On the Seventh Day of Christmas: Unto Us a Child Is Born

Jesaia, dem Propheten, das geschah,
Dass er im Geist den Herren sitzen sah
Auf einem hohen Thron, in hellem Glanz,
Seines Kleides Saum den Chor füllet ganz.
Es stunden zween Seraph bei ihm daran,
Sechs Fluegel sah er eineu jeden han;
Mit zween verbargen sie ihr Antlitz klar,
Mit zween bedeckten sie die Füsse gar,
Und mit den andern zween sie flogen frei;
Gen ander ruften sie mit grossem G’schrei:
“Heilig ist Gott, der Herre Zebaoth!
Heilig ist Gott, der Herre Zebaoth!
Heilig ist Gott, der Herre Zebaoth!
Sein’ Ehr’ die ganze Welt erfüllet hat!”
Von dem G’schrei zittert Schwell’ und Balken gar,
Das Haus auch ganz voll Rauch und Nebel war.

~~~

Isaiah, mighty seer, in days of old
The Lord of all in spirit did behold
High on a lofty throne, in splendor bright,
With flowing train that filled the temple quite.
Above the throne were stately seraphim;
Six wings had they, these messengers of Him.
With twain they veiled their faces, as was meet,
With twain in reverent awe they hid their feet,
And with the other twain aloft they soared,
One to the other called and praised the Lord:
"Holy is God, the Lord of Sabaoth!
Holy is God, the Lord of Sabaoth!
Holy is God, the Lord of Sabaoth!
Behold, His glory filleth all the earth!"
The beams and lintels trembled at the cry,
And clouds of smoke enwrapped the throne on high.

~~~~~


Praetorius: Mass for Christmas Morning
Jesaia Dem Propheten with Puer Nobis nascitur

~~~~~

Puer nobis nascitur
Rector angelorum;
In hoc mundo pascitur
Dominus dominorum.

In præsepe ponitur
Sub fœno asinorum.
Cognoverunt dominum
Christum regem cœlorum.

Hinc Herodes timuit -
Magno cum dolore,
Et pueros occidit,
Infantes cum livore.

Qui natus est ex Marie -
Die hodierna
Ducat nos cum gratia
Ad gaudia superna.

O et A et A et O
Cum cantibus in choro,
Cum canticis et organo,
Benedicamus domino.

~~~

Unto us a Child is born,
Christians, hear the story;
In this world our flesh is worn,
By Christ, the Lord of glory.

In a manger He is laid,
Where the kine are sleeping;
Angels recognize their Lord,
And o'er Him watch are keeping,

Haughty Herod trembles now,
Great his fear and sorrow;
Bethl'em's Infants he will slay
Before the dawn to-morrow.

Jesu, born of Virgin Maid,
In Thy visitation
Shew Thy mercy, Lord, on us,
And grand us Thy salvation.

Alpha and Omega, Thine
Be this day our chorus;
King of kings, and Lord of lords,
Now let Thy grace be o'er us.

On the Sixth Day of Christmas: The Children Sing

Here is a children's Christmas service from Grace Lutheran Church in Dyer, Indiana. The pastor of this congregation is Christopher Gillespie. Check out his blog, Outer Rim Territories.

Part I


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Part II

On the Fifth Day of Christmas: Commemoration of David

With the release of Lutheran Service Book came new commemorations. Patterned after the Eastern Orthodox, although not celebrated on the same day, Lutherans now commemorate persons from the Old Testament. The Commemoration of David falls on December 29th on the new calendar.

David's Lamentation is an early American composition by William Billings (1746-1800). Billings was self-taught, and some of his music sounds to me like it was written on horseback! That said, Billings had his own style, and I can appreciate that.

The work is about David's reaction to the death of his son Absolem. A PDF file of this song may be found here.

~~~~~


William Billings: David's Lamentation
Camerata ad Libitum Workshop Choir

David the king was grieved and wounded,
he went to his chamber, his chamber and wept.
And as he went, he wept and said,

O my son!
O my son!
Would to God I had died,
Would to God I had died,
Would to God I had died for thee,
O Absolem, my son, my son!

On the Fourth Day of Christmas: The Holy Innocents

Not all of our carols are joyful or heart-warming.  A number of commemorations fall during Christmastide, and those are not all warm and fuzzy.  Stephen was the first martyr.  The Holy innocents were the children Herod killed after the visit of the Magi.

Where Good King Wenceslas mentions the Feast of Stephen, The Coventry Carol is all about the Holy Innocents. Where "Away in a Manger" is heart-warming, the Coventry Carol is mournful. Where "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" is exuberant, the Coventry Carol is disconsolate. It is a lullaby that tries to comfort the boy Jesus during a tumultuous time.

One might call it Mary's Lamentation. The third video below states, "The Coventry Carol depicts Mary's lament over the impending doom of her infant son, Jesus, in the wake of King Herod's order that all infant boys in Bethlehem be put to death."

Most of the settings below use the same tune. Guitar, lute and other stringed instruments seem to be fitting for this carol. The second-last setting is a unique composition for choir. Listen for the soprano solo near towards the end of the setting.

~~~~~



~~~~~



Lully, lullay, Thou little tiny Child,
By, by, lully, lullay.



O sisters too, how may we do,
For to preserve this day
This poor Youngling for whom we sing
By, by, lully, lullay?



Herod the king, in his raging,
Charged he hath this day
His men of might, in his own sight,
All young children to slay.



That woe is me, poor Child for Thee!
And ever morn and day
For Thy parting neither say nor sing,
By, by, lully, lullay.



Lully, lullay, Thou little tiny Child,
By, by, lully, lullay.



~~~~~

On the Third Day of Christmas: St. John, Apostle and Evangelist

St. John is the author of the Gospel account bearing his name, plus 1st, 2nd and 3rd John and the Revelation.

He never mentions himself by name in his Gospel. He is always the "beloved" or "the one whom Jesus loved."

Lots of great music comes from John's writings.

Probably the most well-known is JS Bach's Passion According to St. John.

Bach used the text from Scripture as well as hymn verses to convey the message of Jesus' crucifixion. The final hymn verse is Ach Herr, lass' dein lieb' Engelein, or "Lord, Let at Last Thine Angels Come." You can find the texts for both the German and the English here. The first setting of this text is in German and taken directly from Bach's Passion. The second setting is Hans Leo Hasler's setting for double chorus in English. You can check out the conductor's blog by clicking "Composing My Thoughts" over on the sidebar. As a bonus, the spiritual, "I Can Tell the World" follows the video. The students are from Winnebego Lutheran Academy in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.

JS Bach: Ach Herr, lass' dein lieb' Engelein

~~~


"Lord, Let at Last Thine Angels Come" with "I Can Tell the World"

~~~~~

From John's Epistles comes the praise chorus, "Behold What Manner Of Love." The text is from 1 John 3:1 and is quoted pretty much word-for-word. This simple song is taught to children and adults alike. Here's a piano arrangement followed by a setting for two guitars and solo voice.

"Behold What Manner of Love" for piano

~~~


"Behold What Manner of Love" for guitars and solo voice

~~~~~

The Book of Revelation lends itself to hymn writing. Popularly known as "This is the Feast," the song "Festival Canticle: Worthy is Christ" is sometimes sung in the place of "Glory to God in the Highest" during the Divine Service. Here's the original setting featuring a male chorus.

"Festival Canticle: Worthy is Christ"

This is the feast of victory for our God.
Alleluia!

Worthy is Christ the Lamb who was slain,
whose blood set us free to be people of God.

This is the feast of victory for our God.
Alleluia!

Power, riches, wisdom and strength,
and honor and blessing and glory are His.

This is the feast of victory for our God.
Alleluia!

Sing with all the people of God
and join in the hymn of all creation:
Blessing, honor, glory and might
be to God and the Lamb forever, Amen.

This is the feast of victory for our God.
Alleluia!

For the Lamb who was slain
has begun his reign. Alleluia!

This is the feast of victory for our God.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

~~~~~

Similar themes run through the final sections of Handel's Messiah. Here is a dramatized version of "Worthy Is the Lamb" and the Great "Amen." They use hand motions inspired by American Sign Language. German subtitles are included!

GF Handel: Worthy is the Lamb and Amen

Worthy is the Lamb that was slain,
and hath redeemed us to God by His blood,
to receive power,
and riches,
and wisdom,
and strength,
and honour,
and glory,
and blessing.

Blessing,
and honour,
glory
and power
be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne,
and unto the Lamb,
for ever and ever.

Amen

Revelation 5:12-13

~~~~~

Perhaps the most famous of all of John's writings is from his Gospel account, John 3:16. To read this passage in multiple languages click here. To listen to the text sung in various musical settings, click here.

Too busy for that? Here's John Stainer's classic setting of John 3:16 (and 17).

John Stainer: God So Loved the World

God so loved the world,
God so loved the world,
that He gave His only begotten Son
that whoso believeth, believeth in Him
should not perish,
should not perish but have everlasting life.

For God sent not His Son
into the world to condemn the world,
God sent not His Son
into the world to condemn the world;
but that the world might be saved.

God so loved the world,
God so loved the world,
that He gave His only begotten Son
that whoso believeth, believeth in Him
should not perish,
should not perish but have everlasting life,
everlasting life,
everlasting, everlasting life.

God so loved the world,
God so loved the world,
God so loved the world.

On the Second Day of Christmas: The Feast of St. Stephen

St. Stephen was the first martyr. He was killed for his faith. Today's festival provides a unique contrast to the manger scene (which is romanticized in our hymnody and liturgical decoration). For more on the placement of the Feast of St. Stephen, you can check out last year's post.

St. Stephen finds himself in the first line of the Christmas carol "Good King Wenceslas."

This carol is rooted in folklore and tells the legend of a Christian king and his page helping a homeless person and the miracle of how the page was kept warm on their walk. The final stanza offers a moral lesson that can be learned from the story. As the hymn is rooted in folk legend and has no mention of Jesus, it is not found in many hymnals. The carol lends itself more to moral teaching than a proclamation of the Gospel.

Still, this is an outstanding arrangement of this carol! The text provides a dialog between the king and the page which otherwise can go unnoticed if all verses are sung by a choir or congregation. This setting singles those lines out as solo parts.

"Good King Wenceslas"

Choir:
Good King Wenceslas looked out
on the Feast of Stephen,
When the snow lay round about,
deep and crisp and even.
Brightly shone the moon that night,
though the frost was cruel,
When a poor man came in sight,
gathering winter fuel.

King:
"Hither, page, and stand by me,
if thou knowst it, telling,
Yonder peasant, who is he?
Where and what his dwelling?"

Page:
"Sire, he lives a good league hence,
underneath the mountain,
Right against the forest fence,
by Saint Agnes’ fountain."

King:
"Bring me flesh and bring me wine,
bring me pine logs hither,
Thou and I will see him dine,
when we bear them thither."

Choir:
Page and monarch forth they went,
forth they went together,
Through the cold wind’s wild lament
and the bitter weather.

Page:
"Sire, the night is darker now,
and the wind blows stronger,
Fails my heart, I know not how;
I can go no longer."

King:
"Mark my footsteps good, my page,
tread now in them boldly,
Thou will find the winter’s rage
freeze your blood less coldly."

Choir:
In his master’s steps he trod,
where the snow lay dinted;
Heat was in the very sod
which the saint had printed.
Therefore, Christian men, be sure,
wealth or rank possessing,
You who now will bless the poor
shall yourselves find blessing.

Nine Lessons and Carols, Part XI: Collect and Blessing

The service concludes with the Collect of the Day (a prayer specifically for the occasion), a Blessing and a closing carol.

Pastor: The Lord be with you.
All: And with thy spirit.

Pastor: Let us pray.
O God, who makest us glad
with the yearly remembrance
of the birth of Thy only Son,
Jesus Christ:
Grant that
as we joyfully receive Him for our Redeemer,
so we may with sure confidence behold Him,
when He shall come to be our judge;
who liveth and reigneth with Thee
and the Holy Spirit,
one God,
world without end.

All: Amen.

Pastor: Christ, Who by His incarnation
gathered into one things
earthly and heavenly,
grant you the fullness
of inward peace and goodwill,
and make you partakers of the divine nature;
and the blessing of God Almighty,
the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,
be upon you and remain with you always.

All: Amen.

~~~~~


David Willcocks, "O Come, All Ye Faithful"

O come, all ye faithful,
Joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem;
Come and behold Him,
Born the King of Angels.

O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.

God of God,
Light of Light,
Lo! He abhors not the Virgin’s womb;
Very God,
Begotten, not created.

O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.


Sing, choirs of angels,
Sing in exultation,
Sing, all ye citizens of heaven above;
‘Glory to God
In the highest.’

O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.

Yea, Lord, we greet Thee,
Born this happy morning,
Jesu, to Thee be glory given;
Word of the Father,
Now in flesh appearing.

O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.

Nine Lessons and Carols, Part X: The Ninth Reading

[The congregation stands for the ninth reading]

St John unfolds the great mystery of the Incarnation.

JOHN 1:1-14(ESV):

1 In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.

2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made through him,
and without him was not any thing made
that was made.

4 In him was life,
and the life was the light of men.

5 The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has not overcome it.

6 There was a man sent from God,
whose name was John.

7 He came as a witness,
to bear witness about the light,
that all might believe through him.

8 He was not the light,
but came to bear witness about the light.

9 The true light,
which enlightens everyone,
was coming into the world.

10 He was in the world,
and the world was made through him,
yet the world did not know him.

11 He came to his own,
and his own people
did not receive him.

12 But to all who did receive him,
who believed in his name,
he gave the right to become children of God,

13 who were born,
not of blood nor of the will of the flesh
nor of the will of man,
but of God.

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,
and we have seen his glory,
glory as of the only Son from the Father,
full of grace and truth.

THANKS BE TO GOD.

~~~~~


Egil Hovland, "The Glory of the Father"

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.
We beheld the glory of the Father,
We beheld the glory of the Father
Full of grace and truth.

In the beginning was the Word.
The Word was with God,
The Word was with God.
In Him was life,
and the life was the Light of men.
He came to his own
And His own,
And His own received Him not.

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.
We beheld the glory of the Father,
We beheld the glory of the Father
Full of grace and truth.

~~~~~


Gustav Holst, "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence"

Let all mortal flesh keep silence,
And with fear and trembling stand;
Ponder nothing earthly minded,
For with blessing in His hand,
Christ our God to earth descendeth,
Our full homage to demand.

King of kings, yet born of Mary,
As of old on earth He stood,
Lord of lords, in human vesture,
In the body and the blood;
He will give to all the faithful
His own self for heavenly food.

Rank on rank the host of heaven
Spreads its vanguard on the way,
As the Light of light descendeth
From the realms of endless day,
That the powers of hell may vanish
As the darkness clears away.

At His feet the six wingèd seraph,
Cherubim with sleepless eye,
Veil their faces to the presence,
As with ceaseless voice they cry:
Alleluia, Alleluia
Alleluia, Lord Most High!

Nine Lessons and Carols, Part IX: The Eighth Reading

The wise men are led by the star to Jesus.

MATTHEW 2:1-12 (ESV):

1 Now after Jesus was born
in Bethlehem of Judea
in the days of Herod the king, behold,
wise men from the east came to Jerusalem,

2 saying, “Where is he
who has been born king of the Jews?
For we saw his star when it rose
and have come to worship him.”

3 When Herod the king heard this,
he was troubled,
and all Jerusalem with him;

4 and assembling
all the chief priests and scribes of the people,
he inquired of them
where the Christ was to be born.

5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea,
for so it is written by the prophet:

6 “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly
and ascertained from them
what time the star had appeared.

8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying,
“Go and search diligently for the child,
and when you have found him,
bring me word,
that I too may come and worship him.”

9 After listening to the king,
they went on their way.
And behold,
the star that they had seen when it rose
went before them
until it came to rest
over the place where the child was.

10 When they saw the star,
they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.

11 And going into the house
they saw the child with Mary his mother,
and they fell down and worshiped him.
Then, opening their treasures,
they offered him gifts,
gold and frankincense and myrrh.

12 And being warned in a dream
not to return to Herod,
they departed to their own country
by another way.

THANKS BE TO GOD.

~~~~~


Ulfert Smidt, Organ Choral, Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern

~~~~~


JS Bach, BWV 1, Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern

Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern
Voll Gnad und Wahrheit von dem Herrn,
Die süße Wurzel Jesse!
Du Sohn Davids aus Jakobs Stamm,
Mein König und mein Bräutigam,
Hast mir mein Herz besessen,
Lieblich,
Freundlich,
Schön und herrlich,
groß und ehrlich,
reich von Gaben,
Hoch und sehr prächtig erhaben.

How glorious shines the morning star
With truth and blessing from the Lord,
The darling root of Jesse!
You, David's Son of Jacob's stem,
My King and my Bridegroom
who has taken possession of my heart, are
Lovely,
Kindly,
Beautiful and magnificent,
great and righteous,
rich in blessings,
Exalted and supurbly noble.

~~~~~


"The Three Kings"

[The baritone solo sings one melody with the text, "The Three Kings" while the choir accompanies him with the carol, "How Brightly Shines the Morning Star." The choir parts are in italics.]

Three Kings from Persian lands afar
To Jordan follow the pointing star:
And this the quest of the travelers three,
Where the new-born King of the Jews may be.
Full royal gifts they bear for the King;
Gold, incense, myrrh are their offering.

How brightly shines the morning star!
With grace and truth from heaven afar
Our Jesse tree now bloweth.

The star shines out with a steadfast ray;
The kings to Bethlehem make their way,
And there in worship they bend the knee,
As Mary’s child in her lap they see;
Their royal gifts they show to the King;
Gold, incense, myrrh are their offering.

Of Jacob’s stem and David’s line,
For thee, my Bridegroom, King divine,
My soul with love o’erfloweth.

Thou child of man, lo, to Bethlehem
The Kings are traveling, travel with them!
The star of mercy, the star of grace,
Shall lead thy heart to its resting place.
Gold, incense, myrrh thou canst not bring;
Offer thy heart to the infant King.

Thy word, Jesu, Inly feeds us,
Rightly leads us, Life bestowing.
Praise, O praise such love o’erflowing.

Nine Lessons and Carols, Part VIII: The Seventh Reading

The shepherds go to the manger.

LUKE 2:8-20 (ESV):

8 And in the same region
there were shepherds out in the field,
keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them,
and the glory of the Lord shone around them,
and they were filled with fear.

10 And the angel said to them,
“Fear not, for behold,
I bring you good news of great joy
that will be for all the people.

11 For unto you is born this day
in the city of David a Savior,
who is Christ the Lord.

12 And this will be a sign for you:
you will find a baby
wrapped in swaddling cloths
and lying in a manger.”

13 And suddenly there was with the angel
a multitude of the heavenly host
praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace
among those with whom he is pleased!”

15 When the angels went away
from them into heaven,
the shepherds said to one another,
“Let us go over to Bethlehem
and see this thing that has happened,
which the Lord has made known to us.”

16 And they went with haste
and found Mary and Joseph,
and the baby lying in a manger.

17 And when they saw it,
they made known the saying
that had been told them
concerning this child.

18 And all who heard it
wondered at what the shepherds told them.

19 But Mary treasured up all these things,
pondering them in her heart.

20 And the shepherds returned,
glorifying and praising God
for all they had heard and seen,
as it had been told them.

THANKS BE TO GOD.

~~~~~


Carl Schalk, "Before the Marvel of this Night"

~~~~~


"Hark the Herald Angels Sing"

Hark! The herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King;
Peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!"
Joyful, all ye nations rise,
Join the triumph of the skies;
With th’angelic host proclaim,
"Christ is born in Bethlehem!"

Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King!"

Christ, by highest Heav’n adored;
Christ the everlasting Lord;
Late in time, behold Him come,
Offspring of a virgin’s womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;
Hail th’incarnate Deity,
Pleased with us in flesh to dwell,
Jesus our Emmanuel.

Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King!"

Hail the heav’nly Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings,
Ris’n with healing in His wings.
Mild He lays His glory by,
Born that man no more may die.
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth.

Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King!"

~~~~~



On Christmas night all Christians sing,
To hear the news the angels bring;
On Christmas night all Christians sing,
To hear the news the angels bring:
News of great joy, news of great mirth,
News of our merciful King’s birth.

Then why should men on earth be sad,
Since our Redeemer made us glad:
Then why should we on earth be sad,
Since our Redeemer made us glad:
When from our sin He set us free,
All for to gain our liberty.

When sin departs before Your grace,
Then life and health come in its place;
When sin departs before Your grace,
Then life and health come in its place;
Angels and men with joy may sing,
All for to see the newborn King.

All out of darkness we have light
Which made the angels sing this night;
All out of darkness we have light
Which made the angels sing this night:
"Glory to God and peace to men,
Now and forevermore. Amen."

Nine Lessons and Carols, Part VII: The Sixth Reading

St Luke tells of the birth of Jesus.

LUKE 2:1-7

1 In those days a decree went out
from Caesar Augustus
that all the world should be registered.

2 This was the first registration
when Quirinius was governor of Syria.

3 And all went to be registered,
each to his own town.

4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee,
from the town of Nazareth,
to Judea,
to the city of David,
which is called Bethlehem,
because he was of the house and lineage of David,

5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed,
who was with child.

6 And while they were there,
the time came for her to give birth.

7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son
and wrapped him in swaddling cloths
and laid him in a manger,
because there was no place for them in the inn.

THANKS BE TO GOD.

~~~~~


"Away in a Manger"

Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,
The little Lord Jesus lay down His sweet head,
The stars in the bright sky look down where He lay,
The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.

The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes,
But little Lord Jesus no crying He makes.
I love Thee Lord Jesus, look down from the sky
And stay by my side until morning is nigh.

Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask Thee to stay,
Close by me forever and love me I pray.
Bless all the dear children in Thy tender care
And fit us for heaven to live with Thee there.

~~~~~


"Tomorrow Shall Be my Dancing Day"

Tomorrow shall be my dancing day;
I would my true love did so chance
To see the legend of my play,
To call my true love to my dance;

Sing, oh! my love, oh! my love, my love, my love,
This have I done for my true love.

Then was I born of a virgin pure,
Of her I took fleshly substance
Thus was I knit to man's nature
To call my true love to my dance.

Sing, oh! my love, oh! my love, my love, my love,
This have I done for my true love.

In a manger laid, and wrapped I was
So very poor, this was my chance
Betwixt an ox and a silly poor ass
To call my true love to my dance.

Sing, oh! my love, oh! my love, my love, my love,
This have I done for my true love.


Tomorrow shall be my dancing day;
I would my true love did so chance
To see the legend of my play,
To call my true love to my dance;

Sing, oh! my love, oh! my love, my love, my love,
This have I done for my true love.

~~~~~


"The Holly and the Ivy"

The Holly and the Ivy
Now both are full well grown,
Of all the trees that are in the wood,
The Holly bears the crown.

O the rising of the sun,
The running of the deer,
The playing of the merry organ,
Sweet singing in the quire,
Sweet singing in the quire.

The Holly bears a blossom,
As white as lily-flower;
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ,
To be our sweet Savior.

O the rising of the sun,
The running of the deer,
The playing of the merry organ,
Sweet singing in the quire,
Sweet singing in the quire.

The Holly bears a berry,
As red as any blood;
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ,
To do poor sinners good.

O the rising of the sun,
The running of the deer,
The playing of the merry organ,
Sweet singing in the quire,
Sweet singing in the quire.

The Holly bears a prickle,
As sharp as any thorn;
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ,
On Christmas Day in the morn.

O the rising of the sun,
The running of the deer,
The playing of the merry organ,
Sweet singing in the quire,
Sweet singing in the quire.

The Holly bears a bark,
As bitter as any gall;
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ,
For to redeem us all.

O the rising of the sun,
The running of the deer,
The playing of the merry organ,
Sweet singing in the quire,
Sweet singing in the quire.

The Holly and the Ivy
Now both are full well grown,
Of all the trees that are in the wood,
The Holly bears the crown.

O the rising of the sun,
The running of the deer,
The playing of the merry organ,
Sweet singing in the quire,
Sweet singing in the quire.

Nine Lessons and Carols, Part VI: The Fifth Reading

The angel Gabriel salutes the Blessed Virgin Mary.

LUKE 1:26-38

26 In the sixth month
the angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,

27 to a virgin betrothed
to a man whose name was Joseph,
of the house of David.
And the virgin's name was Mary.

28 And he came to her and said,
“Greetings, O favored one,
the Lord is with you!”

29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying,
and tried to discern what sort of greeting
this might be.

30 And the angel said to her,
“Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.

31 And behold, you will conceive
in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall call his name Jesus.

32 He will be great
and will be called the Son
of the Most High.
And the Lord God will give to him
the throne of his father David,

33 and he will reign
over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

34 And Mary said to the angel,
“How will this be, since I am a virgin?”

35 And the angel answered her,
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High
will overshadow you;
therefore the child to be born
will be called holy—the Son of God.

36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth
in her old age has also conceived a son,
and this is the sixth month with her
who was called barren.

37 For nothing will be impossible with God.”

38 And Mary said,
“Behold, I am the servant
of the Lord;
let it be to me according to your word.”

And the angel departed from her.

THANKS BE TO GOD.

~~~~~


Basque Carol, "Gabriel's Message"

The angel Gabriel from Heaven came,
His wings as drifted snow, his eyes as flame;
"All hail," said he, "thou lowly maiden Mary,
Most highly favored lady," Gloria!

"For know a blessèd mother thou shalt be,
All generations laud and honor thee,
Thy Son shall be Emmanuel, by seers foretold,
Most highly favored lady," Gloria!

Then gentle Mary meekly bowed her head,
"To me be as it pleaseth God," she said,
"My soul shall laud and magnify His holy name."
Most highly favored lady, Gloria!

Of her, Emmanuel, the Christ, was born
In Bethlehem, all on a Christmas morn,
And Christian folk throughout the world will ever say—
"Most highly favored lady," Gloria!

~~~~~


Britten, "Ceremony of Carols"

05. AS DEW IN APRILLE

I sing of a maiden that is makèles [matchless]:
King of all kings to her son she ches [chose]

He came also stille there his moder [mother] was,
As dew in Aprille [April] that falleth on the grass.

He came also stille to his moder's bour [bower],
As dew in Aprille that falleth on the flour.

He came also stille there his moder lay,
As dew in Aprille that falleth on the spray.

Moder and mayden was never none but she:
Well may such a lady Goddes moder be.

06. THIS LITTLE BABE

This little Babe so few days old,
Is come to rifle Satan's fold;
All hell doth at His presence quake,
Though He Himself for cold do shake;
For in this weak unarmed wise
the gates of hell He will surprise.

With tears He fights and wins the field,
His naked breast stands for a shield;
His battering shot are babish cries,
His arrows looks of weeping eyes,
His martial ensigns Cold and Need,
And feeble Flesh His warrior's steed.

His camp is pitched in a stall,
His bulwark but a broken wall;
The crib His trench, haystalks His stakes;
Of shepherds He his muster makes;
And thus, as sure His foe to wound,
The angels' trumps alarum sound.

My soul, with Christ join thou in fight;
Stick to the tents that he hath pight [pitched].
Within His crib is surest ward;
This little Babe will be thy guard.
If thou wilt foil thy foes with joy,
Then flit not from this heavenly Boy.

Nine Lessons and Carols, Part V: The Fourth Reading

The peace that Christ will bring is foreshown.

ISAIAH 11:1-9 (ESV):

1 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.

2 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide disputes by what his ears hear,

4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.

5 Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist,
and faithfulness the belt of his loins.

6 The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together;
and a little child shall lead them.

7 The cow and the bear shall graze;
their young shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra,
and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den.

9 They shall not hurt or destroy
in all my holy mountain;
for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.

THANKS BE TO GOD.

~~~~~


Otto Goldschmidt, "A Tender Shoot"

A tender shoot has started up
From a root of grace,
As ancient seers imparted
From Jesse’s holy race;
It blooms without a blight,
Blooms in the cold bleak winter,
Turning our darkness into light.

This shoot, Isaiah taught us,
From Jesse’s root should spring;
The Virgin Mary brought us
The branch of which we sing:
Our God of endless might
Gave her this child to save us,
Thus turning darkness into light.

~~~~~


Jan Sandström, Det är en ros utsprungen

Det är en ros utsprungen
av Jesse rot och stam.
Av fädren ren besjungen
den står i tiden fram,
En blomma skär och blid,
Mitt i den kalla vinter
i midnatts mörka tid.

~~~~~


Michael Praetorius, "Lo, How a Rose"

Lo, how a Rose e’er blooming
from tender stem hath sprung!
Of Jesse’s lineage coming,
as men of old have sung.
It came a floweret bright
amid the cold of winter,
When half spent was the night.

Isaiah ’twas foretold it,
the rose I have in mind;
With Mary we behold it,
the virgin mother kind.
To show God’s love aright,
she bore to men a Savior,
When half spent was the night.

Nine Lessons and Carols, Part IV: The Third Reading

The prophet foretells the coming of the Savior.

ISAIAH 9:2-7(ESV):

2 The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
on them has light shined.

3 You have multiplied the nation;
you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you
as with joy at the harvest,
as they are glad when they divide the spoil.

4 For the yoke of his burden,
and the staff for his shoulder,
the rod of his oppressor,
you have broken as on the day of Midian.

5 For every boot
of the tramping warrior
in battle tumult
and every garment rolled in blood
will be burned as fuel for the fire.

6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

7 Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

THANKS BE TO GOD.

~~~~~


Methimon o Theos
"God is With Us"
Byzantine Chant
Plagal 2nd Tone

God is with us.

Band together, you peoples,
and be dismayed,
for God is with us.

Listen, all you far countries,
for God is with us.

Gird yourselves and be dismayed,
for God is with us.

And even if you gird yourselves,
again you be dismayed,
for God is with us.

For a Child has been born for us,
a Son given to us,
for God is with us.

Authority rests upon His shoulders,
for God is with us.

And He is named Wonderful Counselor,
for God is with us.

Mighty God,
for God is with us.

Everlasting Father,
for God is with us.

Prince of Peace,
for God is with us.

God is with us.

Band together, you peoples,
and be dismayed,
for God is with us

Take counsel together,
but it shall be brought to naught,
for God is with us.

Speak a word,
but it will not stand,
for God is with us.

Do not fear what it fears,
or be in dread,
for God is with us.

The Lord of hosts,
Him you shall regard as holy;
let Him be your fear,
for God is with us.

And I will hope in Him
and be saved by Him,
for God is with us.

See, I and the children
whom the Lord has given me,
for God is with us.

~~~~~


Sigfrid Karg-Elert, Organ Prelude, In Dulci Jubilo

~~~~~


Robert Lucas Pearsall, In Dulci Jubilo
"In Sweet Jubilation"

In dulci jubilo
let us our homage shew;
Our heart’s joy reclineth
In praesepio,
And like a bright star shineth
Matris in gremio.
Alpha es et O.

O Jesu parvule,
I yearn for thee alway!
Listen to my ditty,
O Puer optime,
Have pity on me, pity,
O princeps gloriae!
Trahe me post te!

O Patris caritas,
O Nati lenitas!
Deeply were we stainèd
Per nostra crimina;
But thou hast for us gainèd
Coelorum gaudia.
O that we were there!

Ubi sunt gaudia, where,
If that they be not there?
There are angels singing
Nova cantica,
There the bells are ringing
In Regis curia:
O that we were there!

NOTE: The translation of the Latin text is found on page 19 of this service folder.

Nine Lessons and Carols, Part III: The Second Reading

God promises to faithful Abraham that in his seedshall all the nations of the earth be blessed.

GENESIS 22:15-18(ESV):

15 And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham
a second time from heaven

16 and said,
“By myself I have sworn,
declares the Lord,
because you have done this
and have not withheld your son, your only son,

17 "I will surely bless you,
and I will surely multiply your offspring
as the stars of heaven
and as the sand that is on the seashore.
And your offspring shall possess
the gate of his enemies,

18 "and in your offspring
shall all the nations
of the earth be blessed,
because you have obeyed my voice.”

THANKS BE TO GOD.

~~~~~


JS Bach, BWV 1, "Nun komm der Heiden Heiland"

~~~~~


"Savior of the Nations, Come"

Savior of the nations, come;
Virgin’s Son, here make Thy home!
Marvel now, O heaven and earth,
That the Lord chose such a birth.

Not by human flesh and blood;
By the Spirit of our God
Was the Word of God made flesh,
Woman’s offspring, pure and fresh.

Wondrous birth! O wondrous Child
Of the virgin undefiled!
Though by all the world disowned,
Still to be in heaven enthroned.

From the Father forth He came
And returneth to the same,
Captive leading death and hell
High the song of triumph swell!

Thou, the Father’s only Son,
Hast over sin the victory won.
Boundless shall Thy kingdom be;
When shall we its glories see?

Brightly doth Thy manger shine,
Glorious is its light divine.
Let not sin o’ercloud this light;
Ever be our faith thus bright.

Praise to God the Father sing,
Praise to God the Son, our King,
Praise to God the Spirit be
Ever and eternally.

~~~~~

[The German carol, "Nun komm der Heiden Heiland," carries the English versification, "Savior of the Nations, Come." The text given for "Savior of the Nations, Come" is a different translation than the video. Also, all verses are given here, and select stanzas are used in the video.]

Nine Lessons and Carols, Part II: The First Reading

The first reading is recited by one of the boys in the choir. Each reading is preceded by a sentence or two about the text and a carol that relates to the reading follows.

~~~~~

God tells sinful Adam that he has lost the life of Paradise and that his seed will bruise the serpent’s head.

GENESIS 3:8-19 (ESV):

8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God
walking in the garden
in the cool of the day,
and the man and his wife hid themselves
from the presence of the Lord God
among the trees of the garden.

9 But the Lord God called to the man
and said to him,

“Where are you?”

10 And he said,

“I heard the sound of you in the garden,
and I was afraid, because I was naked,
and I hid myself.”

11 He said,

“Who told you that you were naked?
Have you eaten of the tree
of which I commanded you not to eat?”

12 The man said,

“The woman whom you gave to be with me,
she gave me fruit of the tree,
and I ate.”

13 Then the Lord God said to the woman,

“What is this that you have done?”

The woman said,

“The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

14 The Lord God said to the serpent,

“Because you have done this,
cursed are you above all livestock
and above all beasts of the field;
on your belly you shall go,
and dust you shall eat
all the days of your life.

15 "I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.”

16 To the woman he said,

“I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing;
in pain you shall bring forth children.
Your desire shall be for your husband,
and he shall rule over you.”

17 And to Adam he said,

“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife
and have eaten of the tree
of which I commanded you,
‘You shall not eat of it,’
cursed is the ground because of you;
in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;

18 "thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;
and you shall eat the plants of the field.

19 "By the sweat of your face
you shall eat bread,
till you return to the ground,
for out of it you were taken;
for you are dust,
and to dust you shall return.”

THANKS BE TO GOD.

~~~~


Boris Ord, "Adam Lay Ybounden"

Adam lay ybounden
Bounden in a bond;
Four thousand winter,
Thought he not too long.

And all was for an apple
An apple that he took.
As clerkes finden,
Written in their book.

Ne had the apple taken been
The apple taken been,
Ne had never our ladie,
Abeen heav'ne queen.

Blessed be the time
That apple taken was,
Therefore we moun singen.
Deo gracias!

~~~~~


JS Bach, BWV 637, "Durch Adams Fall ist ganz verderbt"

Durch Adams Fall ist ganz verderbt
Menschlich Natur und Wesen,
Dasselb Gift ist auf uns errebt,
Daß wir nicht mocht'n genesen
Ohn' Gottes Trost, der uns erlöst
Hat von dem großen Schaden,
Darein die Schlang Eva bezwang,
Gotts Zorn auf sich zu laden.

~~~~~


JS Bach, BWV 641, "Wenn wir in höchsten Nöten sein"

All mankind fell in Adam’s fall,
One common sin infects us all;
From sire to son the bane descends,
And over all the curse impends.

Through all man’s powers corruption creeps
And him in dreadful bondage keeps;
In guilt he draws his infant breath
And reaps its fruits of woe and death.

From hearts depraved, to evil prone,
Flow thoughts and deeds of sin alone;
God’s image lost, the darkened soul
Nor seeks nor finds its heav’nly goal.

But Christ, the second Adam, came
To bear our sin and woe and shame,
To be our Life, our Light, our Way,
Our only Hope, our only Stay.

As by one man all mankind fell
And, born in sin, was doomed to hell,
So by one Man, who took our place,
We all received the gift of grace.

We thank Thee, Christ; new life is ours,
New light, new hope, new strength, new powers:
This grace our every way attend
Until we reach our journey’s end!

~~~~~

The English translation into verse of "Durch Adam's Fall" is "All Mankind Fell." The English version is in a different meter, so the English speaking church uses a different tune.

Nine Lessons and Carols, Part I: Processional, Prayers and Blessing

The Service of Nine Lessons and Carols is a tradition that started at King's College in Cambridge, England, and has been adapted for denominations across the Christian spectrum.

On this Christmas Eve and Day, All for Hymn will present carols and lessons from one of these services. The 2010 service at King's College can be found here. Here on All for Hymn, the carols may differ, but the lessons will be the same.

The tradition is for the service to open with Once in Royal David's City. The first verse is sung as a solo by one of the boys in the choir. Each boy must be prepared for this, as he is chosen for the honor right before the procession.

"Once in Royal David's City"

Once in royal David’s city
Stood a lowly cattle shed,
Where a Mother laid her Baby
In a manger for His bed:
Mary was that Mother mild,
Jesus Christ her little Child.

He came down to earth from heaven,
Who is God and Lord of all,
And His shelter was a stable,
And His cradle was a stall;
With the poor, and mean, and lowly,
Lived on earth our Savior holy.

And through all His wondrous childhood
He would honor and obey,
Love, and watch the lowly Maiden,
In whose gentle arms He lay;
Christian children all must be
Mild, obedient, good as He.

For He is our childhood’s pattern,
Day by day like us He grew,
He was little, weak, and helpless,
Tears and smiles like us He knew;
And He feeleth for our sadness,
And He shareth in our gladness.

And our eyes at last shall see Him,
Through His own redeeming love,
For that Child so dear and gentle
Is our Lord in heaven above;
And He leads his children on
To the place where He is gone.

Not in that poor lowly stable,
With the oxen standing by,
We shall see Him; but in heaven,
Set at God’s right hand on high;
When like stars his children crowned
All in white shall wait around.

~~~~~

A priest leads the congregation in the Bidding Prayer, the Lord's Prayer and a blessing. You can find them on pages 10 and 11 of this service folder.  After the blessing and before the first reading, a carol is sung. This carol sets the stage for the readings, which take us from the Fall of Man to the Birth of Christ.

"The Truth from Above"

This is the truth sent from above,
The truth of God, the God of love;
Therefore don’t turn me from your door,
But hearken all both rich and poor.

The first thing which I do relate
Is that God did man create;
The next thing which to you I’ll tell:
Woman was made with man to dwell.

Then after this ’twas God’s own choice
To place them both in Paradise,
There to remain from evil free,
Except they ate of such a tree.

And they did eat, which was a sin,
And thus their ruin did begin;
Ruined themselves, both you and me,
And all of their posterity.

Thus we were heirs to endless woes,
Till God the Lord did interpose,
And so a promise soon did run
That he would redeem us by his Son.

Nine Lessons and Carols on All for Hymn

The Service of Nine Lessons and Carols will be broadcast live from King's College, Cambridge, England, at 10:00 AM EST on wfmt.org.

Can't make it for that? Here on All for Hymn you can catch readings and carols adapted for virtual form, starting at 6:00 PM EST, with consecutive posts every 3 hours through 9:00 PM EST on Christmas Day. The readings are pretty much the same, while some of the carols will differ.

Here's one of my favorites that didn't make it into the Virtual Nine Lessons and Carols:

Stephen Cleobury, "Infant Holy, Infant Lowly"

Infant holy,
Infant lowly,
For His bed a cattle stall;
Oxen lowing,
Little knowing,
Christ the Babe is Lord of all.
Swift are winging
Angels singing,
Noels ringing,
Tidings bringing:
Christ the Babe is Lord of all,
Christ the Babe is Lord of all.

Flocks were sleeping,
Shepherds keeping
vigil till the morning new;
Saw the glory,
Heard the story,
Tidings of a Gospel true.
Thus rejoicing,
Free from sorrow,
Praises voicing,
Greet the morrow:
Christ the Babe was born for you,
Christ the Babe was born for you.

Daily Advent Readings

About a month ago my friend Susann issued a challenge to read the Gospel of John, one chapter a day, starting 21 days before the First Sunday of Advent.

Many of our Facebook friends signed on for the journey! I decided to keep the ball rolling, and came up with a reading schedule for Advent that will take us through Dec. 24.

The focus is on the minor prophets of Hosea, Joel, Amos, and Obadiah.

One chapter a day, starting today. I post the reading each day on my Facebook profile. You can send a friend request here. Please leave the a comment in the friend request that says "I read your blog" or something to that effect so I can know the connection I have with you.

Other options: you can join the Facebook "event" here, or you can just follow along in your home.

Here is the schedule, day by day.

November 28: Hosea 1

November 29: Hosea 2

November 30: Hosea 3

December 1: Hosea 4

December 2: Hosea 5

December 3: Hosea 6

December 4: Hosea 7

December 5: Hosea 8

December 6: Hosea 9

December 7: Hosea 10

December 8: Hosea 11

December 9: Hosea 12

December 10: Hosea 13

December 11: Hosea 14

December 12: Joel 1

December 13: Joel 2

December 14: Joel 3

December 15: Amos 1

December 16: Amos 2

December 17: Amos 3

December 18: Amos 4

December 19: Amos 5

December 20: Amos 6

December 21: Amos 7

December 22: Amos 8

December 23: Amos 9

December 24: Obadiah - the entire book! ;)

The Facebook "event" is open to anyone with a facebook profile, you do not need an invitation. You can just sign up!

To get us started, here is a video of three settings of Nun komm der heiden Heiland.

Enjoy!

Savior of the nations, come;

Virgin’s Son, here make Thy home!

Marvel now, O heaven and earth,

That the Lord chose such a birth.

Not by human flesh and blood;

By the Spirit of our God

Was the Word of God made flesh,

Woman’s offspring, pure and fresh.

Wondrous birth! O wondrous Child

Of the virgin undefiled!

Though by all the world disowned,

Still to be in heaven enthroned.

From the Father forth He came

And returneth to the same,

Captive leading death and hell

High the song of triumph swell!

Thou, the Father’s only Son,

Hast over sin the victory won.

Boundless shall Thy kingdom be;

When shall we its glories see?

Brightly doth Thy manger shine,

Glorious is its light divine.

Let not sin o’ercloud this light;

Ever be our faith thus bright.

Praise to God the Father sing,

Praise to God the Son, our King,

Praise to God the Spirit be

Ever and eternally.

Special thanks to The Cyber Hymnal for these lyrics, which are in public domain.

Historic Moments: Attacks on Sept. 11, 2001

Nothing in my lifetime has been more memorable than the attacks of September 11, 2001.

I will not forget.

Here is a US News and World Report clip on the Memorial at the Pentagon. Sorry about the ad at the beginning. The clip is very good, though.

~~~~~

Here's Kate Smith singing God bless America.



I will not forget.

English Anthems: Accessibility to the Parish Choir, Part II

English anthems tend to have texts drawn from Scripture (word-for-word) or from liturgical sources such as the Mass, Evening Prayer, or appointed prayers for these occasions.

As such, if your church follows a liturgical tradition, the English anthem texts will have a ring of familiarity about them. If you read the texts without singing them, the words are often quotes from Scripture or prayers meant for corporate worship.

If you are introducing English anthems to your parish choir, a good place to start is with a familiar text. John Stainer's classic, "God So Loved the World," is practically a direct quote of John 3:16-17. Stainer lived from 1840 to 1901.

You can find a number of arrangements in public domain here.

+++++

God so loved the world,
God so loved the world
that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whoso believeth,
believeth in Him
should not parish,
should not parish
but have everlasting life.

For God sent not His Son
into the world to condemn the world,
God sent not His Son
into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world
through Him might be saved.

God so loved the world,
God so loved the world
that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whoso believeth,
believeth in Him
should not parish,
should not parish
but have everlasting life.
everlasting life,
everlasting,
everlasting life.
God so loved the world,
God so loved the world,
God so loved the world.

English Anthems: Accessibility to the Parish Choir, Part I

English anthems are, for the most part, accessible to the listener since they are not particularly fancy with their one note per syllable philosophy.

But what about the parish choir? Here are some anthems that are often used in parishes. The first is "Lord, For Thy Tender Mercy's Sake" believed to be composed by Richard Farrant.

If you are looking to introduce a bit of polyphonic music but don't want to overwhelm your parish choir, consider this piece. It starts out almost choral and hymn like, then breaks into simple polyphony, with two voices taking off at a time.

A video with the musical score is not available at this time, but you can find any number of editions in public domain and available for download here.

Shown in the video below is clip of a quartet from a local parish. I have always served smaller parish choirs, and have successfully done this piece with as few as 6 people. If necessary, a keyboard accompaniment (either organ or piano) may be added. Here in the video, the organ introduces the piece, gives the tone for the quartet, then the quartet sings a capella.

Some arrangements features an "Amen" at the end. The "Amen" may or may not have been part of the original piece. Most likely it was added on later.

+++++

Lord, for Thy tender mercy's sake
lay not our sins to our charge,
but for give that is past
and give us grace to amend our sinful lives.
To decline from sin
and incline to virtue
that we may walk in a perfect heart
before Thee now and evermore.

English Anthems: Samuel Sebastian Wesley

Samuel Sebastian Wesley (1810-1876) was the grandson of Charles Wesley (of the Methodist Movement) and son of composer Samuel Wesley (known for the tune "Aurelia" commonly sung to the text "The Church's One Foundation").

Wesley uses a text straight from Scripture here. You can pick out the verses from 1 Peter 1. He sets apart some of the text with unison and solo sections. He gives one section to alto-tenor-bass in unison, then solo soprano and unison soprano echo each other from both sides of the sanctuary (think traditional Anglican set-up with the choir facing each other in the front).

You might hear elements that are similar to Mendelssohn's "Hear My Prayer." The two were contemporaries of each other, although Mendelssohn was a bit older. After the anthem, there is an example of Wesley's organ compositions.

Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Which, according to His abundant mercy,
hath begotten us again
unto a lively hope
by the resurrection
of Jesus Christ
from the dead.

To an inheritance
incorruptible and undefiled
that fadeth not away,
reserved in heaven for you,
who are kept by the power of God
through faith unto salvation,
ready to be revealed
in the last time.

But as He
which hath called
you is holy,
so be ye holy
in all manner of conversation.
Pass the time
of your sojourning here
in fear, in fear.

Love one another
with a pure heart fervently.
See that ye love one another.

Being born again,
not of a corruptible seed,
but of an incorruptible,
by the Word of God.

For all flesh is as grass,
and all the glory of man
as the flower of grass.
The grass withereth
and the flower thereof
falleth away.

But the Word of the Lord
endureth forever.
But the Word of the Lord
endureth forevermore.
Amen.



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Choral Song
by Samuel Sebastian Wesley
Matt Edwards, Organist
1894 Hill Pipe Organ
Thomas Coats Memorial Church
Paisley, Scotland

English Anthems: Nunc Dimittis

The Nunc Dimittis, also known as "The Song of Simeon" is used in multiple places in the Lutheran orders. In North America you can find it at the end of the Divine Service, as an option for the canticle in Vespers, and chanted a capella in the Office of Compline (sometimes called, "Prayer at the Close of the Day").

Taken from Luke's account of the Presentation of Our Lord, this is the song sung by Simeon, to whom "it had been revealed ... by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ."

Several composers have set the English translation of this text. Here is one translation and just a few English anthems based on the text.

Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant
depart in peace
according to Thy Word,
for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation
which Thou hast prepared
before the face of all people.
To be a Light to light on the Gentiles
And to be the glory of Thy people Israel.
Glory be to the Father
And to the Son
And to the Holy Ghost,
As it was the beginning,
Is now and ever shall be,
World without end. Amen.

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Nunc Dimittis
by John Shephard (1515-1559)



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Nunc Dimittis
from The Shorter Service
by Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625)



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Nunc Dimittis
from Evening Service in g minor
by Henry Purcell (1659-1695)



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Nunc Dimittis
by Thomas Atwood Walmisley (1814-1856)



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Nunc Dimittis in D
by George Dyson, (1883-1964)
Dyson draws on chant as well as the English anthem style



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Nunc Dimittis
from The Short Service
by Philip Stopford [b. 1977(?)]

English Anthems from Spirituals?

As I was researching this series using the highly-regarded sources of YouTube and Wikipedia (if you find it there, it has to be true!), I came across this series from contemporary English composer Michael Tippett (1905-1998).

These are thoroughly English in style and sound, yet the texts and tunes come from the African-American spirituals.

The first is "Steel Away." There is an interesting use of dissidence in the solo voice whenever the text, "the trumpet sounds," appears. Another (below) is "Go Down, Moses."

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Steal away, steal away,
Steal away to Jesus.
Steal away, steal away home;
I ain't got long to stay here.

My Lord, He calls me,
He calls me by the thunder.
The trumpet sounds within-a my soul;
I ain't got long to stay here.

Green trees are bending;
Poor sinner souls attending.
The trumpet sounds within-a my soul;
I ain't got long to stay here.



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Go down, Moses,
Way down in Egypt land,
Tell, O pharaoh, to let my people go!

When Israel was in Egypt-land,
Let my people go!
Oppressed so hard they could not stand,
Let my people go!

"Thus spake the Lord," bold Moses said,
"Let my people go!
If not, I'll smite your first born dead
Let my people go!"