Liturgical Variations: Understanding Liturgical Worship, Part IV (c)

What about English versions of the Gloria? There are some issues with modern translations of the text into English.
If you are singing from an older Anglican or English Lutheran hymnbook, or your translation contains words like "Thee" and "Thou," chances are you have a good translation.

It probably reads something like this...

Glory be to God on high.
And in earth peace goodwill towards men.
We praise Thee.
We bless Thee.
We worship Thee.
We glorify Thee.
We give thanks to Thee for Thy great glory.
O Lord God, heavenly King
God the Father almighty.
O Lord, the only-begotten Son Jesus Christ.
O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father.
Thou that takest away the sins of the world,
have mercy upon us.
Thou that takest away the sins of the world,
receive our prayer.
Thou that sittest at the right of the Father,
have mercy upon us.
For Thou only art Holy.
Thou only art the Lord.
Thou only, O Christ,
with the Holy Ghost,
art Most High in the glory of God the Father.
Amen.

This is very close to Iggy's Literal Translation, with the exception of today's "you" and "your" instead of "thou" and "thine." Please ask permission before borrowing this translation.

Glory to God in the highest
and on earth peace to men of goodwill.
We praise You;
We bless You;
We worship You;
We glorify You;
We give thanks to You
for Your great glory.
Lord God, Heavenly King
God the Father Almighty.
Lord, the only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ;
Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father,
Who takes away the sin of the world,
have mercy on us;
Who takes away the sin of the world,
receive our prayers;
Who sits at the right hand of the Father,
have mercy on us.
For You alone are holy,
You alone are the Lord,
You alone are the Most High,
Jesus Christ,
with the Holy Spirit
in the glory of God the Father.
Amen

The International Counsel on English Texts (ICET) took some liberties with the translation, and used almost a paraphrase of the Latin.

To begin with, while the literal translation is "men" the application is "people" so I won't get hung up on that one. However, what happened to "goodwill?"

Latin
Gloria in excelsis Deo
Et in terra pax hominibus voluntatis

Iggy
Glory to God in the highest
and on earth peace goodwill toward men.

ICET
Glory to God in the highest,
and peace to His people on earth.

On another note, the current trend is to change the word "His" to "God's" in the second phrase of the ICET text. Curiously enough, if they had been faithful to the original text, there would be no pronoun there to begin with. That being said, pronouns keep us from being too repetitive with names, so the use of "His" is not only theologically correct, it is also grammatically correct.

The ICET text also loses the repetition in the beginning. In the ICET text we only worship, give thanks, and praise. We do not bless or glorify. The original text builds and builds and builds, heaping one form of praise upon the other. The ICET text is truncated at best, condensing five clauses into three.

Latin
laudamus te
benedicimus te
adoramus te
glorificamus te
gratias agimus tibi
propter magnam gloriam tuam

Iggy
We praise You;
We bless You;
We worship You;
We glorify You;
We give thanks to You
for Your great glory.

ICET
We worship You,
We give You thanks,
We praise You for your glory.

Another thing that is lost is the allusion to the Agnus Dei (Lamb of God) that will appear later in the Divine Service, just before we receive communion. This echo reminds us that we are preparing to partake in the Holy Supper and receive the Body and Blood of our Lord, as Scripture states, "given...and shed for the forgiveness of sins."

Latin
Dómine Deus Agnus Dei Fílius Patris
qui tollis peccáta mundi
miserére nobis
Qui tollis peccáta mundi
súscipe deprecatiónem nostram
Qui sedes ad déxteram Patris
miserére nobis

Iggy
Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father,
Who takes away the sin of the world,
have mercy on us;
Who takes away the sin of the world,
receive our prayers;
Who sits at the right hand of the Father,
have mercy on us.

ICET
Lord God, Lamb of God,
you take away the sin of the world:
have mercy on us;
You are seated at the right hand of the Father:
receive our prayer.

Note to hymnal committees around the world: if you would never consider The Living Bible or The Message for corporate worship, then perhaps the ICET text is not for you, either. Let's take a more literal approach to the Gloria, something along the lines of the English Stander Version instead of The Living Bible.

At any rate, here is a setting of the ICET text. This one takes the first full line of text as the refrain.

And here is the Healey Willan setting of the historic translation. I believe this one was commissioned by Concordia Publishing House for use with children. When you hear "children" in this sense, think about a classic music education for middle grade children, as opposed to songs for younger children, such as "Jesus Loves Me" or "I Am Jesus' Little Lamb."

This is the third post of four in a series about the Kyrie and Gloria in the Divine Service based on a post by Micah at Liturgical Variations.  Next in this series, the "other" hymn of praise, "This Is the Feast."

Check out all of Micah's posts over at Liturgical Variations.  Micah is a student at Concordia University Texas.

Liturgical Variations: Understanding Liturgical Worship, Part IV (b)

The historic mass follows the Kyrie with the Gloria. The Lutheran Rite now offers "This Is the Feast" as an alternate.

Regarding the Gloria, Micah at Liturgical Variations says

Assured He will come with mercy, we burst forth in song, proclaiming Who He is and what He has done for us. We sing the very same song that the angels sang when Christ physically came to earth (Immanuel- God-with-Us) to pay for the sin of all people...

The Gloria is drawn from the Latin Mass. Here is a look at the historic Latin text and a literal translation of it.

Historic Latin Text
Gloria in excelsis Deo
et in terra pax hominibus bonevoluntatis
laudamus te
benedicimus te
adoramus te
glorificamus te
gratias agimus tibi
propter magnam gloriam tuam
Dómine Deus Rex cæléstis
Deus Pater omnípotens
Dómine Fili unigénite Jesu Christe
Dómine Deus Agnus Dei Fílius Patris
qui tollis peccáta mundi
miserére nobis
Qui tollis peccáta mundi
súscipe deprecatiónem nostram
Qui sedes ad déxteram Patris
miserére nobis
Quóniam tu solus Sanctus
Tu solus Dóminus
Tu solus Altíssimus
Jesu Christe
Cum Sancto Spíritu
in glória Dei Patris
Amen

Iggy's Translation
[Please ask permission before borrowing this translation]
Glory to God in the highest
and on earth peace to men of goodwill.
We praise You;
We bless You;
We worship You;
We glorify You;
We give thanks to You
for Your great glory.
Lord God, Heavenly King
God the Father Almighty.
Lord, the only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ;
Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father,
Who takes away the sin of the world,
have mercy on us;
Who takes away the sin of the world,
receive our prayers;
Who sits at the right hand of the Father,
have mercy on us.
For You alone are holy,
You alone are the Lord,
You alone are the Most High,
Jesus Christ,
with the Holy Spirit
in the glory of God the Father.
Amen

The Gloria and its counterpart This Is the Feast are often omitted in Advent and Lent. This reflects the penitential nature of these seasons.

We get the term "Gloria" from the Latin Bible. It is the first word in the song the angels sang to the shepherds.

Gloria in excelsis deo
Glory to God in the highest

Below is a straight-forward Latin Gloria set to Gregorian chant.

Here is a wonderful setting of the Latin Gloria sung by a boys choir.  The setting is by Valentin Rathgeber, an early Baroque composer.  It is common even today that a cantor introduces (or intones) the first phrases of the Gloria with a chant, and then the choir or congregation responds with the rest of the text.

Bach and Vivaldi have wonderful settings of the Gloria. They provide a setting for each sentence or phrase of the Gloria, so these will be less practical for congregational worship. Bach's version takes over six minutes just to get through the first line. If you are looking to highlight the Gloria in your annual Christmas concert, though, these would be wonderful options.

JS Bach, Part I
Gloria in Excelsis Deo
et in terra pax hominibus bonevoluntatis



Vivaldi, Part I
Gloria in Excelsis Deo

A contemporary composer who takes a shorter approach is John Rutter. This one is three sections, but still about 20 minutes long. If you use this in the Divine Service, you might have the choir sing one of the three sections, and have a cantor chant the other two.

Rutter, Part I
Gloria in excelsis Deo
et in terra pax hominibus bonevoluntatis
laudamus te
benedicimus te
adoramus te
glorificamus te
gratias agimus tibi
propter magnam gloriam tuam
Gloria excelsis Deo

If you are looking for a straight-forward setting and you want ot show off your choir's Latin skills in a single, brief setting, try this Mozart work.

This is the second post of four in a series about the Kyrie and Gloria in the Divine Service based on a post by Micah at Liturgical Variations.  Next in this series, comparing English translations of the Gloria.

Check out all of Micah's posts over at Liturgical Variations.  Micah is a student at Concordia University Texas.

Liturgical Variations: Understanding Liturgical Worship, Part IV (a)

Micah over at Variations on a Liturgical Theme has posted his latest installment of Understanding the Liturgical Worship Service.

Topics include:

• The Kyrie
• Gloria in Excelsis/This Is the Feast

Regarding the Kyrie, Micah says...

Because we have rebelled against His perfect Law, we cower in terror and plead with Him not to destroy us for our insurrection (sin), but to deal with us graciously. We beg our benevelant King to have mercy on us, a sinner. (Luke 18:13)

The word kyrie is the first word the Greek liturgy for this section. In it, the phrase Kyrie eleison means, "Lord, have mercy." Sometimes the Greek term is retained in its entirety.

Here is the Kyrie from Bach's Mass in B minor. Bach used the Latin Mass, which retained the Kyrie in the Greek form.

The Kyrie has been known to expand and contract over time.  The historic English translation is "Lord, have mercy upon us."  The words "upon us" have been added.  The phrase can stand on its own or it can be a response to a series of petitions, where a deacon or pastor chants the petition and the congregation responds with "Lord, have mercy."

Here is an expanded Kyrie from the Eastern Rite in Greek. I would like to thank the GreekOrthodox over at youtube for posting the words in Greek and English.

Κύριε ἐλέησον, Κύριε ἐλέησον, Κύριε ἐλέησον.
Ἔτι δεόμεθα ὑπὲρ τοῦ εἰσακοῦσαι Κύριον
τὸν Θεὸν φωνῆς τῆς δεήσεως ἡμῶν τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν,
καὶ ἐλεῆσαι ἡμᾶς.
Κύριε ἐλέησον, Κύριε ἐλέησον, Κύριε ἐλέησον.

Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy.
Again we pray that the Lord God
will hear the voices of the petitions of us sinners
and have mercy on us.
Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy.

And from the Latin Rite, here it is in Gregorian Chant.

Kyrie eleison, Kyrie eleison, Kyrie eleison.
Christe eleison, Christe eleison, Christe eleison.
Kyrie eleison, Kyrie eleison, Kyrie eleison.

Lord, have mercy; Lord, have mercy; Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy; Christ, have mercy; Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy; Lord, have mercy; Lord, have mercy.

For more on the Kyrie and for a setting from Luther's German Mass, check out this post here at All for Hymn.

This is the first post of four in a series about the Kyrie and Gloria in the Divine Service based on a post by Micah at Liturgical Variations.  Next in this series, settings of the Gloria in Latin.

Check out all of Micah's posts over at Liturgical Variations.  Micah is a student at Concordia University Texas.

Table Talk Radio: Table Scraps

Occasionally, Table Talk Radio will produce programs that air outside of their regular broadcast time called "Table Scraps." These programs can vary in length and tend to cover just one topic. Here are the latest summaries for Table Scraps...

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Table Scraps: Religious with Vicar Pierson

For this edition of Table Scraps, we are joined by Vicar Mark Pierson of University Lutheran Chapel in Los Angeles, CA (located at UCLA) to discuss the documentary by Bill Maher entitled "Religious."

~~~~~

Table Scraps: John 1 and the Incarnation

"And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us" John 1:14 is one of the most wonderful passage of the incarnation in all of Scripture. In this Table Scraps, we talk to Pastor Dale Dumperth of Grace Lutheran Church in McPherson, KS to talk about the Incarnation and John chapter one.

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Table Scraps Live: Creationism vs. Evolution with Dr. Jackson

For the first Table Scraps Live we interview Dr. Charles Jackson of Creation Truth Foundation taking calls and email questions about Evolution and Creationism.

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Catching Up with Table Talk Radio

Apparently I've given up Table Talk Radio for Advent and Christmas, so now that we are squarely in the Epiphany season here is the backlog of show synopses.

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Show #76: The Worst of Table Talk Radio

There are some games we play on Table Talk Radio that only make a single appearances. This is because they are really bad. In this edition of Table Talk Radio, we are bringing all the worst games back for one hour of horror. Listen at your own risk.

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Show #77: Emails, Praise Songs, Baptism

In this edition we are joined by Vicar Brian Bucklew of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Mobile, AL after responding to listeners, we crunch a couple praise songs, and talk about baptism. Vicar Bucklew wrote a newsletter article entitled Baptism Works the Forgiveness Sins, which can be read here, under the articles tab.

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Show #78: Merry Christmas from Table Talk Radio

By way of our Listener Response Line, 866-851-5523, we mix Bumper Sticker Theology and Which Ladder. After that we play Name that Theologian and end up with Book of Concord Bee.

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Show #79: The Predictable Pastor

Introducing the new game, The Predicable Pastor, where Evan tries to guess how Pastor will respond to different news clips. Pastor and Evan also go head-to-head in Bible Bee and end up by playing Ten Commandments in the News.

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Show #80: 2009 Idolatry Award Show

As our review of 2009, and for the second year in a row, we are joined Chris Rosebrough to be the judge for the 2nd Annual Idolatry Award Show to discern what is wrong with the marketing gimmicks found in the Christian church today.

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Straight Schlueter on Baptism vs. Pietism

Reverend Paul Schlueter, whose blog is aptly named Straight Schlueter, contrasts the baptismal life of a Christian with self-serving pietism. You can check out his post here.

I draw your attention to this post as Pastor Schlueter doesn't speak of pietism in vagueness, but goes so far as to help us define it.

Pietism has at its heart the notion that the individual is and can be better than they are. Pietism promotes a self-delusion of personal righteousness that one must hold on to at all costs. Because pietism is built on your moral improvement you have to hold out for your own goodness, you have to pretend on the surface that you are "pulling it off", that you are living the Christian life, that you are an example for everyone else to follow. As a result, pietism forces us to overlook the sin that lurks within.

Speaking for myself, I am a great poseur.  It's easy to make like I am pulling it off, like I am holier than this guy or that gal because at least I have never done "that."  And THAT is way worse than anything I have ever done.

It is important to note that there is  "piety" and then there is "Pietism."

Piety shows itself in our personal devotional lives in the form of reading the Bible, singing hymns together as a family, saying a prayer before and after a meal, etc.

Pietism takes our everyday piety to the extreme, and turns the focus of our piety on ourselves instead of on Jesus.

A good hymn that speaks of appropriate piety is "Let Us Ever Walk With Jesus."

Let us ever walk with Jesus,
Follow His example pure,
Flee the world, which would deceive us
And to sin our souls allure.
Ever in His footsteps treading,
Body here, yet soul above,
Full of faith and hope and love,
Let us do the Father's bidding.
Faithful Lord, abide with me;
Savior, lead, I follow Thee.

Let us suffer here with Jesus,
To His image, e'er conform;
Heaven's glory soon will please us,
Sunshine follow on the storm.
Though we sow in tears of sorrow,
We shall reap with heavenly joy;
And the fears that now annoy
Shall be laughter on the morrow.
Christ, I suffer here with Thee;
There, oh, share Thy joy with me!

Let us also die with Jesus.
His death from the second death,
From our soul's destruction, frees us,
Quickens us with life's glad breath.
Let us mortify, while living,
Flesh and blood and die to sin;
And the grave that shuts us in
Shall but prove the gate to heaven.
Jesus, here I die to Thee
There to live eternally.

Let us gladly live with Jesus;
Since He's risen from the dead,
Death and grave must soon release us.
Jesus, Thou art now our Head,
We are truly Thine own members;
Where Thou livest, there live we.
Take and own us constantly,
Faithful Friend, as Thy dear brethren.
Jesus, here I live to Thee,
Also there eternally.

Just for Fun: Muppet takes Beethoven

Careful, Beeker. Careful!!!