If Your Line Is Grounded

On this date in 1876, the United States Patent Office issued Patent #174,465 to Alexander Graham Bell for “the method of, and apparatus for, transmitting vocal or other sounds telegraphically ... by causing electrical undulations, similar in form to the vibrations of the air accompanying the said vocal or other sound,” or, as we know it now, the telephone. Three days later Bell finally achieved his initial goal when his famous quote “Mr. Watson, come here -- I want to see you” was transmitted between rooms of his workshop to his waiting assistant.

Over the next century the telephone developed from that primitive “apparatus” into a device that was, for better or for worse, present in most American households. In the last twenty years, advances in telephone technology have spread its use even farther, so that every individual person in that household can now carry one around in one's pocket.

We were nowhere near that point in 1919; the telephone was still a rather new invention, but it was at least known to most people. I suppose it may have seemed slightly miraculous to many, which brings us to this gospel song published in that year by Nazarene pastor Frederick M. Lehman, likening the process of prayer to talking on the telephone.

Central’s never “busy,” always on the line;
You may hear from Heaven almost any time;
’Tis a royal service, free for one and all;
When you get in trouble, give this royal line a call.

Refrain
Telephone to glory, O what joy divine!
I can feel the current moving on the line,
Built by God the Father for His loved and own,
We may talk to Jesus thru this royal telephone.

There will be no charges, telephone is free,
It was built for service, just for you and me;
There will be no waiting on this royal line,
Telephone to glory always answers just in time.
Refrain

Fail to get the answer, Satan’s crossed your wire,
By some strong delusion, or some base desire;
Take away obstructions, God is on the throne,
And you’ll get your answer through this royal telephone.
Refrain

If your line is “grounded,” and connection true
Has been lost with Jesus, tell you what to do;
Prayer and faith and promise, mend the broken wire,
’Till your soul is burning with the Pentecostal fire.
Refrain

Carnal combinations cannot get control
Of this line to glory, anchored in the soul;
Storm and trial cannot disconnect the line,
Held in constant keeping by the Father’s hand divine.
Refrain

Frederick Lehman, 1919
Tune: THE ROYAL TELEPHONE (6.5.6.5.6.5.6.7 with refrain)
arr. Claudia Lehman Mays, 1919

This seems somewhat amusing to us today, but the idea of writing a song of praise to God with a technological theme is not altogether unknown. Offhand, I'm thinking of Life in the Loom by Mary Lathbury, and there are probably others. And I guess you could include Earth and all stars, a 1968 (copyrighted) hymn by Herbert Brokering which includes the lines:

Classrooms and labs, loud boiling test-tubes,
Sing to the Lord a new song!

but I don't know of any hymns yet about iPods or laptop computers.

Frederick Lehman published five volumes for congregational singing called Songs That Are Different, which included some other unusual numbers, such as one called John Barleycorn Is Dead, King Nicotine Must Die (we haven't talked much here about temperance hymns and hymnals, but they were big business too). Lehman wrote more conventional hymns and songs as well. including The Love of God, which seems to be enjoying a resurgence in recent years.

More Voices Found: Lucy Larcom

Lucy Larcom (March 5, 1824 - April 17, 1893) was born in the seaside town of Beverly, Massachusetts into a family of eight daughters. Her father, a retired sea captain, died when the girls were young, and her mother moved the family to the town of Lowell, where she opened a boarding house for workers at the local cotton mills.

Lucy, like her sisters, worked in the mills herself for ten years, starting at age 11. A brief description of life in the mill can be found here, but she wrote a far more lasting account in the autobiographical A New England Girlhood (1889) her most well-known book, which is still in print today.

During the time Lucy worked at the mill, the girls there formed a kind of literary club called the Improvement Circle, where they read books and wrote poems and stories, which they published in a magazine, the Lowell Offering, said to be the first American magazine written solely by women. The Offering came to the attention of the poet John Greenleaf Whittier, who took an interest in Lucy's work and became a lifelong friend.

After her employment at the mill, Larcom attended the Monticello Ladies' Seminary in Illinois, earning her tuition by also teaching some of the younger classes. She returned to Massachusetts where she taught at the Wheaton Female Seminary (now Wheaton College) in Norton. Poor health caused her to give up teaching, and she became the editor of Our Young Folks, a magazine for children.

Larcom published several volumes of poetry during her life, and edited some collections by her friend Whittier. Several of her verses on religious themes have been used as hymns. Probably the most widely-known of these was Draw thou my soul, O Christ, but this one caught my eye for today. It first appeared in her book Wild Roses of Cape Ann (1880), and may have been first used as a hymn in the Song-Hymnal of Praise and Joy (1924), a collection edited by Pluma Brown which included twelve hymns by Larcom, perhaps more than any other hymnal.

Into the ocean of thy peace,
Almighty One, my thoughts would flow;
Bid their unrestful murmurings cease,
And thy great calmness let me know.

The world is bright and glad in thee!
No hopeless gloom its face enshrouds;
Joy lights the mountains, thrills the sea,
And weaves bright tints through all the clouds.

O God, how beautiful is life,
Since thou its soul and sweetness art!
How dims its trifling fret and strife
In thy all-harmonizing heart!

One soul with thee forevermore,
Borne high beyond the gulfs of death --
A joy that ripples on thy shore --
With life's vast hymn I blend my breath.

Lucy Larcom, 1880
Tune: TALLIS' CANON (L.M.)
Thomas Tallis, 1560

By the time she wrote this text Larcom was living once more in Beverly; its title in Wild Roses of Cape Ann was "A Sea-Side Hymn." In Pluma Brown's hymnal it is matched to the tune ERNAN by Lowell Mason, but I chose the older tune by Tallis for its somewhat gentler mood (and because it's more likely to be sung again with a better-known tune).


P.S. I know there are several new readers here in recent months, and you might be curious about the More Voices Found heading used on the last two days. It's an ongoing theme at CWS and I've written about it in two previous entries: here and here. And if you click on the tag below you can find several of the reclaimed works by women.

More Voices Found: Matilda Betham-Edwards

English writer Matilda Barbara Betham-Edwards was born in Suffolk on this day in 1836. She wrote her first novel at 21, and went on to write several more volumes of prose and poetry. Following the death of her father, Edward Edwards, in 1864 she moved to London, where she became part of the established literary world, and befriended writers such as George Eliot and Henry James.

Betham-Edwards used the hyphenated name to retain her mother's maiden name, Betham, and perhaps to retain her connection to her aunt and godmother, Matilda Betham, who was also a writer (and friend of Anna Laetitia Barbauld). Later in life, the younger Matilda wrote about her aunt in her book Six Life Studies of Famous Women (1880), which also included chapters on the astronomer Caroline Herschel, and African explorer Alexandrine Tinne, among others.

She also traveled extensively and wrote about her travels to various places, especially France, which she considered a second home due to her Huguenot background. The French government awarded her the title of Officier de l’Instruction Publique de France in recognition of her efforts to establish understanding of France and its people among the British.

Betham-Edwards also wrote several books for children, both prose and poetry. The following poem, which has appeared in several hymnals, was first published in the magazine Good Words in 1873.

God, make my life a little light
Within the world to glow;
A little flame that burneth bright,
Wherever I may go.

God. make my life a little flower
That giveth joy to all,
Content to bloom in native bower,
Although the place be small.

God. make my life a little song
That comforteth the sad,
That helpeth others to be strong,
And makes the singer glad.

God. make my life a little staff
Whereon the weary rest,
That so what health and strength I have
May serve my neighbors best.

God. make my life a little hymn
Of tenderness and praise,
Of faith, that never waxeth dim,
In all thy wondrous ways.

Matilda B, Betham-Edwards, 1873; alt.
Tune: ALBANO (C.M.)
Vincent Novello, 1868

Matilda Betham-Edwards died of a stroke in 1919. In her later years she returned to Suffolk, living for some years in the town of Hastings on the south shore of England, where the plaque below marks one of her homes. The first biographical sketch written after her death, by friend and novelist Sarah Grand, was published with a posthumous work, Mid-Victorian Memories. A more extensive biography by Joan Rees appeared in 2006.

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.

The Bread of Angels Sharing

The appointed Gospel lesson for the First Sunday in Lent has remained the same in many traditions since the sixth century, the story of Jesus' sojourn in the wilderness. He spent forty days there, fasting, praying and resisting temptation, which we now mark in the church calendar with the season of Lent.

The final line in the story, from Matthew 4: 11, reads: Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him. This ties in to Psalm 91, also read today, and particularly verse 11: For God will command the angels to guard you in all your ways.

Which brings us to today's hymn, an anonymous Latin text from the seventeenth century which begins:

O esca viatórum,
O panis angelórum,
O manna coélitum,
Esuriéntes ciba,
Dulcédine non priva
Corda quæréntium.

This text has been set to music by several different composers, and translated into English a number of times as well. This version is drawn from a few different translations.

O Food of souls wayfaring,
The bread of angels sharing,
O Manna from on high!
We hunger; Christ, supply us,
Nor thy delights deny us,
Whose hearts to thee draw nigh.

O stream of love past telling,
O purest fountain, welling
From out the Savior's side!
Come now, thy love bestowing
On thirsting souls, and flowing
Till all are satisfied.

O Jesus, by thee bidden,
We here adore thee, hidden
'Neath forms of bread and wine.
Grant when the veil is riven,
We may behold, in heaven,
Thy countenance divine.

Latin, 17th cent.
Translation composite; alt.
Tune: O WELT, ICH MUS DICH LASSEN (7.7.6.7.7.6.)
Heinrich Isaac, 15th cent.
harm J.S. Bach, 1729

In one of the many stories from the life of Saint Dominic, his community of friars was unable to raise the necessary funds to feed themselves, after having given away their own possessions, and were visited by two angels who brought them sustenance. The mural below, picturing this story, is from the Convent of San Marco in Florence, painted by Giovanni Antonio Sogliani.

Transfigured in Remembered Light

Though the Feast of the Transfiguration technically falls on August 6, it seems to be more often observed these days on the last Sunday of the Epiphany season, before the beginning of Lent of Ash Wednesday. Apparently it was the Lutheran church which may have first moved this observance from August.

The story of Jesus' transfiguration is told in three of the Gospels. This morning we heard the version from Luke 9:28-36. The disciples recognize this great wonder as another revelation of Jesus' divine nature, as in the other Epiphany narratives. As usual, they are so taken with the spectacle that their first impulse is to try to preserve the moment. They don't quite understand how it relates to their new mission.

The Unitarian Frederick Lucian Hosmer takes the wonder of the story and brings it down the mountain into our daily lives.

Not always on the mount may we
Rapt in the heav’nly vision be:
The shores of thought and feeling know
The Spirit’s tidal ebb and flow.

“Lord, it is good abiding here,”
We cry, the heav’nly presence near:
The vision vanishes, our eyes
Are lifted into vacant skies.

Yet hath one such exalted hour
Upon the soul redeeming power,
And in that strength, through all our days,
We travel our appointed ways,

Till all this earthly vale grows bright,
Transfigured in remembered light,
And in untiring souls we bear
The freshness of the upper air.

The mount for vision: but below
The paths of daily duty go,
And nobler life therein shall own
The pattern on the mountain shown.

Frederick Lucian Hosmer, 1882; alt.
Tune: GERMANY (L.M.)
from William Gardiner's Sacred Melodies, 1815


Two Years Ago: Triple-Header

Fanny Crosby

Last week I mentioned that the Episcopal Church calendar has added many "provisional" commemorations this year, and today is one of the new ones most relevant to hymn lovers.

Fanny Crosby has been newly placed on this calendar (one day before the anniversary of her death in 1915), though, as the linked lectionary site points out, none of her works appear in the current denominational Hymnal 1982 (or its immediate predecessor, the Hymnal 1940). In fact, I'm not yet sure whether any of her gospel songs made it to the "official" denominational hymnals of 1871, 1892, or 1916; their indexes are not as robust as modern-day hymnals generally boast, but I haven't found any yet.

However, she has often appeared in supplemental Episcopalian books, from the current Voices Found (2003) which has Blessed assurance and To God be the glory, to Lift Every Voice and Sing II, all the way back to The Mission Hymnal (1885) and the earliest one I've found, the Hymnal for Children (1877), which included Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord.

This one probably did not appear in any Episcopalian collections, but it's my most recent Fanny "find."

When the clouds hang low and heavy,
And the rolling surge we hear,
When no earthly pow’r can shield us
From the storm that most we fear,
O ’tis then our Savior’s presence
To the trusting heart is shown,
In a bright and glorious vision
Of the rainbow 'round the throne.

Refrain
O the rainbow 'round the throne!
Lovely rainbow 'round the throne!
Ever brilliant, ever sparkling
Shines the rainbow 'round the throne.

When we stand amid the conflict
Of the battle raging high,
When the tempter seems to triumph,
And our friends despairing fly,
With the fleetness of an arrow
God’s protecting care is shown,
In the brightness that descendeth
From the rainbow 'round the throne.
Refrain

When the veil of time is lifted,
And the shadows melt away,
When we fall asleep in Jesus,
And awake in endless day,
When the battle march is ended,
And our cares and tears have flown,
We shall gaze, and gaze forever,
On the rainbow 'round the throne.
Refrain

Fanny Crosby, 1891; alt.
Tune; RAINBOW ROUND (8.7.8.7.D. with refrain)
John R. Sweney, 1891

I think Fanny would have appreciated this honor, even though she herself was a Methodist. She knew that her songs were sung across many denominations, and we know that they still are.

I like the prayer appointed for this day:

O God, the blessed assurance of all who trust in thee: We give thee thanks for thy servant Fanny Crosby, who, though blind from infancy, beheld thy glory with great clarity of vision and spent her life giving voice to thy people’s heartfelt praise; and we pray that we, inspired by her words and example, may rejoice to sing of thy love, praising our Savior all the day long; who livest and reignest with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God in perfect harmony, now and for ever. Amen.


One Year Ago: Washington Gladden

Mending Our Fisher Nets

One of the readings today was Luke 5:1-11, with Jesus bringing an enormous catch of fish to fis disciples and explaining its wider meaning. This hymn brings that experience and that calling to us, the modern congregation.

Holy, holy, holy, Christ, thy disciples
Gather in devotion to sing and speak of thee:
Holy, holy, holy, beautiful and gracious,
Still in our hearts we dwell in Galilee.

Holy, holy, holy, still in the morning
Mending our fisher nets, we hail thee by the shore;
Friend and guide and brother, by the wells of evening,
Deep from thy voice we drink thy healing lore.

Holy, holy, holy, Lord, thy disciples
Ever through the ages live again because of thee;
Holy, holy, holy, all thy ways we follow,
From Bethlehem to bleak Gethsemane.

Percy W. MacKaye, 1920; alt.
Tune: TRINITY (11.12.12.10)
Samuel Sebastian Wesley, 19th cent.

Short entry today; I'm off to the Cathedral of St. John The Divine to sing a Choral Evensong with about 130 other singers this afternoon. Should be much fun!

Roger Williams

Last summer, the Episcopal Church added dozens of new individuals to be commemorated in the church calendar on what they're calling a provisional basis. Today is set aside for Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson, religious leaders in colonial times, and considered the founders of the state of Rhode Island.

Williams was born in London around 1604 and emigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony with his wife in 1631. Already somewhat notorious in England for his views on religious freedom, he became equally controversial in Massachusetts. He clashed with the Puritan leaders and left the colony to found a settlement farther south which he named Providence. His new government was set up to expressly provide religious freedom and the separation of church and state.

He also started what many believe to be the first Baptist congregation in this country, still in operation as the First Baptist Church of Providence. Before long he found the Baptists too restrictive as well; his famous quote was "God is too large to be housed under one roof."

Williams was also known for his support of the Native American tribes of New England. He wrote the first study of the language of the Narragansett people, A Key Into the Language of America (1643). The book also included some "moralistic poems" such as this one, which were sung as hymns in some places (and thus are among the earliest hymns written in this country).

God makes a path, provides a guide,
And feeds in wilderness;
God's glorious Name, while breath remains,
O that I may confess.

Lost many a time, I had no guide,
No house but hollow tree;
In stormy winter night, no fire,
No food, no company.

In God I found a house, a bed,
A table, company;
No cup so bitter but made sweet,
Where God shall sweetening be.

Roger Williams, 1643; alt.
Tune: YORK (C.M.)
Scottish Psalter, 1650

Roger Williams's co-commemorant today, Anne Hutchinson, did not write hymns, but she's very interesting in her own right and you could do worse than to read more about her.


One Year Ago: Raindrops On My Window

William Howard Doane

The prolific gospel song composer and writer William H. Doane was born today in 1832 in Preston, CT. He attended the nearby Woodstock Academy, a private high school, and directed the school choir there at the age of fourteen. At twenty he began conducting the Norwich Harmonic Society for two years.

His musical endeavors might have been considered a sideline, since his primary career was with J.A. Fay & Company, a manufacturer of woodworking machinery, where he worked his way up to the presidency. For most of his life he lived in Cincinnati, where he was also the Sunday School superintendent at the Mount Auburn Baptist Church. But it's surely Doane's music, sideline or no, that makes him still remembered today.

He composed more than two thousand gospel song tunes, many to words by Fanny Crosby, a close friend who visited him in Ohio several times. He also edited more than forty collections, including the Baptist Hymnal for Use in the Church and Home (1883).

This song by Doane and Crosby appeared in one of his early collections, The Silver Spray (1868), which was a great success; the royalties from the book went to purchase a large pipe organ for the YMCA Hall in Cincinnati. This song is not so well-known as some of his others, but worth hearing, I think.

Come to the fountain of mercy and live,
Come, and a pardon receive;
Drink of the water that Jesus will give,
Freely to those that believe;
Weary and burdened with sorrow,
Sweet is the message to thee,
"Learn of the meek and the lowly,
Come, heavy laden to me."
Refrain
Come to the clear flowing river,
Drink of its waters forever,
Hungry and thirsty, O, never,
Blessèd are they that believe!

Look unto Jesus, ye nations of earth,
Victor o'er death and the grave,
Though he was humble, and lowly his birth
Jesus is mighty to save.
Christ is our Rock and Salvation,
Christ is our Strength and our Song,
Onward from glory to glory,
Leading us ever along.
Refrain

Fanny Crosby, 1868; alt.
Tune: BLESSED BELIEVERS (10.7.10.7.8.7.8.7. with refrain)
William H. Doane, 1868
Some of Doane's correspondence with his fellow song writers, including Crosby, Ira Sankey, and Robert Lowry, is preserved at the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton University.

One Year Ago: William Howard Doane

The Feast of the Presentation

Forty days after Christmas comes the Feast of the Presentation (or Candlemas) for some, the true end of the Christmas season. Some churches will celebrate today; some probably already did this past Sunday.

The story is told in Luke 2:22-40, of Mary and Joseph bringing their baby son to the temple forty days after his birth. The prophet Anna and the old man Simeon had waited there for many years in expectation, and were rewarded by seeing the ancient prophecies fulfilled. Simeon and Anna are seen here with the child Jesus in a window from the Church of St. Mary the Virgin in Farnham Royal, Buckinghamshire.

The feast of Candlemas actually predates Christianity, with various rituals observed at this time of year. Apparently you can even trace the origins of Groundhog Day to this ancient festival, but that's rather outside the scope of this blog.

This hymn by Christopher Wordsworth comes from his hymnal The Holy Year (1862) which, like several nineteenth century hymnals, gives specific hymns for each Sunday of the church year as well as for other feast days and saints' days. It's a bit grand for a midweek observance with its long stanzas, and might work better with a larger Sunday congregation.

O Jerusalem beloved,
Joyful morn has dawned on thee;
Sing with joy and exultation,
Sing a song of jubilee!
Jesus Christ, whom thou art seeking,
Christ for whom the nations pray,
Now in human flesh appearing,
To the temple comes today.

Glorious and bright the temple
With its gold and silver shone,
Which by royal hands was builded
Of the peaceful Solomon;
But thy latter House is brighter,
Dwelling there this heav'nly Guest,
Child of God, the everlasting
Rose of Sharon manifest.

Light, the entire world to lighten,
And thy glory, Israel,
Shines in Christ the heav'ly dayspring,
God with us, Emmanuel;
Now the entire world receives him
in its arms with faith's embrace
And with Simeon rejoices
In the light of Jesus' grace

May we, Christ, with holy Anna,
And with Simeon, wait for thee
In the solace of thy temple,
May our hearts thy temples be;
So, with saints and holy angels,
May we all forevermore
In Jerusalem the heav'nly,
Thee the Lord of all adore.

Christopher Wordsworth, 1862; alt.
Tune: ST. HILARY (8.7.8.7.D)
Ganther (?), 19th cent.

The tune ST. HILARY, which appeared in a few nineteenth century hymnals, was traced back at far as an 1855 German collection, Zionsharfe, edited by Conrad Kocher. The name of "Ganther" appeared with it there, apparently as composer, but nothing further has been uncovered about the bearer of that name.


One Year Ago: Hail to the Lord who comes

Two Years Ago: O Zion, open wide thy gates

John Julian

John Julian was probably the most eminent hymnographer of the nineteenth century (a time when there were dozens if not hundreds of books published in the subject).

Born on this day in 1839, in Cornwall, he was ordained in the Church of England in 1866. He wrote three shorter books, Concerning Hymns (1874), The History of the Use of Hymns in Public Worship (1894), and Carols Ancient and Modern (1900), but his primary accomplishment was the enormous Dictionary of Hymnology (1892). This book contained more than 40,000 entries on hymn texts and hymn writers. In Julian's 1913 obituary in the Musical Times, it was described as:

...stand(ing) alone as a guide to the study of English Hymnody, which it has helped to raise to its present dignity as a branch of aesthetical and historical learning.

The Dictionary was revised and updated at least twice, and was reprinted by three publishers, most recently in 1985. Today, of course, it can be downloaded from the internet. Nearly every serious book on hymnody published since probably includes it in the bibliography.

Like most people interested in hymnody, Julian also wrote some hymn texts himself, including this one.

Gracious Spirit, Life divine
Breathe on us thy life benign;
Life, to join ourselves to thee
Life, our life in thee to see.

Bounteous Spirit, Light divine
Cause on us thy light to shine;
Light, our path in life to see,
Light, to lead our feet to thee.

Gentle Spirit, Love divine
With thy love all love entwine;
Love, in trial peace to give
Love, for all through life to live.

John D. Julian, 19th c.
Tune: PATMOS (7.7.7.7.)
William Henry Havergal, 1869

John Mason Neale

Anglican priest John Mason Neale was born today in 1818. It's hard to imagine today, knowing the large number of hymns that he translated or wrote (so many of which are still known today) that he was not at all respected in his own time by most of the leading figures in the Church of England.

Neale's high church ideas and enthusiasms led his own bishop to inhibit him (that is, to keep him from exercising any of his priestly functions) for several years. After the notorious John Henry Newman's Oxford Movement led many Anglicans to convert to Roman Catholicism (including some other hymn writers such as Edward Caswall and Frederick William Faber), no bishop was willing to encourage such ideas. Neale was given the administration of Sackville College (which was actually an almshouse) as a means to keep him out of the way. When he finally received the honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity, it was bestowed by Trinity College -- in Hartford, Connecticut!

Neale translated several of the Latin verses of the fifth-century Christian poet Caelius Sedulius, including this one (Hos­tis Her­o­des imp­ie), appropriate to the present season. It provides a little overview of Epiphany, touching on the most familiar events we commemorate in these post-Christmas weeks. There have been various changes to the text over the years; I found three different versions at the Cyber Hymnal. The hymn generally appears today as When Christ's appearing was made known, but that rewritten first stanza is under copyright. This one is closer to what Neale wrote.

The star proclaims that Christ is here;
But, Herod, why this senseless fear?
He takes no realms of earth away
But gives the realms of heav’nly day.

The eastern sages saw from far
And followed on that guiding star;
And led by light, to light they press,
And by their gifts their God confess.

Within the Jordan’s sacred flood
The heavenly Lamb in meekness stood,
That Christ, to whom no sin was known,
Might free all people from their own.

And O! what miracle divine,
When water reddened into wine!
He spake the word, and forth it flowed
In streams that nature ne’er bestowed.

All glory, Jesus, be to thee
For this thy glad epiphany;
Whom with the Maker we adore
And Holy Spirit evermore.

Caelius Sedulius, c. 450
tr. John Mason Neale, 1852; alt.
Tune: LEIGHTON (L.M.)
William Leighton, c. 1614

Yesterday was another birthday -- this blog is two years old and embarking on a third. Not only does it nearly share a birthday with Neale (completely coincidentally!), but also the name, which as I've noted before, comes from another of his translated hymns.

Proclaimed the Present Lord

One of the gospel passages that often comes around during the season of Epiphany is the story of Jesus turning water into wine during a wedding celebration at Cana, told in John 2:1-11. Many churches will hear that lesson today.

There are a number of hymns that mention Cana, but most of them are in praise of the institution of marriage. However, the wedding itself was certainly not the point of the story (which took place at what we would call the reception, anyway). John lays it out pretty clearly at the end of the passage: Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

Nothing there about marriage. It's part of the continuing Epiphany story, Christ revealing his divine nature to the world.

The author of this text did get the point. Hyde Wyndham Beaton was ordained in the Church of England and served mainly rural parishes. In 1863 he co-edited The Parish Hymn Book, which contained this hymn.

Glory to thee, O Christ,
Who by thy mighty power
Didst manifest thy glory forth
In Cana’s marriage hour.

Thou spakest: it was done:
Obedient to thy word,
The water redd'ning into wine
Proclaimed the present Lord.

Blest were the guests who saw
That wondrous mystery,
The great beginning of thy works
That kindled faith in thee.

And blessèd they who know
Thine unseen presence true,
When in the promise of thy grace
Thou makest all things new.

For by thy loving hand
Thy people still are fed;
Thine is the cup of blessing here
And thine the heav'nly bread.

O may that grace be ours,
Ever in thee to live,
And drink of those refreshing streams,
Which thou alone canst give.

So, led from strength to strength,
Grant us, O Christ, to see
The promised supper of the Lamb,
Thy great Epiphany.

Hyde W. Beaton, 1863; alt.
Tune: ST. MICHAEL (S.M.)
Louis Bourgeois, 1551
adapt. William Crotch, 1836

A hymn with seven stanzas seems long to some, but they're short ones. And I like each of them for one reason or another, so I didn't see any to leave out. You could also sing this to that most popular of Short Meter tunes, ST. THOMAS, but that seems just a little too jaunty to me in this case.

Louis Bourgeois was the compiler of the Genevan Psalter where this tune first appeared, and was also the probable composer of a more famous tune in that collection, that we know as OLD HUNDREDTH (matched, of course, with that psalm). Composer William Crotch altered this tune a bit, probably reharmonizing it, nearly three hundred years later. Crotch's most well-known piece, perhaps a bit out of fashion these days, is the Epiphany anthem Lo, star-led chiefs, a chorus from his oratorio Palestine (1812).


P.S. The illustration above is a portion of The Wedding at Cana, painted by the seventeenth century artist Mattia Preti. (click to enlarge)

Hymns in the News

The horrific earthquakes in Haiti have been at the forefront of world news, as they should be. This article from the New York Times, which you may have seen, recounts a story from the first night, when survivors gathered in the streets where it was relatively safer, and spontaneously began singing hymns. This was not surprising; hymns have always brought comfort in perilous times, and can be shared easily across various social barriers.

You may not have seen this response to the disaster. Presbyterian minister and hymnwriter Carolyn Winfrey Gillette has written a hymn, announced yesterday by the World Alliance of Reformed Churches and made available to be downloaded, with the suggestion that it be sung in their member churches this Sunday. Its final stanza concludes:

And may we see, in others’ pain,
The cross we’re called to bear;
Send out your church in Jesus’ name
To pray, to serve, to share.

More information on Carolyn Winfrey Gillette, including links to several of her hymns, is available here. She has written hymn texts in response to other tragedies; probably the two most familiar were for September 11, 2001 (she wrote it that afternoon), and after the Indian Ocean tsunami in December, 2004.

In the past, it would have been more local events that inspired the response of an immediate hymn, and the text may not have been widely known or used beyond that locality. But our modern mass media helps to distribute something like this in ways that were unimagined a hundred years ago.


One Year Ago: More Voices Found: Louisa Putnam Loring

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

John Knowles Paine

John Knowles Paine, born today in 1839, was the first American composer to be recognized and appreciated by the Europeans (which was important in those times). He was also the first American to write a symphony and the first professor of music at any American university.

He was born in Portland, Maine, where his father operated a music store. He played piano and organ from an early age and after his father's death in 1856, he played a series of recitals to raise the money to travel to Berlin for his musical education. After nearly four years, he returned and was hired as organist at the West Church in Boston. Only six months later he took the position of organist and choirmaster at Harvard University.

His first major choral work, Domine salvum fac, was written for the installation of a new Harvard president in 1863. His organ variations on the Star-Spangled Banner were very popular during the Civil War, and in 1866 his Mass in D had its premiere performance in Berlin. Harvard was impressed; Paine was awarded an honorary degree in 1869 which then made it possible for them to appoint him as an instructor in music. In 1875 he was made a full professor, the first in this country.

Paine continued to compose orchestral, organ, and choral works; he was the first of the Second New England School of composers which included George W. Chadwick, Horatio Parker, and Amy Beach among others. Unlike those colleagues, his major choral works have been recorded, both the Mass in D and his oratorio St. Peter (1872). His other long-lasting composition (at Harvard, at least) is the tune for the Harvard Hymn, which I believe is still sung at commencement ceremonies, and is still in the most recent Harvard University Hymn Book (2007).

Paine also wrote a handful of other hymn tunes which I have come across in recent years, though none that anyone still sings today, and none that are documented at any of the usual hymn websites. However, in the aforementioned St. Peter, he reharmonized three familiar German chorales. This Epiphany hymn by Philipp Nicolai appears in many different hymnals, but you probably have not heard or sung it to this arrangement by John Knowles Paine.

How lovely shines the Morning Star!
The nations see and hail afar
The light in Judah shining.
Thou art my heart’s most beauteous Flower,
And thy blest Gospel’s saving power
For thee my heart is pining.
Thou mine, I thine;
Sing hosanna!
Heav’nly manna
Tasting, eating,
Whilst thy love in songs repeating.

Lift up the voice and strike the string,
Let all glad sounds of music ring
In God’s high praises blended.
Christ will be with me all the way,
Today, tomorrow, every day,
Till traveling days be ended.
Sing out, ring out,
Triumph glorious,
O victorious,
Chosen nation;
Praise the God of thy salvation.

Oh, joy to know that thou, my Friend,
Art Love, beginning without end,
The First and Last, eternal!
And thou at length —- O glorious grace!
Wilt take me to that holy place,
The home of joys supernal.
Amen, Amen!
Come and meet me!
Quickly greet me!
With deep yearning,
Christ, I look for thy returning.

Philipp Nicolai, 1597
translation composite
Tune: WIE SCHON LEUCHTET (8.8.7.8.8.7.4.8.4.8)
Philipp Nicolai, 1599
harm. John Knowles Paine, 1872

The major work of Paine's later life was an opera, Azara, which was scheduled to be performed at the Metropolitan Opera in 1906. However, the performers, at that time used to singing only in Italian (regardless of the original language of any work) refused to learn a piece in English and the premiere never took place. It was performed in concert at Harvard and elsewhere, but has never been presented in a fully staged production.

P.S. The portrait of Paine above (undated) is by Caroline Amelia Cranch (1853-1931), donated to Harvard Universaity by Paine's daighter-in-law in 1920.

The Feast of the Epiphany

The Feast of the Epiphany, now observed twelve days after Christmas, is in fact the older of the two observances. As early as the fourth century, this day was marked to celebrate the Incarnation, including the Nativity, the visit of the three magi, the baptism of Christ in the Jordan, and even the anniversary of Jesus's first miracle at Cana. Now, of course, we've broken those all up into different occasions, with Christmas overshadowing them all.

The season of Epiphany retained the other observances of the Incarnation, those examples of Christ showing his divine nature to the world around him, leaving the date of January 6 for the story of the sages from the East (but signifying the nations of the world) following a brilliant star which guided them to the wondrous birth in Bethlehem.

This particular hymn also dates from the fourth century, though it was not a part of the Catholic Epiphany liturgy until 1570, following the Council of Trent. Marcus Aurelius Clemens Prudentius only became a Christian poet late in life, after careers as a lawyer and judge. This text (O sola magnarum urbium) begins at line 77 of a much longer work, Quicumque Christum quaeritis. It has been translated into English several times; this one is based on a version by Edward Caswall, altered by the editors of Hymns Ancient and Modern in 1861 (where it was first matched to this tune).

Earth has many a noble city;
Bethlehem, thou dost all excel;
Out of thee the Christ from heaven
Came to rule o'er Israel.

Fairer than the sun at morning
Was the star that told his birth,
To the world its God announcing
Seen in fleshly form on earth.

Eastern sages at his cradle
Make oblations rich and rare;
See them give, in deep devotion,
Gold and frankincense and myrrh.

Sacred gifts of mystic meaning:
Incense doth their God disclose,
Gold the promised reign proclaimeth,
Myrrh his sepulcher foreshows.

Jesus, whom the nations worshipped
At thy glad Epiphany,
Unto Thee, with the Creator
And the Spirit, glory be.

Aurelius Prudentius, 4th cent.
tr. Edward Caswall, 1849; alt.
Tune: STUTTGART (8.7.8.7.)
Psalmodia Sacra; 1715
adapt. Henry J. Gauntlett, 1861


One Year Ago: We Too May Seek That Cradle

All Speech Flow to Music (Day Twelve)

On the last day of Christmas we look back to the message of the angels, but also forward to apply it to our own time.

The Quaker poet John Greenleaf Whittier was primarily known for his anti-slavery activities; they were the focus of his poetry and his editorship of The National Era and other abolitionist journals. Some biographical sources suggest that Whittier's political activity ceased after the Civil War, but this text from 1873, adapted from his poem A Christmas Carmen, shows his support for the cause of peace.

Sound over all waters, reach out from all lands,
The chorus of voices, the clasping of hands;
Sing hymns that were sung by the stars of the morn,
Sing songs of the angels when Jesus was born!

Sing concord of nations! in chorals of love
Sing out the war-vulture and sing in the dove,
The long night is ending and dawn has begun;
Rise, hope of the ages, arise like the sun!

Blow, bugles of battle, the marches of peace;
East, west, north, and south let the long quarrel cease
Sing the song of great joy from the angels begun,
All speech flow to music, all hearts beat as one!

John Greenleaf Whittier, 1873; adapt.
Tune: LANSING (11.11.11.11.)
Charles H. Gabriel, 1912

This tune by Charles Gabriel first appeared in the Presbyterian Psalter (1912) used with a paraphrase of Psalm 24, Ye gates lift your heads, the glad summons obey. Whittier's text has also been sung to ST DENIO and CRADLE SONG.

In 1982, the text was set to music by composer Paul Halley, organist and music director at the Episcopal Cathedral of St. John the Divine, in honor of Coretta Scott King, who was coming to preach at the cathedral. The piece was first sung on that occasion, and on others since.

Finally, here we are at the end of our twelve days of Christmas music. Hope you have found something interesting that you had not seen before. It's been fun for me but I'm not sure I'll jump to do another long daily series anytime soon!

If Ye Truly Seek It (Day Eleven)

Two more days of Christmas to go! Our last two hymns take us forward from the scene of the Nativity, starting there, reminding us of it, but also bringing the Incarnation into our lives today (despite not exactly being modern texts).

Theodore Chickering Williams was a graduate of Harvard Divinity School and ordained in the Unitarian church. After a brief position in Massachusetts, he became the minister at All Souls Church in New York City, the largest Unitarian congregation there, and he remained for thirteen years. This later hymn first appeared in the Unitarian New Hymn and Tune Book (1914) and shortly thereafter in Charles Hutchins's collection Carols Old and Carols New (1916).

In the lonely midnight
On the wintry hill,
Shepherds heard the angels
Singing, “Peace, good will.”
Listen, O ye weary,
To the angels’ song,
Unto you the tidings
Of great joy belong.

Though in David’s city
Angels sing no more,
Love makes angel music
On earth’s farthest shore;
Though no heavenly glory
Meet your wondering eyes,
Love can make your dwelling
Bright as paradise.

Though the Child of Mary,
Sent from heaven on high,
In the manger cradle
May no longer lie,
Love is first forever,
Though the proud world scorn;
If ye truly seek it,
Christ your Love is born.

Theodore C. Williams, 1914; alt.
Tune: ADORO TE DEVOTE (6.5.6.5.D.)
French plainsong melody, date unknown