Romans VIII (For to Those Who Love God), first published in 1970 was written by Enrico Garzilli. Still active today as a composer, writer, and performer; Garzilli has composed a number of choral works for liturgy, as well as oratorios and instrumental pieces with religious themes. In the Liturgy of the Hours, For Those Who Love God (Romans 8) is used during Ordinary Time for Evening Prayer.
O Worship the King, first published in 1833 was written by onetime
Member of British Parliament, and a Director of the East India Company; Sir Robert Grant (1779-1838). It is set to the tune, Hanover by English composer and organist William Croft (1678–1727). In the Liturgy of the Hours, O Worship the King All Glorious Above is used during Ordinary Time for Evening Prayer.
O WORSHIP THE KING by Robert Grant, 1833 (Public Domain)
1. O worship the king, All glorious above;
Oh gratefully sing his power and his love;
Our shield and defender, the ancient of days,
Pavilioned in splendour, And girded with praise.
2. O, tell of his might Oh, sing of His grace;
Whose robe is the light, Whose canopy space;
His chariots of wrath form The deep thunderclouds
And dark is his path On the wings of the storm.
3. This earth with its store Of wonders untold,
Almighty! Thy power hath founded of old;
Hath stablished it fast by a changeless decree,
And round it hath cast, like a mantle, the sea
4. Thy bountiful care what tongue can recite?
It breathes in the air, It shines in the light;
It streams from the hills, It descends to the plain,
And sweetly distills in the dew and the rain.
5. Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail,
In thee do we trust, nor find thee to fail;
Thy mercies how tender, how firm to the end,
Our maker, defender, redeemer and friend.
6. O measureless might, ineffable Love,
While angels delight to hymn thee above,
The humbler creation, Though feeble their lays,
With true adoration shall sing to thy praise.
Love Divine, All Loves Excelling, first published in 1747 was written by Methodist, Charles Wesley (1707-1788). Of the some 6500 hymns he wrote, this remains one of the most popular and is generally considered one of his finest works. While often sung to the tune, Beecher, the version found in the Breviary is set to Hyfrodol, written in 1830 by the Welsh musician, Rowland H. Prichard (1811-1887). Another popular setting is to the tune, Blaenwern (as shown in the 2nd video). In the Liturgy of the Hours Love Divine, All Loves Excelling is used during Ordinary Time for Evening Prayer and also on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart.
Tune: Hyfrodol
LOVE DIVINE, ALL LOVES EXCELLING by Charles Wesley, 1747 (Public Domain)
Love divine, all loves excelling,
Joy of heaven to earth come down;
Fix in us thy humble dwelling;
All thy faithful mercies crown!
Jesus, Thou art all compassion,
Pure unbounded love Thou art;
Visit us with Thy salvation;
Enter every trembling heart.
Breathe, O breathe Thy loving Spirit,
Into every troubled breast!
Let us all in Thee inherit;
Let us find that second rest.
Take away our bent to sinning;
Alpha and Omega be;
End of faith, as its Beginning,
Set our hearts at liberty.
Come, Almighty to deliver,
Let us all Thy life receive;
Suddenly return and never,
Never more Thy temples leave.
Thee we would be always blessing,
Serve Thee as Thy hosts above,
Pray and praise Thee without ceasing,
Glory in Thy perfect love.
Finish, then, Thy new creation;
Pure and spotless let us be.
Let us see Thy great salvation
Perfectly restored in Thee;
Changed from glory into glory,
Till in heaven we take our place,
Till we cast our crowns before Thee,
Lost in wonder, love, and praise.
At the Name of Jesus was written in 1870 by Caroline Maria Noel (1817 - 1877). The daughter of an Anglican clergyman, she wrote the hymn for use as a Processional for Ascension Day. It is based upon St. Paul's confession of faith in Philippians 2 - "God also hath exalted him, and hath given him a name which is above all names that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow." (Douay-Rheims). Ralph Vaughan Williams' 1925 tune, King's Weston was written specifically for this text. In the Liturgy of the Hours At the Name of Jesus is used during Ordinary Time for Evening Prayer.
AT THE NAME OF JESUS, EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW by Caroline Noel, 1870 (Public Domain)
1. At the Name of Jesus, every knee shall bow,
Every tongue confess Him King of glory now;
’Tis the Father’s pleasure we should call Him Lord,
Who from the beginning was the mighty Word.
2. Mighty and mysterious in the highest height,
God from everlasting, very light of light:
In the Father’s bosom with the spirit blest,
Love, in love eternal, rest, in perfect rest.
3. At His voice creation sprang at once to sight,
All the angel faces, all the hosts of light,
Thrones and dominations, stars upon their way,
All the heavenly orders, in their great array.
4. Humbled for a season, to receive a name
From the lips of sinners unto whom He came,
Faithfully He bore it, spotless to the last,
Brought it back victorious when from death He passed.
5. Bore it up triumphant with its human light,
Through all ranks of creatures, to the central height,
To the throne of Godhead, to the Father’s breast;
Filled it with the glory of that perfect rest.
6. Name Him, brothers, name Him, with love strong as death
But with awe and wonder, and with bated breath!
He is God the Savior, He is Christ the Lord,
Ever to be worshipped, trusted and adored.
7. In your hearts enthrone Him; there let Him subdue
All that is not holy, all that is not true;
Crown Him as your Captain in temptation’s hour;
Let His will enfold you in its light and power.
8. Brothers, this Lord Jesus shall return again,
With His Father’s glory, with His angel train;
For all wreaths of empire meet upon His brow,
And our hearts confess Him King of glory now.
When in His Own Image was written in 1972 by Congregationalist, Fred Kaan (1929-2009). It is set to the tune, King's Weston written by Ralph Vaughan Williams in 1926. It was named after Kings Weston House near Bristol, England where in 1920 he completed his famous orchestral score of The Lark Ascending. In the Liturgy of the Hours When in His Own Image, God Created Man is used during Ordinary Time for Evening Prayer.
For the Fruits of His Creation was written in 1970 by English Methodist minister and hymn writer, Fred Pratt Green. Over the years it has become a popular song during times of harvest or Thanksgiving. Greenwrote the text specifically for the tune of East Acklam, and in particular for the final short phrase at the end of each stanza to be reinforced by the distinct melody of this beautiful hymn, written in 1957 by British composer and organist Francis Jackson. In the Liturgy of the Hours For the Fruits of His Creation is used during Ordinary Time for Evening Prayer.
O Father, Whose Creating Hand was written by Donald Hughes (1911-1967). It is set to the tune Melita by John B. Dykes (1823-1876), best known as the melody used for Eternal Father, Strong to Save (For Those in Peril on the Sea). In the Liturgy of the Hours, O Father, Whose Creating Hand is used during Ordinary Time for Evening Prayer.
The Setting Sun is an adapted translation by Geoffrey Laycock of the Latin hymn Iam Sol Recedit Igneus (see 2nd video) ascribed to St. Ambrose (340-397). In the Roman Breviary it was sung at Saturday Vespers. This translation is set to the tune Angelus by Georg Joseph, first published in Heilige Seelenlust oder Geistliche Hirten-Lieder (1657). The melody is more commonly associated with the Anglican hymn At Even Ere the Sun Was Set. In the Liturgy of the Hours The Setting Sun is used during Ordinary Time for Evening Prayer.
Tune: Angelus
IAM SOL RECEDIT IGNEUS by St. Ambrose (Public Domain)
Iam sol recedit igneus:
Tu lux perennis Unitas,
nostris, beata Trinitas,
infunde lumen cordibus.
Te mane laudum carmine,
Te deprecamur vespere;
digneris ut te supplices
laudemus inter caelites.
Patri, simulque Filio,
tibique sancte Spiritus,
sicut fuit, sit iugiter
saeclum per omne gloria.
Lord Jesus Christ, Abide With Us is a 1967 paraphrased translation by Jerome Leaman of Mane Nobiscum Domine (see note below), which recalls the appearance of Our Lord to the two disciples on the Road to Emmaus from Luke 24:29: "But they constrained him; saying: Stay with us, because it is towards evening, and the day is now far spent. And he went in with them." It is set to the popular tune, Old 100th (Doxology) attributed to Louis Bourgeois (1510-1561) from the Genevan Psalter (1551). In the Liturgy of the Hours Lord Jesus Christ, Abide With Us is used during Ordinary Time for Evening Prayer.
Tune: Old 100th
MANE NOBISCUM, DOMINE (Public Domain)
Mane nobiscum, Domine,
et nos illustra lumine;
Pulsa mentis caligine,
Mundum reple dulcedine.
IESU, DECUS ANGELICUM (Public Domain)
1. Iesu, decus angelicum,
in aure dulce canticum,
in ore mel mirificum,
in corde nectar caelicum.
2. Qui te gustant, esuriunt,
qui bibunt, adhuc sitiunt;
desiderare nesciunt,
nisi Iesum, quem diligunt.
3. O Iesu mi dulcissime,
spes suspirantis animae!
Te quaerunt piae lacrimae,
Te clamor mentis intimae.
4. Mane nobiscum, Domine,
et nos illustra lumine;
Pulsa mentis caligine,
Mundum reple dulcedine.
O Christ, You Are the Light and Day is a 1965 translation by the Reverend Michael M. Quinn, O.P. of Christe qui Lux es et Dies (see 2nd video), an ancient latin hymn used for Compline during Lent. It is set to the tune, Saint Anne written in 1708 by William Croft(1678-1727). Both JS Bach and GF Handel used it in their compositions. The melody is best known as the setting the Isaac Watts hymn: Our God, Our Help in Ages Past. In the Liturgy of the Hours, O Christ, You Are the Light and Day is used during Ordinary Time for Evening Prayer.
Tune: St. Anne
CHRISTE QUI LUX ES ET DIES (Public Domain)
1. Christe qui lux es et dies,
Noctis tenebras detegis,
Lucisque lumen crederis,
Lumen beatum praedicans.
2.
Precamur Sancte Domine,
Defende nos in hac nocte,
Sit nobis in te requies,
Quietam noctem tribue.
3.
Ne gravis somnus irruat,
Nec hostis nos surripiat,
Nec caro illi consentiens,
Nos tibi reos statuat.
4.
Oculi somnum capiant,
Cor ad te semper vigilet,
Dextera tua protegat
Famulos qui te diligunt.
5.
Defensor noster aspice,
Insidiantes reprime,
Guberna tuos famulos,
Quos sanguine mercatus es.
6.
Memento nostri Domine
In gravi isto corpore,
Qui es defensor animae,
Adesto nobis Domine.
7.
Deo Patri sit gloria,
Eiusque soli Filio,
Cum Spiritu Paraclito,
Et nunc et in perpetuum. Amen.
Now Thank We All Our God was written circa 1636 by Lutheran Minister, Martin Rinkart (1586-1649) and later translated into English by Catherine Winkworth (1829-1878). It is based upon Sirach (also known as the Book of Ecclesiasticus from the Septuagint), which includes this verse spoken by Simon the Hight Priest: "And now pray ye to the God of all, who hath done great things in all the earth, who hath increased our days from our mother's womb, and hath done with us according to his mercy." Sirach 50:24. It was set to music (Nun Danket) circa 1647 by Johann Crüger, who colaborated with Rinkart on other hymns. The tune was later be used by JS Bach for several compositions (BWV 79, 192, 252, 386, 657). In the Liturgy of the Hours, Now Thank We All Our God is used during Ordinary Time for Evening Prayer.
NOW THANK WE ALL OUR GOD by Catherine Winkworth, (Public Domain)
Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things has done, in Whom this world rejoices;
Who from our mothers’ arms has blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.
O may this bounteous God through all our life be near us,
With ever joyful hearts and blessèd peace to cheer us;
And keep us in His grace, and guide us when perplexed;
And free us from all ills, in this world and the next!
All praise and thanks to God the Father now be given;
The Son and Him Who reigns with Them in highest Heaven;
The one eternal God, whom earth and Heaven adore;
For thus it was, is now, and shall be evermore.
Faith of Our Fathers was written by Frederick W. Faber (1814-1863). Originally an Ordained Priest in the Church of England, in 1846, following the example of Cardinal John Henry Newman he left to join the Catholic Church. It is set to the tune, Saint Catherine written in 1864 by Henri F. Hemy (1818-1888), Fr. Faber wrote it to honor Catholic martyrs from the English Reformation during the time of Henry VIII. In the Liturgy of the Hours Faith of Our Fathers is used during Ordinary Time for Daytime Mid-Afternoon Prayer.
Tune: Saint Catherine
FAITH OF OUR FATHERS by Fredrick Faber, 1846 (Public Domain)
Faith of our fathers, living still,
In spite of dungeon, fire and sword;
O how our hearts beat high with joy
Whene'er we hear thy wondrous voice!
Refrain: Faith of our fathers, holy faith!
We will be true to thee till death.
Faith of our fathers, we will strive
To win all nations unto Thee;
And through the truth that comes from God,
We all shall then be truly free.
Faith of our fathers, we will love
Both friend and foe in all our strife;
And preach Thee, too, as love knows how
By kindly words and virtuous life.
Lord God and Maker of All Things was written by the Benedictine Nuns of the Conventus of Our Lady of Consolation of Stanbrook Abbey in North Yorkshire, England. It was first published in 1971 in the Stanbrook Abbey Hymnal. At that time the contempletive order was based in a Victorian abbey in Worcestershire, but they have recently moved to a new home in the North York Moors National Park. Lord God and Maker of All Things is set to the the old French Church melody, Auctoritate Saeculi from the Poitiers Antiphoner (1746). An alternative tune that can also be used is Eisenach, as featured in the following video. In the Liturgy of the Hours it is sung during Ordinary Time for Mid-afternoon Prayer.
Firmly I Believe and Truly is an adaption by Anthony Petti of a portion of the 1865 poem, The Dream of Gerontius by John Henry Newman (1801-1890). The narrative poem tells the story of a pius man's passing and his soul's subsequent journey through Purgatory and judgement before God. In 1900 the poem was turned into a major work for voices and orchestra by Edward Elgar. Firmly I Believe and Truly is set to the tune Halton Holgate by William Boyce (c.1710-1779). In the Liturgy of the Hours it is used during Ordinary Time for Daytime Midday Prayer.
FIRMLY I BELIEVE AND TRULY by John Henry Newman, 1865 (Public Domain)
1. Firmly I believe and truly
God is Three, and God is One;
And I next acknowledge duly
Manhood taken by the Son.
2. And I trust and hope most fully
In that Manhood crucified;
And each thought and deed unruly
Do to death, as He has died.
3. Simply to His grace and wholly
Light and life and strength belong,
And I love supremely, solely,
Him the holy, Him the strong.
4. And I hold in veneration,
For the love of Him alone,
Holy Church as His creation,
And her teachings are His own.
5. And I take with joy whatever
Now besets me, pain or fear,
And with a strong will I sever
All the ties which bind me here.
6. Adoration aye be given,
With and through the angelic host,
To the God of earth and Heaven,
Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
Lord of All Being, Throned Afar was written in 1848 by Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. (1809-1894). Son of a Congregational clergyman, Holmes was a well known and respected writer, lecturer, poet, physician, and academic of 19th century America.
His son, Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. sat on the Supreme Court of the United States. Lord of All Being, Throned Afar is set to the tune, Uffingham by British Hymnodist, Jeremiah Clarke (c.1659-1707). It can also be sung to the tune, Winchester New, as featured in the following video. In the Liturgy of the Hours it is used during Ordinary Time for Daytime Midday Prayer.
Tune: Winchester New
LORD OF ALL BEING, THRONED AFAR by Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr., 1848 (Public Domain)
Lord of all being, thronèd afar,
Thy glory flames from sun and star;
Center and soul of every sphere,
Yet to each loving heart how near!
Sun of our life, Thy quickening ray,
Sheds on our path the glow of day;
Star of our hope, Thy softened light
Cheers the long watches of the night.
Our midnight is Thy smile withdrawn;
Our noontide is Thy gracious dawn;
Our rainbow arch, Thy mercy’s sign;
All, save the clouds of sin, are Thine.
Lord of all life, below, above,
Whose light is truth, whose warmth is love,
Before Thy ever blazing throne
We ask no luster of our own.
Grant us Thy truth to make us free,
And kindling hearts that burn for Thee,
Till all Thy living altars claim
One holy light, one heavenly flame.
Lord of All Hopefulness was written in 1929 by English born, Jan Struther, a pseudonym of Joyce Torrens (1901-1953). Struther was well known for her book, Mrs Miniver (1939). Lord of All Hopefulness was one of a dozen or so hymns she wrote. Although she attended church, she considered herself an agnostic. It is set to Slane, a traditional Irish melody. In the Liturgy of the Hours, Lord of All Hopefulness is used during Ordinary Time for Daytime Midday Prayer.
Help Us, O Lord by American Methodist Pastor and Hymnodist, William Watkins Reid (b.1923) was first published in 1959 by the Hymn Society of America in Fifteen Christian Education Hymns. It is set to the tune Franconia, written by Johann Balthasar Konig (1691-1758) and first published in Choralbuch (1738). In the Liturgy of the Hours, Help Us, O Lord is used during Ordinary Time for Daytime Midday Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, Who Ever One is a translation from the original latin by Blessed John Henry Newman of Nunc Sancte nobis Spiritus (see 2nd and 3rd videos) by St. Ambrose (c340-397). It was first published in Tracts for the Times (1836). Attributed to Ambrose of Milan, it was included in the Latin Breviary as the hymn sung during Terce, for it was at the 3rd hour (9AM) that the Holy Spirit defended upon the Apostles at Pentecost. It is set to the tune, O Jesu mi dulcissime from a collection of German Catholic hymns published in 1643, the Clausener Gesangbuch. It is better known in it's setting sung to the tune Wareham (see 1st video). In the Liturgy of the Hours, Come, Holy Ghost, Who Ever One is used during Ordinary Time for Daytime Midmorning Prayer.
Tune: Wareham
COME, HOLY GHOST, WHO EVER ONE by John Henry Newman, 1836 (Public Domain)
Come, Holy Ghost, who ever One
Art with the Father and the Son;
Come, Holy Ghost, our souls possess
With thy full flood of holiness.
In will and deed, by heart and tongue,
With all our powers, thy praise be sung;
And love light up our mortal frame,
Till others catch the living flame.
Almighty Father, hear our cry
Through Jesus Christ our Lord most high,
Who with the Holy Ghost and thee
Doth live and reign eternally.
Amen.
Ambrosian Chant
NUNC, SANCTE, NOBIS SPIRITUS attributed to St. Ambrose (Public Domain)
Nunc, Sancte, nobis, Spiritus,
Unum Patri cum Filio,
Dignare promptus ingeri
Nostro refusus pectori.
From All That Dwell Below the Skies , first published 1719 is one of the most popular of some 750 hymns written by the Non-Conformist, Isaac Watts (1674-1748). There are a number of versions of this hymn including Hymn #19 of the Office which is sung to a different tune. This setting uses the melody, Eisenach (1628) by Johann Schein (1586-1630). He was one of the first German composers to add Italian Baroque elements of composition to Lutheran music. A popular alternative tune is Duke Street, as featured in the following video. In the Liturgy of the Hours, From All That Dwell Below the Skies is used during Ordinary Time for Morning and Daytime Midmorning Prayer.
FROM ALL THAT DWELL BELOW THE SKIES by Isaac Watts, 1719; 3rd stanza by Anonymous; 4th stanza by Robert Spence, 1780 (Public Domain)
1. From all that dwell below the skies,
Let the Creator’s praise arise;
Let the Redeemer’s Name be sung,
Through every land, by every tongue.
2. Eternal are Thy mercies, Lord,
Eternal truth attends Thy Word.
Thy praise shall sound from shore to shore,
Till suns rise and set no more.
3. Your lofty themes, ye mortals, bring,
In songs of praise divinely sing;
The great salvation loud proclaim,
And shout for joy the Savior’s Name.
4. In every land begin the song;
To every land the strains belong;
In cheerful sounds all voices raise,
And fill the world with loudest praise.
Breathe on Me, Breath of God was written by the Anglican Priest, Edwin Hatch (1825-1889). A noted scholar and Church historian, he wrote a concordance to the Septuagint, Essays in Biblical Greek (1889). Breathe on Me, Breath of God was first published in the pamphlet, Between Doubt and Prayer (1878) and was set to the tune, Yattendon by Harry Wooldridge (1845-1917), but is often sung to Trentham, as in the video below. In the Liturgy of the Hours it is used during Ordinary Time for Daytime Mid-Morning Prayer.
Alternative Tune: Trentham
BREATH ON ME, BREATH OF GOD
by Edwin Hatch, 1879, Public Domain
Breathe on me, breath of God,
Fill me with life anew,
That I may love what Thou dost love,
And do what Thou wouldst do.
Breathe on me, breath of God,
Until my heart is pure,
Until with Thee I will one will,
To do and to endure.
Breathe on me, breath of God,
Blend all my soul with Thine,
Until this earthly part of me
Glows with Thy fire divine.
Breathe on me, breath of God,
So shall I never die,
But live with Thee the perfect life
Of Thine eternity.
Christ is the World's Light was written in 1969 by Methodist Minister, Fred Pratt Green (1903-2000). A prolific hymn writer, his work often reflected his concern for social issues. It is set to, Christe Sanctorum from the Paris Antiphoner (1681). In the Liturgy of the Hours, Christ is the World's Light is used during Ordinary Time for Morning Prayer.
We Turn to You, O God was written by Fred Kaan (1929- 2009), a minister of the United Reform Church in the United Kingdom. A prolific hymn writer, Kaan often fashioned the lyrics from the subject matter of his sermons. The words are set to the tune, Intercessor by English composer, teacher, and music historian Sir. Hubert Parry (1848-1918), best known for his choral work, Jerusalem. In the Liturgy of the Hours We Turn to You, O God is used during Ordinary Time for Morning Prayer.
