A selection of traditional and contemporary hymns. In this programme we're marking several recent dates in the liturgical calendar: All Saints' Day, All Souls' Day, and Reformation Day. So expect some references to saints, souls, and Martin Luther - and a great performance of one of his best-known hymns, A mighty fortress is our God.
Life of Martin Luther and the heroes of the Reformation. Printed by H. Schile c1874. Photo: Creative Commons
SONG: ALL HAIL THE POWER OF JESUS’ NAME
Artist: Kansas City Chorale/Charles Bruffy (dir), James Higdon (organ)
Words/Music: Perronet/Holden arr Mulholland
Recording: Nimbus NI 5568
All hail the pow'r of Jesu's name!
Let angels prostrate fall;
Bring forth the royal diadem
And crown Him Lord of all.
Bring forth the royal diadem
And crown Him Lord of all.
Ye chosen seed of Israel’s race,
Ye ransomed from the fall;
Hail Him who saves you by His grace,
And crown Him Lord of all.
Hail Him who saves you by His grace,
And crown Him Lord of all.
Let ev'ry kindred, ev'ry tribe,
On this terrestrial ball
To Him all majesty ascribe
And crown Him Lord of all.
To Him all majesty ascribe
And crown Him Lord of all.
Oh, that with yonder sacred throng
We at his feet may fall!
We'll join the everlasting song
And crown Him Lord of all.
We'll join the everlasting song
And crown Him Lord of all.
SONG: HOW SHALL I SING THAT MAJESTY
Artist: Choir of Wells Cathedral, Malcolm Archer (dir), Rupert Gough (organ)
Words/Music: Mason/Naylor
Recording: Hyperion 112101
How shall I sing that Majesty
which angels do admire?
Let dust in dust and silence lie;
sing, sing, ye heavenly choir.
Thousands of thousands stand around
thy throne, O God most high;
ten thousand times ten thousand sound
thy praise; but who am I?
Enlighten with faith's light my heart,
inflame it with love's fire;
then shall I sing and bear a part
with that celestial choir.
I shall, I fear, be dark and cold,
with all my fire and light;
yet when thou dost accept their gold,
Lord, treasure up my mite.
How great a being Lord, is thine,
which doth all beings keep!
Thy knowledge is the only line
to sound so vast a deep.
Thou art a sea without a shore,
a sun without a sphere;
thy time is now and evermore,
thy place is everywhere.
SONG: KING OF GLORY, KING OF PEACE
Artist: Choir of Wells Cathedral, Malcolm Archer (dir), Rupert Gough (organ)
Words/Music: Herbert/Archer
Recording: Hyperion 112101
King of glory, King of peace,
I will love thee;
and that love may never cease,
I will move thee.
Thou hast granted my request,
thou hast heard me;
thou didst note my working breast,
thou hast spared me.
Wherefore with my utmost art
I will sing thee,
and the cream of all my heart
I will bring thee.
Though my sins against me cried,
thou didst clear me;
and alone, when they replied,
thou didst hear me.
Seven whole days, not one in seven,
I will praise thee;
in my heart, though not in heaven,
I can raise thee.
Small it is, in this poor sort
to enroll thee;
e'en eternity's too short
to extol thee.
SONG: JERUSALEM, MY HAPPY HOME
Artist: Choir of St Clement’s Church, Philadelphia
Words/Music: F.B.P./Trad
Recording: Dorian 790259
Jerusalem, my happy home,
When shall I come to thee?
When shall my sorrows have an end?
Thy joys when shall I see?
Thy saints are crowned with glory great,
they see God face to face;
they triumph still, they still rejoice:
most happy is thy case.
There David stands with harp in hand
As master of the choir:
Ten thousand times that man were blessed
That might this music hear.
Our Lady sings Magnificat
With tune surpassing sweet,
And all the virgins bear their part,
Sitting at her feet.
There Magdalen hath left her moan,
And cheerfully doth sing
With blessèd saints, whose harmony
In every street doth ring.
Jerusalem, Jerusalem,
God grant that I may see
thine endless joy, and of the same
partaker ever be!
SONG: ABIDE WITH ME
Artist: Yvonne Kenny (soprano), Melbourne Symphony Orchestra/Vladimir Kamirski
Words/Music: Lyte/Monk
Recording: ABC 476509
Abide with me; fast falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide;
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, oh, abide with me.
Swift to its close ebbs out life's little day;
Earth's joys grow dim; its glories pass away;
Change and decay in all around I see;
O thou who changest not, abide with me.
I fear no foe, with thee at hand to bless;
Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness;
Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, thy victory?
I triumph still, if thou abide with me.
Hold thou thy cross before my closing eyes;
Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies;
Heaven’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee;
In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.
SONG: LET SAINTS ON EARTH IN CONCERT SING
Artist: Choir of Llandaff Cathedral, Richard Moorhouse (dir), Michael Hoeg (organ)
Words/Music: C Wesley/Anon
Recording: Priory PRCD 719
Let saints on earth in concert sing
With those whose work is done;
For all the servants of our king
In heav’n and earth are one.
One family, we dwell in him,
One church, above, beneath;
Though now divided by the stream,
The narrow stream of death.
One army of the living God,
To his command we bow;
Part of his host has crossed the flood,
And part is crossing now.
E’en now to their eternal home
There pass some spirits blest;
While others to the margin come,
Waiting their call to rest.
Jesu, be thou our constant guide;
Then, when the word is given,
Bid Jordan’s narrow stream divide,
And bring us safe to heav’n.
SONG: SAINTS BOUND FOR HEAVEN
Artist: Kansas City Chorale, Charles Bruffy (dir)
Words/Music: Trad
Recording: Nimbus NI 5568
Our bondage it shall end, by and by, by and by,
Our bondage it shall end, by and by;
From Egypt's yoke set free;
Hail the glorious jubilee,
And to Canaan we'll return, by and by, by and by,
And to Canaan we'll return, by and by.
Our deliverer he shall come, by and by, by and by,
Our deliverer he shall come, by and by;
And our sorrows have an end,
With our threescore years and ten,
And vast glory crown the day, by and by, by and by,
And vast glory crown the day, by and by.
And when to Jordan's floods, we are come, we are come,
And when to Jordan's floods, we are come;
Jehovah rules the tide,
And the waters he'll divide,
And the ransomed host shall shout, we are come, we are come,
And the ransomed host shall shout, we are come.
Then with all the happy throng, we'll rejoice, we'll rejoice,
Then with all the happy throng, we'll rejoice;
Shouting glory to our King,
Till the vaults of heaven ring,
And through all eternity we'll rejoice, we'll rejoice,
And through all eternity we'll rejoice.
SONG: A MIGHTY FORTRESS IS OUR GOD
Artist: Cambridge Singers, City of London Sinfonia Brass, John Rutter (dir)
Recording: Collegium 880126
A mighty fortress is our God,
a bulwark never failing;
our helper he, amid the flood
of mortal ills prevailing.
For still our ancient foe
does seek to work us woe;
his craft and power are great,
and armed with cruel hate,
on earth is not his equal.
Did we in our own strength confide,
our striving would be losing,
were not the right Man on our side,
the Man of God's own choosing.
Dost ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is he;
Lord Sabaoth his name,
from age to age the same;
and he must win the battle.
And though this world, with devils filled,
should threaten to undo us,
we will not fear, for God hath willed
his truth to triumph through us.
The prince of darkness grim,
we tremble not for him;
his rage we can endure,
for lo! his doom is sure;
one little word shall fell him.
That Word above all earthly powers
no thanks to them abideth;
the Spirit and the gifts are ours
through him who with us sideth.
Let goods and kindred go,
this mortal life also;
the body they may kill:
God's truth abideth still;
his kingdom is forever.
