On May 13, 1970 Johnny Cash and his mother, Carrie Rivers Cash, performed “The Unclouded Day” on The Johnny Cash Show. She accompanied him on piano just as she did when he sang this hymn for his first public performance at the age of 12. Cash clearly enjoyed their duet and if you listen closely as the audience applauds, you can hear him tell his mother, “That was perfect.”
In God’s Trombones, James Weldon Johnson names the trombone as “the instrument possessing above all others the power to express the wide and varied range of emotions encompassed by the human voice — and with greater amplitude.”
Today I found a trombone quintet reading through “Jesu, meine Freude” (Jesus, Priceless Treasure), a hymn tune composed by Johann Crüger in 1653 and harmonized by J.S. Bach in 1723. Though this is an instrumental version, I’ll include the words that are most familiar to me. Catherine Winkworth’s translation of the original German has often been tweaked and modernized, so that now you can find quite a few variations. I’ve always liked the reference to Psalm 42 in this one, the idea of “fell conflict” and the phrase “Lord of gladness.”
Jesus, priceless treasure,
Source of purest pleasure,
Truest friend to me;
Long my heart hath panted,
Till it well-nigh fainted,
Thirsting after Thee.
Thine I am, O spotless Lamb,
I will suffer naught to hide Thee,
Ask for naught beside Thee.
In Thine arms I rest me;
Foes who would oppress me
Cannot reach me here.
Though the earth be shaking,
Every heart be quaking,
Jesus dispels our fear;
Sin and hell in conflict fell
With their heaviest storms assail us:
Jesus will not fail us.
Hence, all thoughts of sadness!
For the Lord of gladness,
Jesus, enters in:
Those who love the Father,
Though the storms may gather,
Still have peace within;
Yea, whate’er we here must bear,
Still in Thee lies purest pleasure,
Jesus, priceless treasure!
Christianity Today once published a survey of the most popular hymns appearing in the 28 mainline Protestant hymnals from the late 1800s through the 20th century. This study of 4,905 hymns produced some interesting results:
The table presents the 13 hymns that have appeared in all 28 hymnals, as well as 9 others that appear in 27 of the 28 hymnals, and 5 more that appear in 26 of the 28 hymnals. The average date of the top tier of hymns is 1788 (excluding “O Sacred Head”). Still, wide acceptance of these and other hymns did not come until the middle of the 19th century, after a prolonged contest with the once-predominant practice of singing the Psalms.
When I read the list I was happy to find that all my years of church-going had taught me something, and I could bring to mind all but one of these hymns. Good to know I’ve at least caught up to the 19th century.
I enjoy hymnals and the interesting bits of church history they reveal. Most denominations will produce a new hymnal about once a generation with a lot of old favorites and a few newfangled ones to try out and see if they’ll make the cut. Some songs will stay and some will go, but every hymnal will say something about the time in which it was produced and the denomination that put it together. That’s why so many of us have hymns we remember singing when we were young that we just don’t sing anymore. And that’s why it can be a good thing to go back to older books and sing through some of our grandparents’ and great-grandparents’ hymns. It can give us a feel for their experience of faith and worship.
And speaking of history, I learned the other day that “Modern Worship” (a.k.a. Contemporary Worship Music, or CWM–part of the larger category Contemporary Christian Music) turned 10 in 2008. Given that children now dress up for “90s day” at school, I’m thinking that Modern Worship barely qualifies as modern anymore. At this point it’s practically traditional, with people complaining that CWM has become too predictable, emotionally monotonal, and lacking in creativity.
Meanwhile some folks, notably the late Robert Webber, have advocated for ancient-future worship which views worship as a retelling and reenactment of God’s story. Ancient-future worship is liturgical and often makes use of shorter songs based on biblical passages. Depending on how you think about it, that could represent a return to the counter-cultural Jesus Movement songs, or it could be taking us back to that place in history where the Church was singing the Psalter. I guess that means the next movement to follow will look like the the days when Isaac Watts came in to shake things up by writing…hymns.
The moral of this story for me is that worship and worship music are a bit like a pair of shoes. They’re a little uncomfortable when you first put them on, then you break them in and they fit perfectly–until you’ve worn them so long that they don’t really do their job anymore. One day you look at them and they seem old-fashioned and they don’t feel good. It’s time to try something new. Some styles are classics (think pumps and penny loafers), and others are failed experiments or just fun while they last. But you shouldn’t be surprised to one day find you need a new pair.
Finally, here’s a bit of fun to remind us to keep our perspective, and laugh at ourselves when we need to. Because as long as we keep gathering together, the Church will continue to explore what it means to worship God in spirit and in truth. There’s a lot of new music to be written, a lot of practicing to do, until we join the heavenly choir and find the songs we were created to sing.
Today I’m thinking about contemporary hymns, and I thought you might enjoy this interview with English composer Stuart Townend about his hymn “How Deep the Father’s Love.” It’s followed by Benjamin Esh playing the hymn on mountain dulcimer–an instrument that gives the contemporary tune a much older feel, so that what’s new is old again.
If you’re interested in dulcimer music, take a look at http://thedulcimerhymnal.com/
The lone, wild bird in lofty flight
Is still with Thee, nor leaves Thy sight.
And I am thine! I rest in Thee.
Great Spirit, come, and rest in me.
Each secret thought is known to Thee,
My whole life’s path, whate’er it be;
My days, my deeds, my hopes, my fears,
My deepest joys, my silent tears.
The ends of earth are in Thy hand,
The sea’s dark deep and far-off land.
And I am thine! I rest in Thee.
Great Spirit, come, and rest in me.
When I was just learning to read music and find the notes on the piano, I found a song I had never sung before in a book sitting on our piano. The title intrigued me, so I picked it out, slow note by note, and found a hymn I have loved ever since. It was “The Lone Wild Bird.”
I love the way the image of the bird is mirrored by the image of the Holy Spirit in the opening stanza. I feel a thrill at the exclamation mark when I sing, “And I am thine!” then exhale into “I rest in Thee.” It brings a rush of associations reminding me of Psalm 139 and Matthew 10:29 and Gerard Manley Hopkins’ line about the Holy Ghost brooding over the bent world with ah! bright wings.
The Presbyterian Hymnal Companion records that “The Lone Wild Bird” was written by Henry Richard McFadyen on a quiet Sunday afternoon in 1925 and sent away to a national hymn-writing contest at The Homiletic and Pastoral Review. McFadyen forgot about it until he was notified that he had won third prize. David N. Johnson set McFadyen’s poem to the tune of Prospect (by Graham) from the Sacred Harp and published it in Twelve Folksongs and Spirituals (1968)–a fantastic book which, sadly, is now out of print.
It was difficult for me to find a good version of this hymn to share. Everybody seemed to want to trick it up with extra notes or showy harmonies. Some folks modernize the language and change the poetry. What I most wanted was for you to hear that haunting Sacred Harp melody.
So here’s a link to an instrumental version that pretty well captures Johnson’s intent (sorry I can’t embed the video),
and here’s a beautiful acapella version of the modern words.
A good hymn to carry around in your head for times of need.
Only a few more hours to wait, so here is one final musical selection for your Advent. Whether you attend a small church or large one, or if you greet the Savior in some other place this year, may you know the majesty and humility of Jesus’ birth, and may joy at His coming fill you entirely.
A hymn for Christmas Eve, humble or grand. God bless us all.
The King shall come when morning dawns,
And light triumphant breaks;
When beauty gilds the eastern hills,
And life to joy awakes.
Not as of old a little child
To bear, and fight, and die,
But crowned with glory like the sun
That lights the morning sky…
The King shall come when morning dawns,
And light and beauty brings:
Hail, Christ the Lord! Thy people pray,
Come quickly, King of kings.
On a recent visit to my parents’ home I pulled out the manger scene I played with as a child. That was what we called it then–not a Nativity or a Creche. It was a manger scene, complete with Mary and Joseph, Baby Jesus, a plastic donkey and a cow, sheep and their shepherd, three wise men with gifts, and an angel. The cardboard stable had (increasingly less) straw glued onto the roof, and there was a windup music box built in that played “Silent Night.” Over the years, I wound that music box many times, learning about springs and gears as the tune played slower and slower before finally winding down to a stop.
Ours was not a fancy nativity, but it was an important part of our Christmas preparation every year. We were not Nativity Purists at my house. We didn’t wait until Epiphany to place the wise men in the scene, and we ignored the historical accuracy issue by letting the wise men and the shepherd worship the Christ Child at the same time. Sort of a “more-the-merrier” approach I suppose, with the entire cast on stage at once.
It was important, I think, that the figures were plastic, because no one was ever afraid to let me play with this religious object. I could assemble the stable, arrange the characters in the Christmas story, wind the music box and let it play. I don’t remember ever making believe that the figures talked; it was a silent tableau except for the music.
Still, there are important considerations when you are a child arranging a manger scene. Mary and Joseph should be positioned where they can protect the baby. Everyone wants to be able to see Jesus, so the taller figures go in the back, and the shorter ones up front. The shepherds and wise men need to stand at a close, but respectful distance from the Holy Child–though sometimes a curious young lamb will come right up and peer into the manger. The cow and the donkey should stand together like old friends in the stable. And there must be an angel–preferably somewhere up high–to give the proper sense of mystery and holiness to the scene.
As I stretched out on the floor, the lesson I took from the plastic manger was that this was a Bible story for me. Jesus’ birth was the first Bible story I could inhabit in my imagination; experience with my hands, eyes, and ears. I could be eye-to-eye with these Bible people. Think about their relationships and express them in space. Come to know them in a way. Wait for their arrival every year.
During Advent I’ll be posting pictures of Nativities collected by friends and family over the years. If you have a creche or a story you’d like to share, let me know via email or in the comments section. Let’s get out the boxes, unwrap the tissue paper, and set up our manger scenes. It’s time for us to enter in.
Luke 3: 2b-3 “…the word of God came to John the son of Zechari’ah in the wilderness; and he went into all the region about the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”
Katja Linder plays Martin Gaskell’s chorale prelude on “Winchester New,” the tune of the English hymn “On Jordan’s Bank the Baptist’s Cry.” Recorded at First Cumberland Presbyterian, Austin, Texas.
On Jordan’s bank the Baptist’s cry
Announces that the Lord is nigh;
Come, then, and hearken, for he brings
Glad tidings from the King of kings.
Then cleansed be every Christian breast
And furnished for so great a Guest.
Yea, let us each our hearts prepare
For Christ to come and enter there….
All praise, eternal Son, to Thee
Who advent sets Thy people free,
Whom, with the Father, we adore
And Holy Ghost forevermore.
lyrics from The Lutheran Hymnal, Hymn #63
And now for something a little different as we move through Advent…
This is a classic YouTube video. A guy sits on his bed, says a few introductory words, and plays a song on his guitar. You can find a lot of these, and a lot of them are pretty interesting, but this one I wanted to share. I like the way Johnnybluelabel noted in the caption that he was playing a 1996 Lowden O10 guitar. (I always look at the headstock to see what kind of guitar people play.) And his voice and the arrangement of this hymn remind me of Bruce Cockburn–whose album “Christmas” I have enjoyed for many years. But most of all I think I like this video because it is unpolished. Just something to help the bass player get ready for Sunday. Maybe it will help us get ready, too.
