Sunday, February 28, 2010

Catching Up


I haven't changed this to a weekly blog, but I'm still having trouble with my computer and the internet. Ordinarily I bring the hymns to you, but this week I'm sending you out to find some on your own.

These are some of the entries you might have seen this week.

Monday, February 22

James Russell Lowell (1819 - 1891) American poet and educator

Sarah Flower Adams (1805 - 1848) British Unitarian poet

Friday, February 26

George C. Stebbins (1846 - 1945) American gospel song composer and author of a 1924 book containing his personal reminiscences of his fellow composers (which I consult often when writing about them).

Saturday, February 27

William J. Kirkpatrick (1838 - 1921) American gospel song composer

Charles Hubert Hastings Parry (1848 - 1918) British composer

In addition, Wednesday, February 24 was the feast day of Saint Matthias. the first apostle chosen following the Ascension, who has had a few hymns written for him. Also, Tuesday, February 23 was the feast day of the lesser-known Saint Polycarp, about whom I might have written...

O Polycarp, Saint Polycarp,
We sound your praises on the harp;
We wish this hymn were longer, true,
But few have ever heard of you,

C.W.S., 2008
Tune: VOM HIMMEL HOCH (L.M.)
Geistliche Lieder, 1539
harm. Johann Sebastian Bach, 18th cent.
But I didn't, because of my computer troubles.

Hope to resume regular posting sometime this week. Come back again.

4 comments:

Dorothy said...

Thanks for the treasure hunt! Hope your computer is soon well, C.W.S.

Adam said...

I was humming your Polycarp text to O TANNENBAUM, and was very disappointed to run out of lines!

C.W.S. said...

O TANNENBAUM works if you sing the whole text twice, since you can use Long Meter Double (L.M.D.) texts for it.

Leland Bryant Ross said...

The Polycarp piece is cute, reminds me of my "Sol Invictus" (which goes to FRÈRE JACQUES):

Sol Invictus, Sol Invictus!
What a [guy/god], what a [guy/god]!
Lets us use his birthday
To remember Jesus!
Thank you, Sol, thank you, Sol!

Leland aka Haruo