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

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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:

Stars of the morning, so gloriously bright, Filled with celestial resplendence and light, These that, where night never followeth day, Raise the "Thrice Holy, Lord!" ever and aye.

As early as the fourth century the Council of Laodicea had decreed that "besides the appointed singers, who mount the ambo, and sing from the book, others shall not sing in the church." How far this rule may have discouraged or suppressed congregational singing is a subject of dispute among historians. However, it is a matter of record that hymnody suffered a gradual decline in the Eastern division of the Christian Church and eventually assumed more of a liturgical character.

An Ambrosian Advent Hymn

Come, Thou Saviour of our race, Choicest Gift of heavenly grace! O Thou blessed Virgin's Son, Be Thy race on earth begun.

Wondrous birth! O wondrous child Of the virgin undefiled! Though by all the world disowned, Still to be in heaven enthroned.

From the Father forth He came, And returneth to the same; Captive leading death and hell-- High the song of triumph swell!

Equal to the Father now, Though to dust Thou once didst bow, Boundless shall Thy kingdom be; When shall we its glories see?

Brightly doth Thy manger shine! Glorious in its light divine: Let not sin o'ercloud this light, Ever be our faith thus bright.

Aurelius Ambrose

THE RISE OF LATIN HYMNODY

The father of Latin hymnody, however, was the great church father, Aurelius Ambrose, bishop of Milan. It was he who taught the Western Church to glorify God in song. Concerning this remarkable bishop, Mabillon writes:

"St. Ambrose took care that, after the manner of the Eastern Fathers, psalms and hymns should be sung by the people also, when previously they had only been recited by individuals singly, and among the Italians by clerks only."

The father of Ambrose was prefect of the Gauls, and it is believed that the future bishop was born at Treves about 340 A.D. The youthful Ambrose, like his father, was trained for government service, and in 374 A.D. he was appointed Consular of Liguria and Aemilia. During the election of a bishop in Milan, a bitter conflict raged between the orthodox Christians and the Arians, and Ambrose found it necessary to attend the church where the election was taking place in order to calm the excited assembly.

According to tradition, a child's voice was heard to cry out in the church, "Ambrosius!" This was accepted at once by the multitude as an act of divine guidance and the whole assembly began shouting, "Ambrose shall be our bishop!" Ambrose had been attracted to the Christian religion but as yet had not received baptism. He therefore protested his election and immediately fled from the city. He was induced to return, however, was baptized, and accepted the high office for which he had been chosen.

Empress Justina favored the Arians and sought to induce Ambrose to open the church of Milan for their use. When Ambrose replied with dignity that it did not behoove the state to interfere in matters of doctrine, soldiers were sent to enforce the imperial will. The people of Milan, however, rallied around their beloved bishop, and, when the soldiers surrounded the church, Ambrose and his congregation were singing and praying. So tremendous was the effect of the song that the soldiers outside the church finally joined in the anthems. The effort to compel Ambrose to yield proved fruitless, and the empress abandoned her plan.

Augustine, who later became the most famous convert of Ambrose, tells of the great impression made on his soul when he heard the singing of Ambrose and his congregation. In his "Confessions" he writes: "How mightily I was moved by the overwhelming tones of Thy Church, my God! Thy voices flooded my ears, Thy truth melted my heart, the sacred fires of worship were kindled in my soul, my tears flowed, and a foretaste of the joy of salvation was given me." Ambrose himself has left us this testimony: "They say that people are transported by the singing of my hymns, and I confess that it is true."

Ambrose was no respecter of persons. Although he was a warm friend of the Emperor Theodosius, he denounced the latter's cruel massacre of the people of Thessalonica, and, when Theodosius came to the church of Ambrose to worship, he was met at the door by the brave bishop and denied admittance.

"Do you," he cried, "who have been guilty of shedding innocent blood, dare to enter the sanctuary?"

The emperor for eight months refrained from communion; then he applied for absolution, which was granted him after he had done public penance. He also promised in the future never to execute a death sentence within thirty days of its pronouncement.

The beloved bishop, whose life had been so stormy, passed peacefully to rest on Easter evening, 397 A.D. Thus was seemingly granted beautiful fulfilment to the prayer Ambrose utters in one of his hymns:

Grant to life's day a calm unclouded ending, An eve untouched by shadows of decay, The brightness of a holy deathbed blending With dawning glories of the eternal day.

While Ambrose was defending the faith and inditing sacred songs at Milan, another richly-endowed poet was writing sublime Latin verse far to the West. He was Aurelius Clemens Prudentius, the great Spanish hymnist. Of his personal history we know little except that he was born 348 A.D. in northern Spain, probably at Saragossa.

In early life he occupied important positions of state, but in his latter years he retired to a monastery. Here he exercised his high poetic gifts in writing a series of sacred Latin poems. He was preeminently the poet of the martyrs, never ceasing to extol their Christian faith and fortitude. Bentley called Prudentius the "Horace of the Christians." Rudelbach declared that his poetry "is like gold set with precious stones," and Luther expressed the desire that the works of Prudentius should be studied in the schools.

An English version, derived from the longer poem, begins with the stanza:

Despair not, O heart, in thy sorrow, But hope from God's promises borrow; Beware, in thy sorrow, of sinning, For death is of life the beginning.

A Prophetic Easter Hymn

Welcome, happy morning! age to age shall say, Hell today is vanquished, heaven is won today. Lo, the Dead is living, God for evermore! Him, their true Creator, all His works adore. Welcome, happy morning! age to age shall say.

Maker and Redeemer, Life and Health of all, Thou from heaven beholding human nature's fall, Thou of God the Father, true and only Son, Manhood to deliver, manhood didst put on. Hell today is vanquished; heaven is won today!

Thou, of life the Author, death didst undergo, Tread the path of darkness, saving strength to show; Come then, True and Faithful, now fulfil Thy word; 'Tis Thine own third morning: rise, O buried Lord! Welcome, happy morning! age to age shall say.

Loose the souls long prisoned, bound with Satan's chain; All that now is fallen raise to life again; Show Thy face in brightness, bid the nations see; Bring again our daylight; day returns with Thee! Welcome, happy morning! Heaven is won today!

Venantius Fortunatus

AN ANCIENT SINGER WHO GLORIFIED THE CROSS

The joyous, rhythmical church-song introduced by Bishop Ambrose made triumphant progress throughout the Western Church. For three centuries it seems to have completely dominated the worship. Its rich melodies and native freshness made a strong appeal to the human emotions, and therefore proved very popular with the people.

However, when Gregory the Great in 590 A.D. ascended the papal chair a reaction had set in. Many of the Ambrosian hymns and chants had become corrupted and secularized and therefore had lost their ecclesiastical dignity. Gregory, to whose severe, ascetic nature the bright and lively style of Ambrosian singing must have seemed almost an abomination, immediately took steps to reform the church music.

A school of music was founded in Rome where the new Gregorian liturgical style, known as "Cantus Romanus," was taught. The Gregorian music was sung in unison. It was slow, uniform and measured, without rhythm and beat, and thus it approached the old recitative method of psalm singing. While it is true that it raised the church music to a higher, nobler and more dignified level, its fatal defect lay in the fact that it could be rendered worthily only by trained choirs and singers. Congregational singing soon became a thing of the past. The common people thenceforth became silent and passive worshipers, and the congregational hymn was superseded by a clerical liturgy.

One of the last hymnists of the Ambrosian school and the most important Latin poet of the sixth century was Venantius Fortunatus, bishop of Poitiers. He was born at Ceneda, near Treviso, about 530 A.D., and was converted to Christianity at an early age. While a student at Ravenna he almost became blind. Having regained his sight through what he regarded a miracle, he made a pilgrimage to the shrine of St. Martin at Tours, and as a result of this journey the remainder of his life was spent in Gaul.

Although all of the poetry of Fortunatus is not of the highest order, he has bequeathed some magnificent hymns to the Christian Church. No one has ever sung of the Cross with such deep pathos and sublime tenderness:

Faithful Cross! above all other, One and only noble tree! None in foliage, none in blossom, None in fruit thy peer may be; Sweetest wood and sweetest iron! Sweetest weight is hung on thee.

Bend thy boughs, O Tree of Glory! Thy relaxing sinews bend; For awhile the ancient rigor That thy birth bestowed, suspend; And the King of heavenly beauty On thy bosom gently tend!

Thou alone wast counted worthy This world's Ransom to uphold; For a shipwrecked race preparing Harbor, like the Ark of old; With the sacred blood anointed From the smitten Lamb that rolled.

And again:

O Tree of beauty, Tree of Light! O Tree with royal purple dight! Elect on whose triumphal breast Those holy limbs should find their rest: On whose dear arms, so widely flung, The weight of this world's Ransom hung: The price of humankind to pay, And spoil the spoiler of his prey.

Praise the Saviour Now and ever! Praise Him all beneath the skies! Prostrate lying, Suffering, dying, On the Cross, a Sacrifice; Victory gaining, Life obtaining, Now in glory He doth rise.

Another Easter hymn, "Welcome, happy morning! age to age shall say," has a triumphant ring in its flowing lines. His odes to Ascension day and Whitsunday are similar in character.

Holy Jesus, grant us grace In Thy sacrifice to place All our trust for life renewed, Pardoned sin and promised good.

A Tribute to the Dying Saviour

O sacred Head, now wounded, With grief and shame weighed down, Now scornfully surrounded, With thorns Thine only crown! Once reigning in the highest In light and majesty, Dishonored now Thou diest, Yet here I worship Thee.

How art Thou pale with anguish, With sore abuse and scorn! How does that visage languish, Which once was bright as morn! What Thou, my Lord, hast suffered, Was all for sinners' gain; Mine, mine was the transgression, But Thine the deadly pain.

Lo, here I fall, my Saviour, 'Tis I deserve Thy place: Look on me with Thy favor, Vouchsafe to me Thy grace. Receive me, my Redeemer; My Shepherd, make me Thine, Of every good the Fountain, Thou art the Spring of mine!

What language shall I borrow To thank Thee, dearest Friend, For this, Thy dying sorrow, Thy pity without end! O make me Thine forever, And should I fainting be, Lord, let me never, never, Outlive my love to Thee.

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