A personal selection of hymns
More tunes by Sir John Stainer
These tunes are not often heard today, probably because the hymns associated with them have largely been forgotten.
Reading old newspaper reports of weddings, it becomes evident that one of the more popular wedding hymns in Victorian times was "The voice that breathed o'er Eden". This hymn has rather fallen out of fashion, although it may have survived in some Methodist circles. There are various versions of the words. I think the original version of verse 4 began "Be present, awful Father..."
The words were written by John Keble, but were published later than his best-known work "The Christian Year".
The tune St Giles by Sir John Stainer is sometimes found as "Matrimony".
Adoremus only seems to have been published to accompany the hymn "Thou Gracious Power" by the American poet (and polymath) Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894).
And lastly, we have the short funeral hymn "Sleep on Beloved" to the tune Vale, Vale, (Vale being Latin for Farewell). The words are by Sarah Doudney (1841-1926). This would probably have been most effective when sung at the graveside, possibly accompanied by a brass band.
The voice that breathed o'er Eden
The voice that breathed o'er Eden,
that earliest wedding-day,
the primal marriage blessing,
it hath not passed away.
Still in the pure espousal
of Christian man and maid
the Holy Three are with us,
the threefold grace is said,
for dower of blessed children,
for love and faith's sweet sake,
for high mysterious union
which nought on earth may break.
Be present, heavenly Father,
to give away this bride,
as Eve Thou gave to Adam
out of his own pierced side.
Be present, gracious Saviour,
to join their loving hands,
as Thou didst bind two natures
in Thine eternal bands.
Be present, Holy Spirit,
to bless them as they kneel,
as Thou for Christ the Bridegroom
the heavenly spouse dost seal.
O spread thy pure wings oe'r them!
Let no ill power find place,
when onward through life's journey
the hallowed path they trace,
to cast their crowns before Thee,
in perfect sacrifice,
till to the home of gladness
with Christ's own bride they rise.
St Giles
Thou gracious power Whose mercy lends
Thou gracious power Whose mercy lends,
the light of home, the smile of friends,
our gathered flock Thine arms enfold
as in the peaceful days of old.
Wilt thou not hear us while we raise
in sweet accord of solemn praise,
the voices that have mingled long
in joyous flow of mirth and song?
For all the blessings life has brought,
for all its sorrowing hours have taught,
for all we mourn, for all we keep,
the hands we clasp, the loved that sleep;
the noontide sunshine of the past,
those brief bright moments fading fast,
the stars that gild our darkening years
the twilight ray from holier spheres:
We thank thee Father! Let Thy grace
our loving circle still embrace,
Thy mercy shed its heavenly store
Thy peace be with us evermore!
Amen.
Adoremus
Sleep on Beloved
Sleep on Beloved sleep, and take thy rest.
Lay down thy head upon the Saviour's breast
We love thee well; but He doth love the best.
Good night! Good night! Good night!
Vale, Vale
For each hymn we have provided a set of verses together with an electronically generated sound-track. The sound track does not provide any words - just the tune.
The selection of hymns to be included was subject to certain limitations, notably the restrictions of copyright. This meant that many modern hymns were excluded, and the exclusion even applied to some updated versions of traditional hymns. Some publishers have made a few minor changes to make hymns more "inclusive" and have then claimed copyright over the revised text. So in most cases the ORIGINAL texts have been used, even though these may not be the versions that appear in modern hymnals.
In deciding what tunes to be used, this has largely been the Webmaster's personal choice. It is a mixture of familiar tunes and tunes that are not well-known, but deserve to be better known. The webmaster has included some personal favourites (and excluded some pet hates!). The soundtracks provided go with the words provided - if there are four verses, the tune is repeated four times. Where possible tunes have been provided with descants or alternative arrangements.
Wherever possible, there is an explanation of who wrote the words or tunes, the circumstances under which they were written, when (and sometimes why). Many hymns include references to verses appearing in the King James Version of the Bible; more modern translations were not then available! In some cases we have tried to explain these scriptural references or other instances where words have changed their meaning over time.
This selection of "Sing-along Songs of Praise" was originally a series of blog posts written during the COVID Lockdowns of 2020. It was intended to allow people to sing hymns in the safety and privacy of their own homes at a time when hymn-singing in church was not allowed (even if the church building was open!).
When hymns are sung as part of a church service, it is normally the case that the hymn books are set aside at the end of the hymn and the next part of the service continues. There is no time to sit and reflect on the meaning or the beauty of words and/or music. This collection allows you to take your time, to read, listen sing along, reflect, and to repeat a hymn again if you wish.