A selection of traditional and modern hymns. It's a bit of a classical composers' Who's Who this week, with texts set to tunes by the likes of Handel, Holst and Haydn as well as some by composers whose names don't begin with the letter H…
A New Zealand Kaka at Oban, Stewart Island, New Zealand. Photo: Tomas Sobek, Wikimedia Commons
SONG: JOYFUL, JOYFUL, WE ADORE THEE
Artist: Mormon Tabernacle Choir
Words/Music: Van Dyke/Beethoven
Recording: Bonneville 519602
Joyful, joyful, we adore You,
God of glory, Lord of love;
Hearts unfold like flow'rs before You,
Op'ning to the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness;
Drive the dark of doubt away;
Giver of immortal gladness,
Fill us with the light of day!
All Your works with joy surround You,
Earth and heav'n reflect Your rays,
Stars and angels sing around You,
Center of unbroken praise;
Field and forest, vale and mountain,
Flow'ry meadow, flashing sea,
Singing bird and flowing fountain
Praising You eternally!
Always giving and forgiving,
Ever blessing, ever blest,
Well-spring of the joy of living,
Ocean-depth of happy rest!
Loving Father, Christ our Brother,
Let Your light upon us shine;
Teach us how to love each other,
Lift us to the joy divine.
SONG: THE LORD’S MY SHEPHERD
Artist: Scottish Philharmonic Singers
Words/Music: Psalm 23/Campbell
Recording: Abbey 282830
The Lord's my shepherd; I'll not want.
He makes me down to lie
In pastures green; He leadeth me
In pastures green; He leadeth me
The quiet waters by.
My soul He doth restore again;
And me to walk doth make
Within the paths of righteousness,
Within the paths of righteousness,
E'en for His own name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through death's dark vale,
Yet will I fear no ill;
For Thou art with me, and Thy rod
For Thou art with me, and Thy rod
And staff me comfort still.
My table Thou hast furnished
In presence of my foes;
My head Thou dost with oil anoint,
My head Thou dost with oil anoint,
And my cup overflows.
Goodness and mercy all my life
Shall surely follow me;
And in God's house forevermore
And in God's house forevermore
My dwelling place shall be.
SONG: BE STILL, MY SOUL
Artist: Cantus Choro
Words/Music: Von Schlegel trans Borthwick/Sibelius
Recording: Move 743142
Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side.
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change, He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heav’nly Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.
Be still, my soul: when dearest friends depart,
And all is darkened in the vale of tears,
Then shalt thou better know His love, His heart,
Who comes to soothe thy sorrow and thy fears.
Be still, my soul: thy Jesus can repay
From His own fullness all He takes away.
Be still, my soul: the hour is hast’ning on
When we shall be forever with the Lord.
When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul: when change and tears are past
All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.
SONG: I VOW TO THEE, MY COUNTRY
Artist: Choir of Wells Cathedral, Malcolm Archer (dir), Rupert Gough (organ)
Words/Music: Spring-Rice/Holst
Recording: Hyperion 711210
I vow to thee, my country, all earthly things above,
entire and whole and perfect, the service of my love:
the love that asks no question, the love that stands the test,
that lays upon the altar the dearest and the best;
the love that never falters, the love that pays the price,
the love that makes undaunted the final sacrifice.
And there's another country, I've heard of long ago,
most dear to them that love her, most great to them that know;
we may not count her armies, we may not see her King;
her fortress is a faithful heart, her pride is suffering;
and soul by soul and silently her shining bounds increase,
and her ways are ways of gentleness and all her paths are peace.
SONG: HOW SHALL I SING THAT MAJESTY
Artist: Choir of Christ’s College, Cambridge
Words/Music: Mason/Tallis
Recording: Priory PRCD 721
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?
Thy brightness unto them appears,
whilst I thy footsteps trace;
A sound of God comes to my ears,
but they behold they face.
They sing because thou art their Sun;
Lord, send a beam on me;
for where heaven is but once begun
There alleluyas be.
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
Thou art a sea without a shore,
a sun without a sphere;
thy time is now and evermore,
thy place is everywhere.
SONG: THOU DIDST LEAVE THY THRONE
Artist: Choir of Christ’s College, Cambridge, David Rowland (dir), Alexandra Jobling (organ)
Words/Music: Elliott/Matthews
Recording: Priory PRCD 721
Thou didst leave thy throne and thy kingly crown,
When thou camest to earth for me;
But in Bethlehem’s home was there found no room
For thy holy nativity.
Refrain:
O come to my heart, Lord Jesus,
There is room in my heart for thee.
Heaven’s arches rang when the angels sang,
Proclaiming thy royal degree;
But of lowly birth didst thou come to earth,
And in great humility.
Refrain:
Thou camest, O Lord, with the living word,
That should set thy people free;
But with mocking scorn and with crown of thorn,
They bore thee to Calvary.
Refrain:
When the heav’ns shall ring, and her choirs shall sing,
At thy coming to victory,
Let thy voice call me home, saying “Yet there is room,
There is room at my side for thee.”
Refrain:
SONG: GOD WHO MADEST EARTH AND HEAVEN
Artist: Choir of Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, Catherine Palmer (dir)
Words/Music: Heber, Whatley/Trad
Recording: Marquis 181175
God, that madest earth and heaven,
darkness and night,
who the day for toil has given,
for rest the night;
may thine angel-guards defend us,
slumber sweet thy mercy send us,
holy dreams and hope attend us,
this livelong night.
Guard us waking, guard us sleeping;
and, when we die,
may we in thy mighty keeping
all peaceful lie;
when the last dread call shall wake us,
do not thou our God forsake us,
but to reign in glory take us
with thee on high.
SONG: GLORIOUS THINGS OF THEE ARE SPOKEN
Artist: Choir and congregation of St Paul’s Cathedral, Wellington
Words/Music: Newton/Haydn
Recording: Wellington Cathedral
Glorious things of thee are spoken,
Zion, city of our God;
He whose word cannot be broken
formed thee for his own abode;
on the rock of ages founded,
what can shake thy sure repose?
With salvation's walls surrounded,
thou may'st smile at all thy foes.
See, the streams of living waters,
springing from eternal love,
well supply thy sons and daughters
and all fear of want remove.
Who can faint, when such a river
ever flows their thirst to assuage?
Grace which, like the Lord, the giver,
never fails from age to age.
Saviour, if of Sion's city,
I through grace a member am,
let the world deride or pity,
I will glory in thy name.
Fading is the worldling's pleasure,
all his boasted pomp and show;
solid joys and lasting treasure
none but Sion's children know.
SONG: THINE BE THE GLORY
Artist: Choir of Portsmouth Cathedral
Words/Music: Budry trans Hoyle/Handel
Recording: Herald HAVPCD
Thine be the glory, risen, conquering Son;
endless is the victory, thou o'er death hast won;
angels in bright raiment rolled the stone away,
kept the folded grave clothes where thy body lay.
Refrain:
Thine be the glory, risen conquering Son,
Endless is the vict'ry, thou o'er death hast won.
Lo! Jesus meets us, risen from the tomb;
Lovingly he greets us, scatters fear and gloom;
let the church with gladness, hymns of triumph sing;
for her Lord now liveth, death hath lost its sting.
Refrain:
No more we doubt thee, glorious prince of life;
life is naught without thee; aid us in our strife;
make us more than conquerors, through thy deathless love:
bring us safe through Jordan to thy home above.
Refrain:
This programme was first broadcast on 9 August 2015
