Read Ebook: The Story of Our Hymns by Ryden Ernest Edwin

Font size: 10 px 15 px 20 px 25 px 30 px 35 px

Background color: BlackWhiteGrayLight GrayDark GrayDim Gray

Text color: BlackWhiteGrayLight GrayDark GrayDim Gray

Apply/Save settings

Ebook has 2038 lines and 171571 words, and 41 pages

PART I: EARLY CHRISTIAN HYMNODY The Early Christian Chants 13 Greek and Syriac Hymns 19 The Rise of Latin Hymnody 25 An Ancient Singer Who Glorified the Cross 31 The Golden Age of Latin Hymnody 35

PART II: GERMAN HYMNODY Martin Luther, Father of Evangelical Hymnody 43 The Hymn-Writers of the Reformation 53 Hymnody of the Controversial Period 59 The King and Queen of Chorales 65 Hymns of the Thirty Years' War 69 A Hymn Made Famous on a Battle Field 77 The Lutheran Te Deum 81 Paul Gerhardt, Prince of Lutheran Hymnists 85 Joachim Neander, the Paul Gerhardt of the Calvinists 93 A Roman Mystic and Hymn-writer 99 Hymn-writers of the Pietist School 103 The W?rttemberg Hymn-writers 111 How a Great Organist Inspired Two Hymnists 117 Gerhard Tersteegen, Hymn-writer and Mystic 123 Zinzendorf and Moravian Hymnody 127 Two Famous Hymns and some Legends 131 Hymnody in the Age of Rationalism 135 Hymns of the Spiritual Renaissance 141

PART IV: ENGLISH HYMNODY The Dawn of Hymnody in England 209 Isaac Watts, Father of English Hymnody 215 Doddridge: Preacher, Teacher, and Hymnist 221 Wesley, The Sweet Bard of Methodism 225 A Great Hymn that Grew out of a Quarrel 233 The Bird of a Single Song 239 England's First Woman Hymnist 245 A Slave-trader Who Wrote Christian Lyrics 249 An Afflicted Poet Who Glorified God 253 An Irish Poet and His Hymns 259 The Hymn Legacy of an English Editor 263 Heber, Missionary Bishop and Hymnist 269 An Invalid Who Blessed the World 275 How Hymns Helped Build a Church 279 A Famous Hymn by a Proselyte of Rome 285 Henry Francis Lyte and His Swan Song 291 Sarah Adams and the Rise of Women Hymn-writers 297 A Hymn Written in a Stage-coach 301 An Archbishop's Wife Who Wrote Hymns 305 Bonar, the Sweet Singer of Scotland 311 Two Famous Translators of Ancient Hymns 317 Baring-Gould and His Noted Hymn 323 Frances Ridley Havergal, the Consecration Poet 327 A Unitarian Who Gloried in the Cross 333 A Model Hymn by a Model Minister 337 Matheson and His Song in the Night 341

Part V: AMERICAN HYMNODY The Beginning of Hymnody in America 347 America's First Woman Hymnist 353 Thomas Hastings, Poet and Musician 359 Francis Scott Key, Patriot and Hymnist 363 America's First Poet and His Hymns 367 The Hymn-writer of the Muhlenbergs 371 The Lyrics of Bishop Doane 375 The Quaker Poet as a Hymn-writer 379 America's Greatest Hymn and Its Author 383 Samuel Smith, a Patriotic Hymn-writer 389 Two Famous Christmas Hymns and Their Author 395 Harriet Beecher Stowe and Her Hymns 399 A Hymn Written on Two Shores 407 A Hymn That Grew out of Suffering 411 A Famous Hymn Written for Sailors 415 A Tragedy That Inspired a Great Hymn 419 Anna Warner and Her Beautiful Hymns 423 Phillips Brooks and His Carols 427 Women Who Wrote Hymns for Children 431 Fanny Crosby, America's Blind Poet 435 One of America's Earliest Gospel Singers 441 The Lyrist of Chautauqua 445 Gladden's Hymn of Christian Service 449 A Hymn with a Modern Message 453 A Lutheran Psalmist of Today 457 Survey of American Lutheran Hymnody 463 Index of Notable Hymns 471 Alphabetical Index of Hymns and Sources 477 Authors' and General Index 493 Bibliography 503

PART I Early Christian Hymnody

The Angelic Hymn

Glory be to God on high, and on earth peace, good will toward men. We praise Thee, we bless Thee, we worship Thee, we glorify Thee, we give thanks to Thee for Thy great glory, O Lord God, Heavenly King, God the Father Almighty.

O Lord, the Only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ; O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, that takest away the sin of the world, have mercy upon us. Thou that takest away the sin of the world, receive our prayer. Thou that sittest at the right hand of God the Father, have mercy upon us.

For Thou only art holy; Thou only art the Lord; Thou only, O Christ, with the Holy Ghost, art most high in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

THE EARLY CHRISTIAN CHANTS

The first Christians sang hymns. The Saviour went to His passion with a song on His lips. Matthew and Mark agree that the last act of worship in the Upper Room was the singing of a hymn. "And when they had sung a hymn, they went out unto the Mount of Olives."

The Christian Church followed the example of Jesus and His disciples by singing from the Psaltery at its worship. Paul admonished his converts not to neglect the gift of song. To the Ephesians he wrote: "Be filled with the Spirit; speaking one to another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord." And his exhortation to the Colossians rings like an echo: "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts unto God."

The praying and singing of Paul and Silas in the midnight gloom of the Philippian dungeon, their feet being made "fast in the stocks," also is a revelation of the large place occupied by song in the lives of the early Christians.

The double reference of the Apostle to "psalms, hymns and spiritual songs" would indicate that the Christian Church very early began to use chants and hymns other than those taken from the Psaltery. The younger Pliny, in 112 A.D., wrote to Emperor Trajan from Bithynia that the Christians came together before daylight and sang hymns alternately "to Christ as God."

Eminent Biblical scholars believe that fragments of other primitive Christian hymns have been preserved in the Epistles of Paul and in other portions of the New Testament. Such a fragment is believed to be recorded in 1 Timothy 3:16:

He who was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the spirit, Seen of angels, Preached among the nations, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.

The "faithful saying" to which Paul refers in 2 Timothy 2:11 also is believed to be a quotation from one of these hymns so dear to the Christians:

If we died with Him, We shall also live with Him: If we endure, We shall also reign with Him: If we shall deny Him, He will also deny us: If we are faithless, He abideth faithful; For He cannot deny Himself.

It will be noted how well these passages adapt themselves to responsive, or antiphonal, chanting, which was the character of the ancient Christian songs. Other passages that are believed to be fragments of ancient hymns are Ephesians 5:14; 1 Timothy 6:15, 16; James 1:17, and Revelation 1:5-7.

Liturgies also were employed very early in the worship of the Christian Church. An ancient service known as the "Jerusalem" liturgy was ascribed to the Apostle James, while the so-called "Alexandrian" liturgy claimed as its author Mark, fellow laborer of Paul and companion of Peter. There is much uncertainty surrounding these claims, however.

Both Tertullian and Origen record the fact that there was a rich use of song in family life as well as in public worship.

The singing of the early Christians was simple and artless. Augustine describes the singing at Alexandria under Athanasius as "more like speaking than singing." Musical instruments were not used. The pipe, tabret, and harp were associated so intimately with the sensuous heathen cults, as well as with the wild revelries and shameless performances of the degenerate theatre and circus, that it is easy to understand the prejudice against their use in the Christian worship.

"A Christian maiden," says Jerome, "ought not even to know what a lyre or a flute is, or what it is used for." Clement of Alexandria writes: "Only one instrument do we use, viz., the word of peace wherewith we honor God, no longer the old psaltery, trumpet, drum, and flute." Chrysostom expresses himself in like vein: "David formerly sang in psalms, also we sing today with him; he had a lyre with lifeless strings, the Church has a lyre with living strings. Our tongues are the strings of the lyre, with a different tone, indeed, but with a more accordant piety."

The language of the first Christian hymns, like the language of the New Testament, was Greek. The Syriac tongue was also used in some regions, but Greek gradually attained ascendancy.

The hymns of the Eastern Church are rich in adoration and the spirit of worship. Because of their exalted character and Scriptural language they have found an imperishable place in the liturgical forms of the Christian Church. As types of true hymnody, they have never been surpassed.

The Oldest Christian Hymn

Shepherd of tender youth, Guiding in love and truth Through devious ways; Christ, our triumphant King, We come Thy Name to sing, And here our children bring To join Thy praise.

Thou art our holy Lord, O all-subduing Word, Healer of strife: Thou didst Thyself abase, That from sin's deep disgrace Thou mightest save our race, And give us life.

So now, and till we die, Sound we Thy praises high, And joyful sing: Let all the holy throng Who to Thy Church belong Unite to swell the song To Christ our King!

Clement of Alexandria, about 200 A.D.

GREEK AND SYRIAC HYMNS

Very soon the early Christians began to use hymns other than the Psalms and Scriptural chants. In other words, they began to sing the praises of the Lord in their own words. Eusebius informs us that in the first half of the third century there existed a large number of sacred songs. Some of these have come down to us, but the authorship of only one is known with any degree of certainty. It is the beautiful children's hymn, "Shepherd of Tender Youth."

Just how old this hymn is cannot be stated with certainty. However, it is found appended to a very ancient Christian work entitled "The Tutor," written in Greek by Clement of Alexandria.

Clement, whose real name was Titus Flavius Clemens, was born about 170 A.D. He was one of the first great scholars in the Christian Church. An eager seeker after truth, he studied the religions and philosophical systems of the Greeks, the Assyrians, Egyptians, and Jews.

In the course of time he entered the Catechetical School conducted by Pantaenus at Alexandria, Egypt, and there he became a convert to Christianity. Some years later Clement himself became the head of the institution, which was the first Christian school of its kind in the world. Among the students who received instruction from Clement was the famous Origen, who became the greatest scholar in the ancient Christian church. Another of his pupils was Alexander, afterwards Bishop of Jerusalem, and still later Bishop of Cappadocia.

One of Clement's most celebrated works was "The Tutor." It was in three volumes. The first book described the Tutor, who is Christ Himself; the second book contained sundry directions concerning the daily life and conduct; and the third, after dwelling on the nature of true beauty, condemned extravagance in dress, on the part of both men and women.

Two poems are appended to this work, the first of which is entitled, "A Hymn to the Saviour." This is the hymn known as "Shepherd of tender youth."

The "Hymn to the Saviour" in all the manuscripts in which it is found is attributed to Clement himself, but some critics believe that he was merely quoting it, and that it was written by a still earlier poet. Be that as it may, we do know that, aside from the hymns derived from the Bible, it is the oldest Christian hymn in existence, and it has always been referred to as "Clement's hymn."

Clement was driven from Alexandria during the persecution of Severus in 202 A.D. Of his subsequent history practically nothing is known. It is believed he died about 220 A.D.

A number of other beautiful Greek hymns have come down to us from the same period, but their date and authorship remain in doubt. Longfellow has given us an exquisite translation of one of these in "The Golden Legend":

O Gladsome Light Of the Father immortal, And of the celestial Sacred and blessed Jesus, our Saviour! Now to the sunset Again hast Thou brought us; And seeing the evening Twilight, we bless Thee, Praise Thee, adore Thee, Father omnipotent! Son, the Life-giver! Spirit, the Comforter! Worthy at all times Of worship and wonder!

An inspiring little doxology, also by an unknown author, reads:

My hope is God, My refuge is the Lord, My shelter is the Holy Ghost; Be Thou, O Holy Three, adored!

Doctrinal controversies gave the first real impetus to hymn writing in the Eastern church. As early as the second century, Bardesanes, a Gnostic teacher, had beguiled many to adopt his heresy by the charm of his hymns and melodies. His son, Harmonius, followed in the father's footsteps. Their hymns were written in the Syriac language, and only a few fragments have been preserved.

The Arians and other heretical teachers also seized upon the same method to spread their doctrines. It was not until the fourth century, apparently, that any effort was made by orthodox Christians to meet them with their own weapons. Ephrem Syrus, who has been called "the cithern of the Holy Spirit," was the greatest teacher of his time in the Syrian Church, as well as her most gifted hymnist. This unusual man was born in northern Mesopotamia about 307 A.D. His zeal for orthodox Christianity was no doubt kindled by his presence at the Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D., and thenceforth he was ever an eager champion of the faith. Not only did he write hymns and chants, but he trained large choirs to sing them. He exerted a profound influence over the entire Syrian Church, and even today his hymns are used by the Maronite Christians.

The greatest name among the Greek hymnists of this period is Gregory Nazianzen. Born in 325 A.D., the son of a bishop, he was compelled by his father to enter the priesthood at the age of thirty-six years. He labored with much zeal, however, and eventually was enthroned by the Emperor's own hand as Patriarch of Constantinople. Through the machinations of the Arians he was later compelled to abdicate his office, whereupon he retired to his birthplace. Here he spent the last years of his life in writing sacred poetry of singular beauty and lofty spirit.

Another of the important writers of the early Greek period was Anatolius. Concerning this man very little is known except that he lived in the seventh or eighth century. He has left about one hundred hymns, among them, at least three that are still in common use, "Fierce was the wild billow," "The day is past and over," and "A great and mighty wonder." This last is a little Christmas hymn of unusual charm. His description of the storm of Galilee is one of the classics of Greek hymnology:

Fierce was the wild billow, Dark was the night; Oars labored heavily, Foam glimmered white;

To John of Damascus, who died about 780 A.D., we are indebted for two of the most popular Easter hymns in use today, namely, "The day of resurrection" and "Come, ye faithful, raise the strain." Further reference to these will be found in the chapter on the great translator of Greek and Latin hymns, John Mason Neale.

When John of Damascus forsook the world and left behind him a brilliant career to enter a monastery founded in 520 A.D., by St. Sabas, he took with him his ten-year-old nephew, Stephen. The boy grew up within the walls of this cloister, which is situated in one of the deep gorges of the brook Kedron, near Bethlehem, overlooking the Dead Sea. Stephen, who came to be known as the Sabaite, was likewise a gifted hymnist, and it is he who has given us the hymn made famous by Neale's translation: "Art thou weary, art thou languid?" Stephen died in 794 A.D.

The last name of importance among the great hymn-writers of the Greek Church is that of Joseph the Hymnographer, who lived at Constantinople in the ninth century. It is he who wrote the hymn on angels for St. Michael's Day:

Share on: WhatsApp @Hash Facebook Tweet