When I shut my eyes and pondered posting a song for today, this one popped into mind.
I like this a cappella version by a men’s choir - Praise to the Lord-Altar of Praise
It is fun to see the wide variety of churches that have recorded this hymn. Here it is sung in St. Andrew’s in Glasgow: Praise to the Lord - congregational
Several comments underneath the St. Andrew’s video complain that the song is sung too fast, and one writer objects to the “twiddling.” I prefer a quick tempo as I hear the song as a dance, but I understand about the organ twiddles between verses. They aren’t needed, but they aren’t as egregious here as the strummy guitar interludes inserted in worship choruses or long organ flourishes inserted between verses of hymns. It is a buzzkill for singers to have to wait for the twiddling to finish before they can continue singing.
German composer Joachim Neander published this song in 1680, setting the text to a likely folk tune. J. S. Bach used it as the basis for a chorale, Lobe den Herren. There is some criticism that our English translation by Catherine Winkworth “updates” the text to suit her 19th century notions. She is responsible for inserting the reference to “health,” which has always felt oddly out-of-place to me. I always want to sing “He is my help and salvation.” The original German, as I understand it, may reference a psaltery and harp in that verse.
It is a wonderful, worshipful song to sing no matter how many ways translators and musicians mess with it.
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