Hymns

[totustuus2345]

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Where does the Church (in America at least) get most of her

"traditional hymns’’ ie Holy, Holy, Holy, and All Creatures of our God and King, Jesus Christ is Ris’n today, Lift HIgh the Cross, Alleuia! Sing to Jesus etc…

Who writes them?I do know that “Holy God we praise thy Name” was written by a Catholic Bishop…

Is it the Anglican Communion? Because some of these hymns seem English…

XC
Pat

 

[Sarabande]

First, let me say, I absolutely LOVE Anglican hymn melodies and harmonies.

Anyway…

1. “All Creatures of Our God and King” is set to the melody “Lasst uns Erfreuen” - very German - taken from the Catholische Geistliche Kirchengesänge. (Roughly translated Catholic Spiritual Church Songs). The book is from the 1600s.

The text is from St. Francis of Assisi “Laudato si, mi Signor”, which was obviously translated.

Here is where one might think it is from the Anglican communion: The popular harmonization of this hymn melody was done by the great English composer, Ralph Vaughn Williams. He was around in the late 19th to mid 20th centuries.

 

[Sarabande]

1. Holy, Holy, Holy - is more connected with the English/Anglican tradition. The tune melody is called the “Nicaea” and got its name from the Council of Nicea.
2. Jesus Christ is Risen Today - Melody is “English”, but the words were taken from a 14th century Bohemian Latin carol - Surrexit Christus hodie. It was apparently one of the last Latin hymn texts written before the reformation.

 

[Sarabande]

1. Alleluia, Sing to Jesus - I’m assuming you are meaning the Hyfrydol melody? That is from English/Anglican, or at least a Welsh origin. Vaughn-Williams’ harmonization (he didn’t write the melody - Prichard did) is best known. The author of the text - William C. Dix was from England and text is apparently based on Revelations 5:9.
2. Lift High the Cross - The tune melody was composed by an Anglican Sydney Nicholson. I couldn’t find much on the authors of the text. I’m assuming they were Anglican as well. The text was based on 1 Cor. 1:18

 

[japhy]

Where does the Church (in America at least) get most of her "traditional hymns’’ ie Holy, Holy, Holy, and All Creatures of our God and King, Jesus Christ is Ris’n today, Lift HIgh the Cross, Alleuia! Sing to Jesus etc… Who writes them?I do know that “Holy God we praise thy Name” was written by a Catholic Bishop…

Most of the “traditional” hymns are either Latin hymns, English translations of Latin hymns, or English religious songs popularized in the past few centuries.

“Holy God, We Praise Thy Name” is a translation of the Te Deum prayer, which is part of the Divine Office (the Liturgy of the Hours); there’s another translation “God We Praise You, God We Bless You” to a different tune.

“Ye Sons and Daughters” (an Paschal hymn) is a translation of O Filii et Filiae.

 

[benedictgal]

Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence is based on the Divine Liturgy of St. James. O Come, O Come Emmanuel comes from the 10th century and is based on the O Antiphons.