He comes with clouds descending.” Martin Madan, who issued the hymn in his Collection of Psalms and Hymns, also gave it certain finishing touches. The hymn possesses a scriptural vividness and impressive treatment of theme which have carried it throughout the English speaking world, despite the apocalyptic form of the description it sets forth.

MUSIC. HOLYWOOD is attributed to Samuel Webbe, probably the elder, 1740-1816, a London organist and composer and a member of the Roman Catholic Church. His son, Samuel Webbe, Jr., 1770-1843, following his father in the musical profession, likewise became an organist and composer.

Its solidity and triumphant note give this tune a worthy place in the music of the church.

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THE HOLY SPIRIT

131. Come, Holy Ghost, in love

Ray Palmer, 1808-87

Tr. from the Latin

This truly great Latin hymn, addressed to the Holy Spirit, comes from the 12th or 13th century. Its authorship is uncertain. Archbishop Trench characterized it as “the loveliest of all the hymns in the whole cycle of Sacred Latin Poetry.” Many translations have been made of it, this one by Ray Palmer.

Ray Palmer, who held pastorates at Bath, Me., and Albany, N. Y., was for a time corresponding secretary for the American Congregational Union. His name remains the greatest among hymnists and translators in the American Congregational church. His hymn, “My faith looks up to Thee” (150), is known all over the world.

MUSIC. MALVERN is from The Hallelujah, a series of compilations of tunes, edited by J. J. Waite and H. J. Gauntlett, first published in 1842. The work was intended to encourage the congregation to sing in parts, an altogether novel principle in the English churches of that time. To make the music easy to read, the notes were numbered, the tonic sol-fa system having, as yet, not been developed. The present arrangement is by John Roberts, 1822-77, Welsh Methodist pastor and musician of extraordinary ability. He did much to improve congregational singing in the church and was an eminent conductor of school 79 music festivals. Roberts wrote a number of tunes that are high in favor throughout Wales and was incomparable as an arranger of congregational hymn tunes.

132. Lord God, the Holy Ghost

James Montgomery, 1771-1854

One of the few hymns which deals distinctively with the Day of Pentecost. For this reason, as well as for its inherent quality, it is especially valuable.

For comments on James Montgomery see Hymn 62.

MUSIC. OLD 134TH. For comments on this tune see Hymn 128.

133. Spirit of God, descend upon my heart

George Croly, 1780-1860

Based on Gal. 5:25: “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”