Waiting on the Word

 It will be easy to find a recording of “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.” You may already have a favorite.

I suggest listening to this talk first. Malcolm Guite “Waiting on the Word” The word “riches” comes to mind as I hear this - treasures hidden in plain sight in words I’ve sung for most of my life. 

You can follow Malcolm Guite’s blog and read the poems from his Advent book Waiting on the Word without purchasing the book. You get the added benefit of seeing an artist’s interpretation of each poem. I enjoyed reading the blog this year; next year I intend to buy the book and enjoy Malcolm’s commentary on each poem.

My friends and I recorded “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” (Track 1)  a little over twenty years ago, and I don’t thing any of us understood the beauty, depth, and cleverness of the historic O Antiphons. If we had, we would have sung all the verses and put this “riddle” in the program.

From Malcolm Guite’s blog:

Now, standing on the brink of Christmas Eve, looking back at the illuminated capital letters for each of the seven titles of Christ we would see an answer to our pleas : ERO CRAS the latin words meaning ‘Tomorrow I will come!”

O Emmanuel

O Rex

O Oriens

O Clavis

O Radix

O Adonai

O Sapientia 

Sleepers, Awake!

 It is interesting that I don’t find myself particularly moved by music this season. I should say by listening to music as I have had a wonderful time singing and conducting Advent and Christmas carols.  But I have not done the listening required to keep this blog going on a daily basis. The excitement of a big Christmas performance with my new school, helping with the Live Nativity at Sardis Church, joining in on an Advent Evensong at All-Souls Anglican, and leading Advent sings and a Christmas Eve choir at Immanuel Anglican have been lovely but have thoroughly scratched the seasonal music itch. And last but not least, adding a precious new granddaughter the weekend before Christmas and enjoying the energy of her older brother and sister while we waited on the baby to come have made this a very special, but not very bloggy, season.

I have been more moved by reading poetry than listening to music, especially as it concerns the O Antiphons…which are music. I will write about those in the next few days.

But I heard this song on Classic FM and was reminded what a wonderful Advent carol it is as well as an organ and/or orchestral masterpiece by J. S. Bach.

Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, from Cantata BWV 140 

I like the version linked above for the translation and the instruments. There are many ways to hear this music. Chris Thule, Yo-Yo Ma, and Edgar Meyer perform it here.

The cello plays the choral melody which was the chorale - the German hymn - that the congregation would recognize. It was framed in the countermelody and lovely Baroque ornamentation. 

Singing Bach can be very worshipful, but it takes a lot of work. I would enjoy tackling a Bach chorale some day if the musicians were decently skilled and highly motivated. 

Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus

 Another great Charles Wesley poem, this time set to a Welsh tune, Hyfrydol, which means “delightful, agreeable, pleasing, pleasant, beautiful, fair, fine; sweet, melodious,” according to Wikipedia. It was composed by Rowland Prichard around 1844 when he was still  a teenager. “Jesus, What a Friend of Sinners” is one of the many hymns and songs which use this tune.

https://nativitysongs.bandcamp.com/album/nativity-songs

The above link will take you to the Nativity Songs album that I was privileged to take part in creating some years ago. “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus” is track 13. Quite by accident, we discovered that “The Holly and the Ivy” tune worked well as an intro, so we recorded it that way. It was arguably the easiest song we performed, and probably one of the most fun to sing along with. 

Mary Consoles Eve

 In a total change of musical pace, enjoy this song by Sandra McCracken.

Mary Consoles Eve

“Almost, not yet, already.” I purpose to sing this to myself throughout Advent. It sums up the spirit of the season very well indeed.

The above is “Mary and Eve,” painted some years ago by one of the Trappist Nuns of Mississippi Abbey. My daughter Katie stopped by the abbey gift shop while traveling through Iowa to visit her in-laws for Thanksgiving. She very kindly bought a box of caramels for Ken and I, and I spotted this painting in the little catalog that came with the candies. It reminded me of the song above. So we have Katie and her knowledge of our “sweet teeth” to thank for this song today. 

You can learn more about those nuns at Mississippi abbey.org 

There is a link to their candy and gift site at the bottom of the home page. You can also purchase cards with the image above there.

Come Down, O Love Divine

Text:  Bianco of Siena, 14th century. Tune: Down Ampney by Ralph Vaughan Williams

Come Down, O Love Divine

If you want to see examples of contradictory information online, google “Bianco of Siena.” He is described as a Jesuit, though he predates St. Ignatius who was the founder of the Jesuit order. As a young man he apparently entered the Jesuate order which was a group of lay followers of Augustinian rule. His birth date is uncertain, but he probably died in 1434. He wrote other examples of “religiously-inspired poetry,” but I’m only familiar with this one. He sounds like someone I’d like to get to know. If it is correct that he entered the Jesuate order in 1367, then he must have lived a very long life.

Ralph Vaughan Williams wrote the tune and named it Down Ampney which was the name of his birthplace. His father was the vicar of All Saints church there when Ralph was born in 1872. While he grew up to be arguably England’s finest composer who had a significant influence on church music by editing the 1906 hymnal of the Church of England, Vaughan Williams never clearly professed faith in God. He moved from atheist to agnostic, though I hope he moved on to faith in Christ before the end of his 86 years.

The above performance is by Fernando Ortega, one of the most sensitive church musicians of his generation. Close your eyes and enjoy this lovely song that connects us to a 14th century Christian brother by way of an early 20th century agnostic and a 21st century American musician. 

Bianco da Siena
(c. 1350 – c. 1434)
translated by
Richard Littledale
(1833-1890)

Come down, O Love divine,
Seek thou this soul of mine,
And visit it with Thine own ardor glowing;
O Comforter, draw near,
Within my heart appear,
And kindle it, Thy holy flame bestowing.

O let it freely burn,
Till earthly passions turn
To dust and ashes in its heat consuming;
And let Thy glorious light
Shine ever on my sight,
And clothe me round, the while my path illuming.

Let holy charity
Mine outward vesture be,
And lowliness become mine inner clothing:
True lowliness of heart,
Which takes the humbler part
And o’er its own shortcomings weeps with loathing.

And so the yearning strong
With which the soul will long
Shall far outpass the power of human telling;
No soul can guess its grace,
Till he become the place
Wherein the Holy Spirit makes a dwelling

 

Of the Father’s Love Begotten

 Of the Father’s Love Begotten

Text: Aurelius Clemens Prudentius, early 5th century  Tune: Divinum Mysterium, c. 12th century

So, so lovely!

Ancient text, almost-as-ancient tune, sung by students just a few years ago at Mississippi College. 

There are more verses to this song than are printed in most hymnals. I found these in a Gospel Coalition article that I will link below. Enjoy!

Of the Father’s love begotten,
Ere the worlds began to be,
He is Alpha and Omega,
He the source, the ending He,
Of the things that are, that have been,
And that future years shall see,
Evermore and evermore!

At His Word the worlds were framèd;
He commanded; it was done:
Heaven and earth and depths of ocean
In their threefold order one;
All that grows beneath the shining
Of the moon and burning sun,
Evermore and evermore!

He is found in human fashion,
Death and sorrow here to know,
That the race of Adam’s children
Doomed by law to endless woe,
May not henceforth die and perish
In the dreadful gulf below,
Evermore and evermore!

O that birth forever blessed,
When the virgin, full of grace,
By the Holy Ghost conceiving,
Bare the Saviour of our race;
And the Babe, the world’s Redeemer,
First revealed His sacred face,
evermore and evermore!

This is He Whom seers in old time
Chanted of with one accord;
Whom the voices of the prophets
Promised in their faithful word;
Now He shines, the long expected,
Let creation praise its Lord,
Evermore and evermore!

O ye heights of heaven adore Him;
Angel hosts, His praises sing;
Powers, dominions, bow before Him,
and extol our God and King!
Let no tongue on earth be silent,
Every voice in concert sing,
Evermore and evermore!

Righteous judge of souls departed,
Righteous King of them that live,
On the Father’s throne exalted
None in might with Thee may strive;
Who at last in vengeance coming
Sinners from Thy face shalt drive,
Evermore and evermore!

Thee let old men, thee let young men,
Thee let boys in chorus sing;
Matrons, virgins, little maidens,
With glad voices answering:
Let their guileless songs re-echo,
And the heart its music bring,
Evermore and evermore!

Christ, to Thee with God the Father,
And, O Holy Ghost, to Thee,
Hymn and chant with high thanksgiving,
And unwearied praises be:
Honour, glory, and dominion,
And eternal victory,
Evermore and evermore!

For more information about this song and its author, see this article by Kevin DeYoung.

Christ, Whose Glory Fills the Skies

 Christ, Whose Glory Fills the Skies

Charles Wesley’s poetry resonates in the soul. This song was in my head when I woke up. I can’t find an online recording that I love, though the men’s chorus in the version above does a good job. 

Christ, whose glory fills the skies, Christ, the true, the only light,                                                              Sun of righteousness arise, triumph o’er the shades of night;                                                               Dayspring from on high, be near, Daystar in my heart appear.

Dark and cheerless is the morn unaccompanied by thee;                                                                         Joyless is the day’s return till thy mercy’s beams I see;                                                                               Till they inward light impart, cheer my eyes and warm my heart.

Visit then this soul of mine; pierce the gloom of sin and grief;                                                                      Fill me, Radiancy divine, scatter all my unbelief;                                                                                      More and more thyself display, shining to the perfect day.

I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light

 I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light

This version is sweet in its simplicity though a little static vocally. The text is included with the video so one can sing along.

The author and composer, Kathleen Armstrong Thomerson, is an accomplished American organist born in 1934. I think she will be best remembered for this song which does not lend itself to virtuoso organ playing. It pulls my spirit in a good direction when I sing it, whether it is with a congregation or just humming around the house. 

If you want to learn more about the song and the composer, there is some interesting information here.

This song can be used for Advent, Epiphany, or general use. I am reminded of Revelation 21:23, referring to the New Jerusalem, “And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of the Lord is its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.”

O Come, Divine Messiah

 O Come, Divine Messiah

There has never been a time in my life that I have seen so much suffering in families due to children struggling with mental or physical illness. The precious little girl who has had repeated surgeries for brain cancer. The families with teenagers hell-bent to do self-harm. The adult son who prefers living on the streets to taking his head meds. The unborn baby with a frightening growth showing up on sonograms. When I listen to this song, I think of them and long for the day when “hope shall sing its triumph, and sadness flee away.”

I love the version linked above and love that the nuns sing “Sweet Savior, haste!” But most versions have the text pasted below.

O come, divine Messiah;

The world in silence waits the day

When hope shall sing its triumph

And sadness flee away.

Dear Savior, haste!

Come, come to earth.

Dispel the night and show your face,

and bid us hail the dawn of grace.

O come, divine Messiah;

the world in silence awaits

the day when hope shall sing its triumph

and sadness flee away.

O Christ, whom nations sigh for,

Whom priest and prophet long foretold,

Come, break the captive's fetters,

Redeem the long-lost fold.

You come in peace and meekness

And lowly will your cradle be;

All clothed in human weakness

Shall we your God-head see.

Pellegrin, M. l'abbé (Simon-Joseph). (1663-1745)

People, Look East

People, Look East

 This Advent song is an antidote to the melancholy that is sometimes encouraged among Christians during this season. It is a time to look up in anticipation, to remind ourselves that Christ has come and will come again. Examining ourselves, asking forgiveness for our sins, longing for God to move in our lives and throughout the world, praying for His kingdom come, His will be done…these are ongoing disciplines that know no season. 

Advent should vibrate with the energy of expectation. Slip some Christmas carols in among the Advent ones - He has come! He will come again! Prepare ye the way of the Lord! 

Advent 2022

 “Sometimes you need to sing your way into the truth.” Sara Hagerty, quoted in Adore.

Advent is a time to show up and sing your way into the truth whether you feel like it or not. The words of Isaiah 40 are a perfect way to begin:

“Comfort ye, my people…” from Handel’s Messiah

Do you feel comforted? Encouraged to look up and anticipate God working? I tend to when I hear the beginning of this. I know the entire Messiah was composed to be performed at Easter, but this bit is a perfect beginning to Advent, don’t you think?