Composer and Anglican priest John Darwall was baptized on this date in 1732. For most of the last three hundred years his birthdate was unknown, but more recently both the online Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology and Glory to God: A Companion (2016) by Carl P. Daw list the date as December 27, 1731.
Dr. Daw goes on to say that Darwall was "a talented amateur musician, (who) did much to revive congregational singing at the parish where he served longest, working particularly to encourage the singing of the psalms at a less dreary tempo than had become customary."
Though he wrote tunes to accompany all of the paraphrased psalms in the New Version by Nahum Tate and Nicholas Brady, we only sing one of those tunes today, the one which was written for Psalm 148. However, this tune is sung across most denominations and to many different texts (three others thus far on the blog, and the fourth today).
Break, day of God, O break,
The night has lingered long;
Our hearts with courage wake,
To strive against all wrong:
O Lamb of God, whose love is light,
Shine on my soul, and all is bright.
Break, day of God, O break!
The earth with strife is worn;
The hills with thunder shake,
Hearts of the people mourn;
Break, day of God, sweet day of peace,
And bid the shout of warriors cease!
Break, day of God, O break,
Like to the days above!
Let justice now awake,
And faith, and hope, and love:
For lo! we see the brightening sky;
The golden morn is drawing nigh.
Henry Burton, 1900; alt.
Tune: DARWALL (6.6.6.6.8.8.)
John Darwall, 1770
The first lines of each of Darwall's tunes can be seen at this site, though unfortunately not the whole tunes.
Seven Years Ago: John Darwall
Eight Years Ago: John Darwall
Today is the anniversary of the baptism of clergyman, composer and poet John Darwall, in 1731 (date of birth unknown). For some unknown reason, of the many tunes he wrote only one has been in general use for the last 200 years.
Since writing about him here last year, I've had another year to look through nineteenth century hymnbooks, and I still haven't seen any more of his tunes published. Still seems odd to me that none of them were more widely used. But the one that we do know is so popular and so grand that many texts have been sung to it and written for it, at least one in most hymnals. We can use it every year for quite a while without running out of hymns.
This text is a paraphrase of Psalm 84 (the tune was originally matched with Psalm 148) by Isaac Watts, first published in his collection The Psalms of David (1719).
God of the worlds above,
How pleasant and how fair
The dwellings of thy love,
Thine earthly temples are!
To thine abode,
My heart aspires
With warm desires
To see my God.
O happy souls that pray
Where God appoints to hear!
O happy souls that pay
Their constant service there!
They praise thee still;
And happy they
That love the way
To Zion’s hill.
They go from strength to strength,
Through all this vale of tears,
Till each arrives at length,
Till each in heaven appears;
O glorious seat!
God, whom we sing,
Shall thither bring
Our willing feet!
God is our Sun and Shield,
Our Light and our Defense;
God's hands with gifts are filled;
We draw our blessings thence.
Thrice happy we,
O God of hosts,
Whose spirits trust
Alone in thee.
Isaac Watts, 1719; alt.
Tune: DARWALL (H.M.)
John Darwall, 1773
This text is written in the unique Hallelujah Meter (6.6.6.6.4.4.4.4.), sometimes also written as (6.6.6.6.8.8.). The first four lines are each six syllables, the last lines are either four lines of four syllables or two lines of eight syllables (the difference is generally where the rhymes are). Though there are many other tunes written to this meter, I'd guess that most of them are joined to texts that have also been sung at some time to DARWALL.
One Year Ago: John Darwall
English clergyman, composer and poet John Darwall was baptized on this day in 1731, another case where an actual birth date is lost to posterity. He served the congregation of St. Matthew's parish in Walsall, Staffordshire from his ordination to his death in 1789.
Darwall composed tunes for all 150 psalms as paraphrased in A New Version of the Psalms of David (1696) by Nicholas Brady and Nahum Tate. His tunes were written in two parts only: melody and bass. The British Museum has his manuscript books of the tunes, and the first line of each can be seen online (the opening of Psalm 1 is the picture above).
However, only one of his tunes is still known, though it appears in just about any hymnal you might find today. We know it as DARWALL, or sometimes DARWALL'S 148th as it was written for this Tate and Brady paraphrase of that psalm.
Ye boundless realms of joy,
Exalt your Maker's fame,
God's praise your song employ
Above the starry frame;
Your voices raise,
Ye cherubim
And seraphim,
To sing God's praise.
Thou moon, that rul'st the night,
And sun, that guid'st the day,
Ye glittering stars of light,
To God your homage pay.
God's praise declare,
Ye heavens above
And clouds that move
In liquid air.
Let all their powers be stirred,
To praise God's holy name,
By whose almighty Word
They all from nothing came;
And all shall last
From changes free;
God's firm decree
Stands ever fast.
United zeal be shown
God's wondrous fame to raise,
whose glorious name alone
Deserves our endless praise.
Earth's utmost ends
God's power obey;
This glorious sway
The sky transcends.
Nicholas Brady & Nahum Tate, 1696; alt.
Tune: DARWALL (6.6.6.6.4.4.4.4.)
John Darwall, 1773
DARWALL has been used for a great many texts over the years, some fitting better than others. The law of averages alone would indicate that anyone who could write one tune as remarkable and long-lasting as this one must have written something else worthwhile among those other 149 tunes (and the unknown others that he wrote to non-psalm texts). But somehow this is the only one that has come down to us.
