Celebrating St Patrick's Day (17 March) this week, with a selection of Irish hymns and traditional tunes including John Rutter's setting of the Irish Blessing: May the road rise to meet you.
St Patrick preaching to the kings. Carlow Cathedral, Ireland Photo: Andreas F. Borchert, Creative Commons
SONG: O WORSHIP THE KING
Artist: Choir of St Paul’s Cathedral
Words/Music: Robert Grant/William Croft
Recording: Helios CDH 88036
O worship the King all-glorious above,
O gratefully sing his power and his love:
our shield and defender, the Ancient of Days,
pavilioned in splendour and girded with praise.
O tell of his might and sing of his grace,
whose robe is the light, whose canopy space.
His chariots of wrath the deep thunderclouds form,
and dark is his path on the wings of the storm.
The earth with its store of wonders untold,
Almighty, thy power hath founded of old;
hath stablished it fast by a changeless decree,
and round it hath cast, like a mantle, the sea.
O measureless might! Ineffable love!
While angels delight to hymn thee above,
Thy humbler creation, though feeble their lays,
With true adoration shall all sing thy praise.
SONG: WORSHIP THE LORD IN THE BEAUTY OF HOLINESS
Artist: Cantus Choro
Words/Music: John Monsell/Anon
Recording: Move 743142
Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness;
bow down before Him, His glory proclaim;
gold of obedience and incense of lowliness
bring, and adore him; the Lord is his Name!
Low at his feet lay thy burden of carefulness,
high on his heart he will bear it for thee,
comfort thy sorrows, and answer thy prayerfulness,
guiding thy steps as may best for thee be.
Fear not to enter his courts in the slenderness
of the poor wealth thou wouldst reckon as thine;
truth in its beauty, and love in its tenderness,
these are the offerings to lay on His shrine.
These, though we bring them in trembling and fearfulness,
he will accept for the Name that is dear;
mornings of joy give for evenings of tearfulness,
trust for our trembling, and hope for our fear.
Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness;
bow down before Him, His glory proclaim;
gold of obedience and incense of lowliness
bring, and adore him; the Lord is his name!
SONG: LORD, FOR THY TENDER MERCY’S SAKE
Artist: Voices of Ascension, Denis Keene (dir)
Words/Music: Richard Farrant
Recording: Delos DE 3227
Lord, for thy tender mercy's sake,
lay not our sins to our charge,
but forgive that is past
and give us grace to amend our sinful lives;
to decline from sin and incline to virtue,
that we may walk in a perfect heart
before thee now and evermore.
Amen.
SONG: DEEP HARMONY
Artist: Black Dyke Mills Band, John Foster (dir)
Music: Handel Parker
Recording: Chandos 828558
SONG: ST PATRICK’S BREASTPLATE (I BIND UNTO MYSELF TODAY)
Artist: City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra Chorus
Words/Music: Anon trans Alexander/Charles Villiers Stanford
Recording: Conifer 500521
I bind unto myself today
The strong name of the Trinity
By invocation of the same,
The three in one and one in three.
I bind this day to me forever,
By power of faith, Christ’s incarnation,
His baptism in the Jordan River,
His cross of death for my salvation,
His bursting from the spicéd tomb,
His riding up the heavenly way,
His coming at the day of doom,
I bind unto myself today.
I bind unto myself today
The power of God to hold and lead,
His eye to watch, his might to stay,
His ear to hearken to my need,
The wisdom of my God to teach,
His hand to guide, his shield to ward,
The word of God to give me speech,
His heavenly host to be my guard.
Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.
I bind unto myself the name,
The strong name of the Trinity
By invocation of the same,
The three in one and one in three,
Of whom all nature has creation,
Eternal father, spirit, word.
Praise to the lord of my salvation;
Salvation is of Christ the Lord!
Amen.
SONG: THE KING OF LOVE MY SHEPHERD IS
Artist: Cambridge Singers, John Rutter (dir)
Words/Music: Psalm 23, Henry Baker/Trad arr John Rutter
Recording: Collegium 880126
The King of love my shepherd is,
whose goodness faileth never.
I nothing lack if I am his,
and he is mine forever.
Where streams of living water flow,
my ransomed soul he leadeth;
and where the verdant pastures grow,
with food celestial feedeth.
Perverse and foolish, oft I strayed,
but yet in love he sought me;
and on his shoulder gently laid,
and home, rejoicing, brought me.
In death's dark vale I fear no ill,
with thee, dear Lord, beside me;
thy rod and staff my comfort still,
thy cross before to guide me.
Thou spreadst a table in my sight;
thy unction grace bestoweth;
and oh, what transport of delight
from thy pure chalice floweth!
And so through all the length of days,
thy goodness faileth never;
Good Shepherd, may I sing thy praise
within thy house forever.
SONG: O CHRIST THE SAME
Artist: Choir of Portsmouth Cathedral, David Price (dir), David Thorne (organ)
Words/Music: Timothy Dudley-Smith/Trad
Recording: Herald HAVPCD 205
O Christ the same, through all our story's pages,
our loves and hopes, our failures and our fears;
eternal Lord, the King of all the ages,
unchanging still, amid the passing years:
O living Word, the source of all creation,
who spread the skies, and set the stars ablaze;
O Christ the same, who wrought our whole salvation,
we bring our thanks for all our yesterdays.
O Christ the same, the friend of sinners, sharing
our inmost thoughts, the secrets none can hide;
still as of old upon your body bearing
the marks of love, in triumph glorified:
O Son of Man, who stooped for us from heaven,
O Prince of life, in all your saving power,
O Christ the same, to whom our hearts are given,
we bring our thanks for this the present hour.
O Christ the same, secure within whose keeping
our lives and loves, our days and years remain,
our work and rest, our waking and our sleeping,
our calm and storm, our pleasure and our pain:
O Lord of love, for all our joys and sorrows,
for all our hopes, when earth shall fade and flee,
O Christ the same, beyond our brief tomorrows,
we bring our thanks for all that is to be.
SONG: AN IRISH BLESSING
Artist: Choir of Belfast Cathedral
Words/Music: Anon/James Moore
Recording: Priory PRCD 826
May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of His hand.
