Singing the Psalms, Part 1 of 3

• Are there particular Psalms that you enjoy singing or reciting?

Background

As a preface comment, I knew there was a lot of material under the heading of “singing the psalms”. That’s a bit, however, like understanding that the Pacific Ocean is large, and then seeing it from the shore, and then getting out in it. I think we’re going to spend a couple of weeks on singing the psalms and probably come back to it multiple times over the coming years.

Singing the Psalms is a very old practice, going back to the Hebrews, and it is one way to pray the psalms.

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2 Chronicles 5:11–14 (NIV):
11 The priests then withdrew from the Holy Place. All the priests who were there had consecrated themselves, regardless of their divisions. 12 All the Levites who were musicians—Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun and their sons and relatives—stood on the east side of the altar, dressed in fine linen and playing cymbals, harps and lyres. They were accompanied by 120 priests sounding trumpets. 13 The trumpeters and musicians joined in unison to give praise and thanks to the Lord. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, the singers raised their voices in praise to the Lord and sang:

“He is good;
    his love endures forever.”

Then the temple of the Lord was filled with the cloud, 14 and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the temple of God.

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That passage, indented as a hymn or song occurs in Psalms 106:1, 107:1, 118:1, 118:29, and 136:1.

Many psalms have comments in front of them directed to the chief musician or to the choir director. For example, in the NIV the preface comment to Psalm 22 is “For the director of music. To the tune of ‘The Doe of the Morning’. A psalm of David”. Or the consider preface to Psalm 18: “For the director of music. Of David the servant of the Lord. He sang to the Lord the words of this song when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.”

Indeed, as mentioned in the session on Psalm 51, The word Psalm itself is derived from the Greek Ψαλμοί (Psalmoi), which is generally interpreted to mean “music of the lyre” or “songs sung to a harp”. The traditional Hebrew title is tehillim, which means praises[1]. It is clear that what we have as the Book of Psalms contains a collection of prayers, at least many of which were written to be sung as prayer.

• Is singing of the Psalms in our worship service prayer for you? Why or why not? What might change that?

In addition, Paul comments on encouraging ourselves and one another through the use of “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” (Ephesians 5:19, Colossians 3:16), which reflects on the difference between psalmody (the use of Psalms specifically, in worship) versus hymnody (use of potentially poetic and musical works, in worship) versus spiritual songs (perhaps outside of formal worship, but then singing to God can be worship in any time or place). Having said that, however, these two passages speak to me more about the use of hymns, psalms, and spiritual songs outside of formal worship.

Ephesians 5: 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Colossians 3: 15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

This distinction is quite important to some, including John Calvin in our own tradition. There are certainly groups for whom the only music to be used in a worship service is the Psalms, and that’s where Calvin was in terms of his understanding. Singing things outside of the psalms is a whole session (and more) in and of itself.

• What would you think of a worship service where the only music was the Psalms?

Speaking of singing and psalms, I found the following quote of Calvin’s quite interesting (from http://www.prca.org/pamphlets/pamphlet_37.html ):

Yet, we should be very careful that our ears be not more attentive to the melody than our minds to the spiritual meaning of the words. Augustine also admits in another place that he was so disturbed by this danger that he sometimes wished to see established the custom observed by Athanasius, who ordered the reader to use so little inflection of the voice that he would sound more like a speaker than a singer. But when he recalled how much benefit singing had brought him, he inclined to the other side. Therefore, when this moderation is maintained, it is without any doubt a most holy and salutary practice. On the other hand, such songs as have been composed only for sweetness and delight of the ear are unbecoming to the majesty of the church and cannot but displease God in the highest degree.[2]

Perhaps this is one argument for the commonly used chanting (plainsong) means of singing the psalms. My thought is that if the heart is in the right place, that’s what matters. If we sing psalms (or anything else) in a spirit of worship and offering to God, then I trust it will be received in that same spirit and contribute to our growing into God. If we sing them as a means of impressing others, then that’s rather like praying loudly on the street corner. That sentiment is a lot of what I hear in what Calvin wrote. The spiritual meaning of the words, and the attitude of the heart (and ear) are what matter. Phillips, Craig, and Dean have a song “Will You Love Jesus More” which hits this theme hard and which I expect we’ll cover in a session at some point[3].

Ways to Sing Psalms

There are probably lots of different ways to divide up how psalms can be sung, with different subdivisions based on one’s musical knowledge and perspective. One perspective, from a missionary in Japan, has three basic frameworks, which works for me[4]:

• Metrical: Where the psalm is written or can be adapted to a particular tune with a particular metrical arrangement such as 8.6.8.6 (common meter), then the psalm can be sung in a metrical arrangement. We discussed last week the 11.10.11.10.11.10 meter for Finlandia as a different example. Note the superscript mentioned above to Psalm 22, where the author indicates the (probably now unknown) tune “The Doe of the Morning” is the tune to be used for this particular psalm. There are a number of psalters available with arrangements in meter for singing psalms this way.

• Plainsong: Rather than adapting the psalm to fit some music, we can essentially adapt music to fit the words of the psalm. In Plainsong, we chant multiple words on single tones, and move around in ways that add to the words. Plainsong is a common way of cantoring a psalm, and what we use most of the time. The suttler.cc site I’ve referenced in this section[4] indicates that there are 9 basic tunes, and I note that the Guimont Psalter[5] which is often used in our services has 41 psalm tunes. Sutler.cc links to http://saintlaurenceosb.org/chants/index.html, which has some nice recordings of several psalms done in plainchant.

• Anglican: This is a derivation of plainsong, and is designed to allow a choir to sing in four part (typically) harmony. As might be expected with a name “Anglican”, it was developed in England, around the time of the Reformation. I like the comment in wikipedia, which (to me) applies to both Anglican chant and plainsong It may be fairly described as “harmonized recitative”. It is said to have the twofold purpose of enhancing the words of the sacred text and serving as an aid for both the singer and listener to attain a meditative state.[6]

The introduction to the psalter which arose from the 1981 Presbyterian task force notes that the oldest available Christian liturgies have the singing of the psalm after a reading from the Old Testament, with the psalm chanted to a simple tone by a cantor, with a refrain sung by the congregation[7]. Also as noted in this psalter, any of these forms can be done as an antiphon, where one group is singing in response to another. Often this is done with a refrain, but there are also arrangements where different parts of a choir sing alternating verses of a psalm.

• Play plainsong version of Psalm 51

• Play one of the previous used versions of Psalm 51

• Discussion questions: how are these forms useful? What do the do (or not do) for us?

Two Psalters

• Show the Hopson and Guimont Psalters

• Hand out psalm arrangements for next four weeks. Discuss briefly.

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1. Kenneth Barker (ed) The NIV Study Bible Zondervan Publishing House. Introduction to the book of Psalms.  ↩

2. John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book III, chapter 20, section 32. As quoted from http://www.prca.org/pamphlets/pamphlet_37.html, reference 7.  ↩

3. “Will You Love Jesus More” from the Lifeline album by Phillips, Craig, and Dean. See http://www.phillipscraiganddean.com/ for the artists’ site, http://www.elyrics.net/read/p/phillips-craig-&-dean-lyrics/will-you-love-jesus-more-lyrics.html for the lyrics, and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXR4HS7PcTs for a cool YouTube video that was done for a Good Friday service. In a lot of ways, this song is something I think about in teaching this class. “I pray for nothing less than for you to love Jesus more.”  ↩

4. http://www.stutler.cc/russ/sing_psalms.html  ↩

5. Guimont, Michel Psalms for the Revised Common Lectionary GIA Publications: Chicago, IL (1998, 2002) ISBN 1–57999–165–3 (full score edition). http://www.giamusic.com/search_details.cfm?title_id=4817  ↩

6. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglican_chant  ↩

7. Hopson, Hal (ed) The Psalter: Psalms and Canticles for Singing Westminster/John Knox Press: Louisville, KY (1993) ISBN 978–0664237042. http://www.cokesbury.com/forms/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=436035  ↩

This is My Song, aka A Song of Peace

• Welcome Music: Finlandia, Opus 26 [1]

• Play the Alfred Music version [2]

Introduction

The FPC Chancel Choir used this song for the anthem on September 11, 2011 – the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist event. The particular arrangement of the anthem we did was arranged by Douglas Wagner (http://www.douglasewagner.com/), who was one of my high school band directors[3]. The tune for this anthem is Finlandia, by Sibelius, and Elizabeth chose Finlandia as the bridal processional for our wedding. The lyrics for the piece are a powerful message about how all of the people in God’s creation are special. Together, this combination of great music, great lyrics, and some personal connections to the music make this one of my favorite pieces. And from what I find in searching to prepare for this lesson, it’s a piece that is special to many people and has been used as part of a lot of different kinds of pushes for peace and reconciliation. Once I learned that the lyrics are older than I thought, I wasn’t surprised to learn that both Joan Baez and Peter, Paul, & Mary (among other peace activists) used this.

In the track of Finlandia above[1], the hymn tune kicks in at the 5:28 mark out of the total 8:06 playing time and runs through about 6:58, with a strain of this near the closing at about 7:45.

Also, in preparing for this, I’ve now read the third and fourth verses from the original poem. The anthem we used, and the renditions I’ve found on various music sources all use verses 1, 2, and 5. I like the third and fourth verses as well, and I wouldn’t mind at all using these in a 5 verse hymn. It would be kind of long, compared to many hymns, but the messages in verses 3 and 4 are also powerful.

History of the Tune

Finlandia, Opus 26 is a symphonic poem written in 1899 and revised in 1900 by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius (1865–1957)[4]. I find the third sentence of the Wikipedia article on Finlandia particularly interesting in the context of this lesson: “The piece was composed for the Press Celebrations of 1899, a covert protest against increasing censorship from the Russian Empire, as the last of seven pieces, each performed as an accompaniment to a tableau depicting episodes from Finnish history.”[5] The sibelius.fi site indicates that the symphonic poem was part of the response to a February 1899 manifesto from Nicholas II, Emperor of Russia, to restrict the autonomy of the Grand Duke of Finland[6].

What we know as the Finlandia Hymn Tune is from the end of the larger symphonic poem. It is sometimes attributed to be a traditional Finnish melody, but multiple sources (including wikipedia.org and sibelius.fi) indicate that this hymn melody is original with Sibelius. While I don’t have a specific timeline, it appears that hymns and songs of various sorts were fairly quickly written to go with this piece of music. One (secular) one of note is the 1941 lyrics by Veikko Antero Koskenniemi, which is generally referred to as the Finnish national song. It’s not the national anthem of Finland, but it is commonly used, perhaps in a way similar to how we use “America the Beautiful”.

Wikipedia lists six Christian hymns set to Finlandia, with Be Still, My Soul the one that I know best. Others include the subject for today, I Sought the Lord, We Rest on Thee, A Christian Honor, and I Then Shall Live[7]. Note that the lyrics for Be Still, My Soul were translated from the 1752 German version into English in 1855, so this is another case where people have found lyrics and hymns that were quite independent originally, yet work well together. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finlandia_Hymn for further info about different sets of words that are used to this hymn.

Amazingly enough, the PC USA hymnal doesn’t appear to have any hymns set to Finlandia. Wow. At least not that I could find. I searched in the tune index under Finlandia, in the composer index under Sibelius, and in the metrical index for things of the form 11.10.11.10.11.10 and similar. Nothing.

In the Celebration Hymnal[8], however, there are six hymns that use Finlandia, but these involve three different metrical patterns. To me, in looking at the music, the differences in metrical notation are subtle and perhaps even a bit artificial. Be Still, My Soul is hymn 712, and is marked in the tune index for the hymnal (page 835) as Finlandia (10.10.10.10.10.10). However, at the end of that first stanza, we change pitch in the middle of the word “side”, so one could argue that the first stanza is 11 syllables, and we just use two of them in one word. Besides, southerners are perfectly capable of taking a single syllable word and two or three syllables out of one. Similarly, in hymn 130 (His Glorious Name, based on Isaiah 9:6), the arranger simply removed the slide from G to A at the end of the first stanza and went directly to the A as a whole note.

However you look at it, there are six hymns in the Celebration Hymnal which are set to Finlandia, only one of which is referenced in the Wikipedia article. I

• His Glorious Name, #130 (10.10.11.10.10.11)
• Be Still, My Soul, #712 (10.10.10.10.10.10)
• O Lord, Our Lord #175 (11.10.11.10.11.10)
• A Christian Home #451 (11.10.11.10.11.10)
• I am a Man #455 (11.10.11.10.11.10)[9]
• I Then Shall Live #604 (11.10.11.10.11.10)

OK, enough of that rabbit trail. Back to the topic at hand: This is My Song.

This is My Song, aka A Song of Peace

Lloyd Stone (1912–1993) wrote the basic hymn for this in 1934, with additional verses by Georgia Harkness (1891–1974)[10][11]. The references are a bit unclear, but it appears that stanzas 1 and 2 are by Stone, 5 is by Harkness, with 3 and 4 also by Harness. They are definitely consistent with Dr. Harnkess’ theology, as she was one of the people pushing for ordination of women in the Methodist church.

*Read aloud the five verses below

This is my song, O God of all the nations,
a song of peace for lands afar and mine;
this is my home, the country where my heart is;
here are my hopes, my dreams, my holy shrine:
but other hearts in other lands are beating
with hopes and dreams as true and high as mine.

My country's skies are bluer than the ocean,
and sunlight beams on cloverleaf and pine;
but other lands have sunlight too, and clover,
and skies are everywhere as blue as mine:
O hear my song, thou God of all the nations,
a song of peace for their land and for mine.

This is my song, O God of all the nations,
a prayer that peace transcends in every place;
and yet I pray for my beloved country --
the reassurance of continued grace:
Lord, help us find our one-ness in the Savior,
in spite of differences of age and race.

May truth and freedom come to every nation;
may peace abound where strife has raged so long;
that each may seek to love and build together,
a world united, righting every wrong;
a world united in its love for freedom,
proclaiming peace together in one song.

This is my prayer, O Lord of all earth's kingdoms,
thy kingdom come, on earth, thy will be done;
let Christ be lifted up 'til all shall serve him,
and hearts united, learn to live as one:
O hear my prayer, thou God of all the nations,
myself I give thee -- let thy will be done.

• Play the Indigo Girls version [12] Note this is just verses 1 and 2.

• Discussion of the lyrics

Note: I didn’t use it in class, but I also like the a capella version of this by Marc Anderson and Marty Haugen on their In the Days to Come: Songs of Peace album[13].

Hymnary.org[14] has a very interesting graph showing the usage of this song in different hymnals. It first started appearing in the mid 1950’s and currently (2012) is in 29% of hymnals that this site is sampling. They list this using verses 1, 2, and 5, as are the different versions I’ve used in this class.

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1. Finlandia,Opus 26 Jean Sibelius, performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra (David Parry, conducting), 2010. Track 55 from the The 100 Most Essential Pieces of Classical Music Collection http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/100-most-essential-pieces/id377191246  ↩

2. MP3 version purchased from http://alfred-music.com/product_info.php?item_no=26379. Alfred Church Choral (2007).  ↩

3. Yes, I was incredibly fortunate to have someone like Mr. Wagner as a band director. North Central High School, on the north side of Indy, had and has an incredible music program, and I am grateful to the love of music that people like Sam Rhinesmith, Douglas Wagner, and Dick Dennis helped inspire in me.  ↩

4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finlandia  ↩

5. The above Wikipedia article cites http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russification_of_Finland as additional information regarding this assertion.  ↩

6. See http://www.sibelius.fi/english/musiikki/ork_finlandia.htm  ↩

7. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finlandia_Hymn  ↩

8. The Celebration Hymnal: Songs and Hymns for Worship Integrity Music (1997) http://www.celebrationhymnal.com/  ↩

9. I hadn’t seen this hymn before, and I’m not surprised we haven’t sung it, as the lyrics aren’t particularly inclusive, at least the way the word “man” is is often used. See http://www.rubysemporium.org/i_am_a_man.html for the lyrics to this. At some point, we will likely do a session (or six) on inclusive language and perhaps incorporate this as part of that thread. Interestingly enough, I Am a Woman is hymn 452 and has a somewhat different  ↩

10. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Is_My_Song_(1934_song)  ↩

11. http://prometheusli.com/musings/a_song_of_peace.htm  ↩

12. Finlandia (live) Track 18 from the Rarities album by the Indigo Girls http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/rarities/id217295052 and see http://www.indigogirls.com/home.html for the artists’ site.  ↩

13. http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/in-days-to-come-songs-peace/id220398232 track 3.  ↩

14. http://www.hymnary.org/text/this_is_my_song_o_god_of_all_the_nations  ↩

Psalm 51: TSMS 2012-09-16

Different parts of this psalm have been set to music in a variety of different ways. I’m particularly familiar with a praise hymn arrangement of this psalm, starting at version 10. Examples in some different settings that I found in perusing around iTunes are linked below:

• hip-hop rap version: http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/parkes-stewart/id2546782
• Techno version: http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/nitro-praise/id176702511
• Country version: http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/maranatha!-music/id220299719
• Cantored version: http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/church-of-the-apostles/id306728958

Background and text

Singing Psalms

The psalms themselves are musical in their origins. The word Psalm itself is derived from the Greek Ψαλμοί (Psalmoi), which is generally interpreted to mean “music of the lyre” or “songs sung to a harp”[1]. Calvanist churches, particularly including Presbyterians, are known for singing of the psalms, and that is a regular part of the FPC worship service.

• Discuss cantoring of psalms. What do people think of this? What does this bring to mind?

Psalm 51

Many versions of the Bible have a notation as part of the text before the actual lyrics of Psalm 51: “For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.”

• Discuss David and Bathsheba. What happened in this story?
• Read text of Psalm 51. Listen to cantored version. Are there differences in the message heard?

Link to text

Psalm 51

1 Have mercy on me, O God,
    according to your unfailing love;
  according to your great compassion
    blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash away all my iniquity
    and cleanse me from my sin.

3 For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is always before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
    and done what is evil in your sight;
  so you are right in your verdict
    and justified when you judge.
5 Surely I was sinful at birth,
    sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
6 Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
    you taught me wisdom in that secret place.

7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
    wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
    let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins
    and blot out all my iniquity.

10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence
    or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
    and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
    so that sinners will turn back to you.
14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
    you who are God my Savior,
    and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
15 Open my lips, Lord,
    and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
    you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
17 My sacrifice, O God, is[b] a broken spirit;
    a broken and contrite heart
    you, God, will not despise.

18 May it please you to prosper Zion,
    to build up the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous,
    in burnt offerings offered whole;
    then bulls will be offered on your altar.

Other related works

“Create in me a clean heart” is a common praise hymn. It has also been used as parts of other songs. One that particularly appeals to me is also a praise hymn, though one I wasn’t previously familiar with. The words are below, and one version comes from the Painter Album by John Michael Talbot (http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-painter/id45579259)

Create in me
A clean heart o God
Let me like you in all my ways

Give me your strength
Teach me your song
Shelter me in the shadow of your wings

For we are your righteousness
If we've died to ourselves
And live through your death

Then we shall be born
Again to be blessed in your love

Based on a combination of Psalm 51:10, Psalm 17:8, as well as New Testament theology.

• Does this give a different message?

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1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psalms  ↩

How Great Thou Art additional verses

I wanted to reinforce something that was kind of buried in the notes from this week's class, which is two verses that Stuart Hine wrote later for How Great Thou Art.  I think they're chock full of goodness and wouldn't mind seeing these added to the hymnal.  And yeah, there's lots of goodness that never gets to make it into the hymnal.

O when I see ungrateful man defiling
This bounteous earth, God's gifts so good and great;
In foolish pride, God's holy Name reviling,
And yet, in grace, His wrath and judgment wait.

When burdens press, and seem beyond endurance,
Bowed down with grief, to Him I lift my face;
And then in love He brings me sweet assurance:
'My child! for thee sufficient is my grace'.

Those are good enough I really wanted to highlight them.

Class Overview and How Great Thou Art: TSMS 2012–09–09

Class Introduction

• Go around the room and briefly discuss spiritual background and tradition.
• Go over Class Objectives posted in last week’s blog

Lyrics for How Great Thou Art (O Store Gud — Oh Mighty God)

• Play Mormon Tabernacle Choir version
• Distribute copies of lyrics

PCUSA Blue hymnal #467
Tune: Swedish Folk Melody (harmonization by Stuart Hine, 1949)
Swedish lyrics: Poem by Carl Gustav Bobert, 1885 (9 verses)
English paraphrase: Stuart Hine, 1953 (from Russian version, which was derived from German version

O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds [works] Thy Hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling [mighty] thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur
And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.

Chorus

And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing;
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.

Chorus

When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation,
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.
Then I shall bow, in humble adoration,
And then proclaim: "My God, how great Thou art!"

• Are there Bible verses this song reminds you of?
• What are the key messages that this song generates for you?
• Are there particular parts that resonate for you?
• What do you make of the wording changes (in brackets above)?

Note wording changes made by Manna Music in the early 1950’s.

Some relevant Bible verses:

(At least ones that come to my mind and in a bit of my own searching)

4 For you make me glad by your deeds, Lord;
I sing for joy at what your hands have done.
5 How great are your works, Lord,
how profound your thoughts!
6 Senseless people do not know,
fools do not understand,
Psalm 92:4–6

Who among the gods
is like you, Lord?
Who is like you—
majestic in holiness,
awesome in glory,
working wonders?
Exodus 15:11 (Song of Miriam; NIV)

Who is like unto thee,
O Lord, among the gods?
who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?
Exodus 15:11 (KJV)

Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
1 Thes 4:17

Key messages

Kenneth Osbeck (American hymnologist): This great hymn teaches us three essential truths: the greatness of God’s creation, the greatness of Christ’s redemption and the greatness of our future inheritance. [1]

Other relevant resources for this hymn [2] [3]

Some history (adapted from Wikipedia[2] and Then Sings My Soul[4]

The original poem was written in 1885 in Swedish, by Carl Boberg, and was inspired by a storm and the subsequent calm. It was subsequently set to a Swedish folk hymn independent of Boberg, translated to German (Wie groß bist Du), and then translated to Russian (Великий Бог - Great God).

It was translated to English first in 1925 by E. Gustav Johnson and titled “O Mighty God”. See http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/o/m/i/omightyg.htm and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_Great_Thou_Art_Hymn for versions of this. Note that the refrain is pretty different: With rapture filled, my soul thy name would laud, O mighty God! O mighty God! (repeat).

British evangelist Stuart Hine heard the Russian version and was inspired by it. He created an English paraphrase of parts of it and extended it with what we currently have as verses 3 and 4. According to Morgan, Hine said the verses were inspired by the Carpathian Mountains, with the first when Hine was caught in a storm in a Carpathian villiage, the second as he heard the birds sing near the Romanian border, and the third when he witnessed mountain dwellers coming to Christ. The final verse was written after Hine returned to England. Hine later published two additional verses that aren’t normally included, but which he indicated were more direct translations of the Russian version:

O when I see ungrateful man defiling
This bounteous earth, God's gifts so good and great;
In foolish pride, God's holy Name reviling,
And yet, in grace, His wrath and judgment wait.

When burdens press, and seem beyond endurance,
Bowed down with grief, to Him I lift my face;
And then in love He brings me sweet assurance:
'My child! for thee sufficient is my grace'.

The song apparently came to the attention of Dr. J. Edwin Orr when he heard a version sung by Naga tribesman (from Assam, near Burma/Myanmar) at a village near Deolali, India. George Beverly Shea, of the Billy Graham Crusades, got a pamphlet of Hine’s work, popularized partly by Orr’s work and subsequent publication by Manna Music, and this became the signature song of the Graham Crusades in the 1950’s.

Personally, I think it’s cool that a poem written by a Swede was translated to German, then to Russian, came to the attention of a British Missionary in Russia and Romania, translated into English, made it’s way to India and Myanmar areas, came to America in Minnesota, and then out to California, and came to the attention of the Graham crusades while in Harringay, England to become what some have labeled the most popular Gospel Song in the World (Manna Music, as referenced in Wikipedia).

Lots of recordings

In searching, I found recordings of this hymn by Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, The Statler Brothers, Sandi Patty, Anne Murry, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, George Beverly Shea, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Marie Osmond, Andy Griffith, Loretta Lynn, The Oak Ridge Boys,

iTunes lists at least 50 different versions, just under the title “How Great Thou Art”, with Elvis in the list at least 5 different times (sounded like the same recording for at least 3 of these). The Rock version by Dichotomy (Becoming the Archetype album) is definitely different from what I’m at least used to hearing. The wikipedia page [2] links to a version by Yolanda Adams, performed at the White House celebration of music from the civil rights movement (2010).

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1. http://www.howgreatthouarthymn.com/  ↩

2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_Great_Thou_Art_Hymn  ↩

3. http://www.hymnlyrics.org/mostpopularhymns/howgreatthouart.html  ↩

4. Then Sings My Soul, Volume 1, Robert J. Morgan, Thomas Nelson Publishers: 2003, ISBN 0–7852–4939–7. http://www.robertjmorgan.com/bookstore/hymn-stories/then-sings-my-soul/. How Great Thou Art is on page 212. Note: The name for this class is an independent inspiration from the same basic source. There is no direct connection between this class and Dr. Morgan, apart, I presume, from a similar love of Christ and music.  ↩

Music in Worship: Then Sings My Soul 2012–09–02

Class Introduction

Summary: The focus of the class is the ways in which music is involved in our worship and Christian life, both Sunday morning and during the week. We’ll look at different kinds of music, different ways music is used in different times and traditions, explore the ways that the text and music work together, and learn from each other about ways that music has and has not spoken to us. Neither musical talent nor musical experience are needed. Come when you can, and bring your background and perspectives. Information about what we’ve discussed (and hopefully what we plan to discuss) will be posted to this blog web site at the TSMS Blog.

Some thoughts:

• Musical talent is not required. Nobody will be forced to sing :-).
• We come from different backgrounds and perspectives. Let’s learn from each other. There is no one way to worship.
• I expect to include examples from other religious (non-Christian) forms of worship.
• We can go beyond music, to include other forms of the arts (such as poetry, visual, and movement) and the ways those forms help our soul to “sing” and enable worship. But going there may require others to lead the discussion; I’m an amateur musician and I have little background in the poetry, visual, or movement arts.
• Participate.
• Feel free to suggest ideas for things you want to cover and explore.
• I’m exploring ways technology can augment our in-class experience. My goal is that it’s precisely that – an augmentation, and hopefully it doesn’t detract or interfere for people.
• Come when you can. That’s part of why I want to use the blog, so that when people have to miss a week or six, they can see what the conversation has been and potentially participate. There are also some others who want to be in other classes, and the blog (and maybe other tools) can be ways for them to participate outside of class.
• We will be studying scripture and other sacred texts as part of this class. For me, most of the scripture I have memorized is because I’ve sung it. And that will (eventually) lead to more than one session on why we use music as a part of worship.
• I expect to cover some aspects of theological differences of view through music, including at least some of what it means to be a Presbyterian.
• Where we find mistakes in the class information and areas where there are differences in historical interpretation, we’ll fix the mistakes and try to represent the differing points of interpretation.

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Introduction – Goal of Worship

• What is the goal of worship?
• When and where do we worship?

From my perspective, worship is a time to renew and refresh our relationship with God, to take a closer look at ourselves and the way we have acted, and to inspire us to move closer to the model that Christ gives us for behavior. Worship is also a time for us to come together in community, to renew our bonds with each other and to remember that we walk this road both with Christ and with other people. Certainly we can worship at any time, in any place, with or without other people. Worship is hardly confined to Sunday mornings, but having that regular time of worship helps to bring us back and establish a rhythm to our week and to our lives.

Where is Music in Our Worship

Where do we use music in our worship services?

• Prelude
• Introit
• Processional (or introductory) hymn
• Kyrie (request for mercy)
• Gloria Patri (thanksgiving for mercy)
• Scripture (usually the Psalm)
• Anthem
• Offertory
• Doxology
• Closing (or recessional) hymn
• Response (aka “Detroit”)
• Postlude
• Services may also include an additional hymn or a hymn version of one of the scripture passages
• Communion services include the Sanctus (Holy, Holy, Holy Lord), the Agnus Dei (Oh, Lamb of God), and the hymn(s) during communion.

That’s a lot of music and is probably at the high end of the spectrum in terms of different musical elements within a given worship service. Denominationally, Presbyterians are often recognized as a group with a lot of music in worship, though often more formal music and we tend to not be terribly emotional about it[1]. In particular, Calvinists were particularly identified with sung Psalms.

For us, worship begins and ends with music, though we sometimes use that music as background for conversation and visiting with brothers and sisters. The formal service starts with the Prelude and ends at the end of the Postlude.

• Are there particular parts of these musical elements of worship that are particularly helpful for you? Why?
• Are there particular parts of music in worship that are less useful for you? Why?

For me, I’ve struggled some with the Sanctus and the Agnus Dei in communion, as an example. I’ve felt that we somehow view this as part of some magical incantation needed to make communion happen and invoke the proper spells for forgiveness. I think I’m past those issues now, but that’s an example. It’s taken me a while to understand that one of the key points for the Sanctus and the Agnus Dei are the ways that they help to span time for the church.
They are ways for me to remember who and what we are and get my head and heart in the right place to accept the sacrament of Communion.

Digging in a Bit: Gloria and Doxology

The text of what we use for the Gloria Patri:

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be:
world without end. Amen. 

• Play Gloria Patri Renditions from playlist
  • Organ rendition from Wikimedia[2]
  • Bruce Benedict rendition[3]
  • Cynthia Clawson from Prayer and Plainsong [4]
  • John Michael Talbot from Be Exalted/The Lord’s Supper [5]

Wikipedia has a good article about the origins of this text at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloria_Patri.

Interestingly enough, Wikipedia defines this as the lesser doxology, distinct from the greater doxology, the Gloria in Excelsis Deo http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloria_in_Excelsis_Deo, which we may recognize from Vivaldi’s Gloria or the more modern version of the Gloria by John Rutter. And none of these are what we often call “the doxology” and which is sometimes called the Common Doxology, and which is a much newer text. The Gloria Patri dates from the 300’s and the Common Doxology dates from 1674[6]:

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise him, all creatures here below;
Praise him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen. 

• Play Doxology renditions from playlist
  • John Jones from 100 Sacred Hymns CD #1 [7]
  • Cynthia Clawson from Prayer and Plainsong [8]

A doxology is simply a liturgical formula of praise to God. It’s another one of those words where capitalization matters. The “catholic church” uses the old meaning of catholic, meaning universal. The “Catholic Church” generally refers to the Roman Catholic Church. Likewise, a doxology is a form of praise in worship done the same way and may be chanted or sung. The Doxology is usually referring to that “Praise God” text we usually sing after the offering is collected.

• What are the key points in the Gloria Patri?
• Why do we use the Gloria Patri?
• Where does the Gloria occur in Scripture?

Key points: Trinity, unchanging nature of God, eternal nature of the Trinity and of creation.

The Gloria, as written, does not occur in scripture. Its origins are from the early church, in and around 300 AD and is came to the forefront as part of the controversies around the nature of Christ and the Trinity, which lead to the First Council of Nicea and the Nicene Creed. These are all aspects Arian controversy and the way the early church dealt with Arianism doctrine. Briefly, Arius was a late third century Christian leader from Alexandria, Egypt who held that God the Father created God the Son and that God the Son did not always exist. This makes Jesus a subordinate deity to God the Father, which is contrary to the mainstream concept of the Trinity.

The Gloria, as written and sung, reinforces the point that God is Three and always has been Three. In the Gloria, as clearly distinct from Arian beliefs, God the Son was never separate from God the Father and God the Holy Spirit.

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1. Presbyterians sometimes get nicknamed the “Frozen Chosen” for our relative lack of emotion during worship and a tie-in to the whole doctrine of predestination, which we may or may not hit in this class.  ↩

2. OGG version posted at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gloria_Patri.ogg and converted to MP3 using http://media.io/.  ↩

3. http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/1309853/Gloria%20Patri_bruce.mp3 cited from http://cardiphonia.org/2011/05/07/short-songs-in-worship-doxologies-gloria-patris-and-more/  ↩

4. Gloria Patri (Track 4) from Prayer and Plainsong by Cynthia Clawson. The artist’s site is http://www.cynthiaclawson.com and the specific version used is from iTunes http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/prayer-and-plainsong/id398737415.  ↩

5. Gloria Patri (Track 19) from Be Exalted/The Lord’s Supper by John Michael Talbot http://www.johnmichaeltalbot.com/albums/be_exalted/be_exalted.php. Version used is from iTunes http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-lords-supper-be-exalted/id280586474.  ↩

6. See http://hymntime.com/tch/bio/k/e/n/ken_t.htm as cited by Wikipedia on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doxology.  ↩

7. Doxology (track 15) from 100 Sacred Hymns, CD #1 by John Jones http://www.johnjonesministries.com/music.htm.
   Actual version used was from iTunes http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/100-sacred-hymns–1/id271180847.  ↩

8. Doxology (Track 5) from from Prayer and Plainsong by Cynthia Clawson. The artist’s site is http://www.cynthiaclawson.com and the specific version used is from iTunes http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/prayer-and-plainsong/id398737415.
   Note that on the artist’s site, track 5 is Angels from the Realm, which is different from what’s on iTunes and Amazon. The site search on the artist’s site was also broken at the time these notes were prepared (September 1, 2012).  ↩