Holy, Holy, Holy

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty.” Isaiah 6:3

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee;
Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty!
God in three Persons, blessèd Trinity!

Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore Thee,
Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;
Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee,
Who was, and is, and evermore shall be.

Holy, holy, holy! though the darkness hide Thee,
Though the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see;
Only Thou art holy; there is none beside Thee,
Perfect in power, in love, and purity.

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
All Thy works shall praise Thy Name, in earth, and sky, and sea;
Holy, holy, holy; merciful and mighty!
God in three Persons, blessèd Trinity!


This arrangement comes from Sunday Morning Companion, Arr by Victor Labenske, found here. More details can be found on the Project Page.

Fairest Lord Jesus

One of the first hymns I ever learned, while in Vacation Bible School. I always had this image of a Savior who was peaceful, loving and kind. And, I loved all of the nature that was described in the song, the most memorable being the "fair meadow". It always seems to me to be a song best sung in the springtime of the year, when so much of the images are present in the world around you, testifying that Jesus is ruler of all nature and yet, fairer than any of it.

Fairest Lord Jesus, Ruler of all nature,

O Thou of God and man the Son, 
Thee will I cherish, Thee will I honor,

Thou, my soul’s glory, joy and crown.

Fair are the meadows, fairer still the woodlands,

Robed in the blooming garb of spring; 
Jesus is fairer, Jesus is purer,

Who makes the woeful heart to sing.

Fair is the sunshine,Fairer still the moonlight, 
And all the twinkling starry host;

Jesus shines brighter, Jesus shines purer

Than all the angels heaven can boast.

All fairest beauty, heavenly and earthly,

Wondrously, Jesus, is found in Thee; 
None can be nearer, fairer or dearer,

Than Thou, my Savior, art to me.

Beautiful Savior! Lord of all the nations!

Son of God and Son of Man! 
Glory and honor, praise, adoration,

Now and forever more be Thine.

This arrangement comes from Sunday Morning Companion, Arr by Victor Labenske, found here. More details can be found on the Project Page.

Eternal Father, Strong To Save

"Rescue me and deliver me in Your righteousness; 

turn Your ear to me and save me.”

 Psalm 71:2

In America, “Eter­nal Fa­ther” is oft­en called the “Na­vy Hymn,” be­cause it is sung at the Na­val Acad­e­my in An­na­po­lis, Ma­ry­land. It is al­so sung on ships of the Brit­ish Roy­al Na­vy and has been trans­lat­ed in­to French. It was the fa­vor­ite hymn of U.S. Pres­i­dent Frank­lin Roo­se­velt and was sung at his fun­er­al in Hyde Park, New York, Ap­ril 1945. The Na­vy Band played it in 1963 as U.S. Pre­si­dent John Ken­ne­dy’s bo­dy was car­ried up the steps of the U.S. Cap­i­tol to lie in state. Roo­se­velt served as Sec­re­ta­ry of the Na­vy, and Ken­ne­dy was a PT boat com­mand­er in World War II.

Eternal Father, strong to save,

Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,

Who biddest the mighty ocean deep

Its own appointed limits keep;

Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,

For those in peril on the sea!

O Christ! Whose voice the waters heard

And hushed their raging at Thy Word,

Who walked on the foaming deep,

And calm amidst its rage didst sleep;

Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,

For those in peril on the sea!

Most Holy Spirit! Who didst brood

Upon the chaos dark and rude,

And bid its angry tumult cease,

And give, for wild confusion, peace;

Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,

For those in peril on the sea!

O Trinity of love and power!

Our family shield in danger’s hour;

From rock and tempest, fire and foe,

Protect us wheresoever we go;

Thus evermore shall rise to Thee

Glad hymns of praise from land and sea.


This arrangement comes from Sunday Morning Companion, Arr by Victor Labenske, found here. More details can be found on the Project Page.

Doxology

Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;

Praise Him, all creatures here below;

Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

The Doxology, The Old 100th. If you've ever graced the doors of a church, you know it. I can't hear the Doxology without eventually hearing an organ. (And, to be honest, the sound of an entire congregation rushing to stand, as soon as the organ starts up.) This arrangement is particularly nice with it's modern harmonies and the running eighths. It's a bit rough around the edges in terms of transition. But, I thought I'd post it anyway.... (I dare you to not stand when you hear the organ at the end....)

Words: Thom­as Ken, 1674. These lyr­ics, sung as the Dox­ol­o­gy in many church­es, are ac­tu­al­ly the last verse of a long­er hymn, Awake, My Soul, and with the Sun.

Music: Old 100th, Ge­ne­van Psalt­er, 1551, at­trib­ut­ed to Lou­is Bour­geois 

This arrangement comes from Sunday Morning Companion, Arr by Victor Labenske, found here. More details can be found on the Project Page.

Come Thou Fount Of Every Blessing

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,
Mount of Thy redeeming love.

Another one of my favorite hymns. I have a jazzier arrangement than this, which I really like. But this one, while somber, is pleasant, too. I decided to add harpsichord/strings to it. The image of the "woman at the well" comes to mind when I hear this tune. I guess it's because this is where Jesus tells the woman that there are living waters you can drink from where you would thirst no more. And, the imagery of water in this song -  in terms of the streams of mercy, founts of blessing - just seem to fit. Jesus is the Living Water we can drink from and never thirst.  Hope you enjoy the arrangement.

By the way, all of the verses are worth reading, below. I particularly love the last 4 phrases. They have always really touched me:

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,

Prone to leave the God I love;

Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,

Seal it for Thy courts above.

This arrangement comes from Sunday Morning Companion, Arr by Victor Labenske, found here. More details can be found on the Project Page.

Lyrics

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;

Streams of mercy, never ceasing,

Call for songs of loudest praise.

Teach me some melodious sonnet,

Sung by flaming tongues above.

Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,

Mount of Thy redeeming love.

Sorrowing I shall be in spirit,
Till released from flesh and sin,

Yet from what I do inherit,

Here Thy praises I’ll begin;

Here I raise my Ebenezer;

Here by Thy great help I’ve come;

And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,

Safely to arrive at home.

Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;

He, to rescue me from danger,

Interposed His precious blood;

How His kindness yet pursues me

Mortal tongue can never tell,

Clothed in flesh, till death shall loose me

I cannot proclaim it well.

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!

Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,

Bind my wandering heart to Thee.

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,

Prone to leave the God I love;

Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,

Seal it for Thy courts above.

O that day when freed from sinning,
I shall see Thy lovely face;

Clothed then in blood washed linen

How I’ll sing Thy sovereign grace;

Come, my Lord, no longer tarry,

Take my ransomed soul away;

Send thine angels now to carry

Me to realms of endless day.

It Is Well With My Soul

Background

This hymn, the words of which were written by  Ho­ra­tio G. Spaf­ford, 1873,  was writ­ten af­ter two ma­jor trau­mas in Spaf­ford’s life. The first was the great Chi­ca­go Fire of Oc­to­ber 1871, which ru­ined him fi­nan­cial­ly (he had been a weal­thy bus­i­ness­man). Short­ly af­ter, while cross­ing the At­lan­tic, all four of Spaf­ford’s daugh­ters died in a col­li­sion with an­o­ther ship. Spaf­ford’s wife Anna sur­vived and sent him the now fa­mous tel­e­gram, “Saved alone.” Sev­er­al weeks lat­er, as Spaf­ford’s own ship passed near the spot where his daugh­ters died, the Ho­ly Spir­it in­spired these words. They speak to the eter­nal hope that all be­liev­ers have, no mat­ter what pain and grief be­fall them on earth.  


Music: Ville du Havre, Phil­ip P. Bliss, 1876 . The tune is named af­ter the ship on which Spaf­ford’s child­ren per­ished, the S.S. Ville de Havre. Iron­ic­al­ly, Bliss him­self died in a tra­gic train wreck short­ly af­ter writ­ing this mu­sic.

My Thoughts

The story of how this hymn came to be -  first told me by my father, I believe -  has always touched me. It is one of my favorite hymns.

My dad has always been a very positive person. You'd never know the tragedy or heartache in his life, to talk to him. That, to me, is the embodiment of the message of this hymn. "Though hast taught me to say, 'It is Well With My Soul'." Early in my life, I tried to find the positive, even if it meant just resorting to humor, to get through hard times. I think I got this from my father. It took me a long time to recognize its use in my life as a coping mechanism. I've not always been able to walk that brave line in the face of tragedy. But, it has been made easier through the example of my father, and of course, the Christ in my life.

This arrangement I felt needed to be sorrowful, almost the kind of sorrow you feel when you just can't take another step. The wind has been taken out of your sails. But, it also needed to express the hope that we all have in Christ, no matter the depth of our sorrow. All sorrows here are wiped away someday. In the middle of the arrangement, I switched to strings only. It sounded ethereal to me; as if choirs of angels, brave souls who had gone before, were singing down in hope, to support that poor soul, bearing so much weight, feeling so all alone...  I hope you hear not only the sorrow, but the blessed hope in this piece. It is still a bit rough around the edges, but I wanted to include it anyway. Who of us is not a bit "rough around the edges" if we indeed, need this tune? And yes, "It is Well with My Soul."

Listen Here

This arrangement comes from Sunday Morning Companion, Arr by Victor Labenske, found here. More details can be found on the Project Page.

Lyrics

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Refrain

It is well, with my soul,

It is well, with my soul,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,

Let this blest assurance control,

That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,

And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

Refrain

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!

My sin, not in part but the whole,

Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

Refrain

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:

If Jordan above me shall roll,

No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life

Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

Refrain

But, Lord, ‘tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,

The sky, not the grave, is our goal;

Oh trump of the angel! Oh voice of the Lord!

Blessèd hope, blessèd rest of my soul!

Refrain

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,

The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;

The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,

Even so, it is well with my soul.

Refrain

O God, Our Help In Ages Past

Our God, our help in ages past,

Our hope for years to come,

Our shelter from the stormy blast,

And our eternal home.

Words by Isaac Watts

I always enjoyed playing duets, as a pianist, with the organist in our church when I was younger. It was nice to just play together and trade off the melody. This arrangement in which I include both piano & organ comes as close as I can to that experience, with just two hands!

This arrangement comes from Sunday Morning Companion, Arr by Victor Labenske, found here. More details can be found on the Project Page.

Our God, our help in ages past,

Our hope for years to come,

Our shelter from the stormy blast,

And our eternal home.

Under the shadow of Thy throne

Thy saints have dwelt secure;

Sufficient is Thine arm alone,

And our defense is sure.

Before the hills in order stood,

Or earth received her frame,

From everlasting Thou art God,

To endless years the same.

Thy Word commands our flesh to dust,

“Return, ye sons of men:”

All nations rose from earth at first,

And turn to earth again.

A thousand ages in Thy sight

Are like an evening gone;

Short as the watch that ends the night

Before the rising sun.

The busy tribes of flesh and blood,

With all their lives and cares,

Are carried downwards by the flood,

And lost in following years.

Time, like an ever rolling stream,

Bears all its sons away;

They fly, forgotten, as a dream

Dies at the opening day.

Like flowery fields the nations stand

Pleased with the morning light;

The flowers beneath the mower’s hand

Lie withering ere ‘tis night.

Our God, our help in ages past,

Our hope for years to come,

Be Thou our guard while troubles last,

And our eternal home.

Words: Isaac Watts, The Psalms of Da­vid, 1719.

Music: St. Anne, Will­iam Croft, 1708

I Need Thee Every Hour

I need Thee, O I need Thee;
Every hour I need Thee;
O bless me now, my Savior,
I come to Thee.

Annie Hawks wrote:

One day as a young wife and mo­ther of 37 years of age, I was bu­sy with my reg­u­lar house­hold tasks. Sud­den­ly, I be­came so filled with the sense of near­ness to the Mast­er that, won­der­ing how one could live with­out Him, ei­ther in joy or pain, these words, “I Need Thee Ev­e­ry Hour,” were ush­ered in­to my mind, the thought at once tak­ing full pos­sess­ion of me.

After writ­ing the lyr­ics, Hawks gave them to her pas­tor, Ro­bert Low­ry, who add­ed the tune and re­frain. The hymn was first pub­lished at the Na­tion­al Bap­tist Sun­day School Con­ven­tion in Cin­cin­na­ti, Ohio, in No­vem­ber 1872. Some years lat­er, af­ter the death of her hus­band, Hawks wrote:

I did not un­der­stand at first why this hymn had touched the great throb­bing heart of hu­man­i­ty. It was not un­til long af­ter, when the sha­dow fell over my way, the sha­dow of a great loss, that I un­der­stood some­thing of the com­fort­ing pow­er in the words which I had been per­mit­ted to give out to others in my hour of sweet se­ren­i­ty and peace.

This gospel-sounding arrangement comes from Sunday Morning Companion, Arr by Victor Labenske, found here. More details can be found on the Project Page.

I need Thee every hour, most gracious Lord;

No tender voice like Thine can peace afford.

Refrain

I need Thee, O I need Thee;

Every hour I need Thee;O bless me now, my Savior,

I come to Thee.

I need Thee every hour, stay Thou nearby;

Temptations lose their power when Thou art nigh.

Refrain

I need Thee every hour, in joy or pain;

Come quickly and abide, or life is in vain.

Refrain

I need Thee every hour; teach me Thy will;

And Thy rich promises in me fulfill.

Refrain

I need Thee every hour, most Holy One;

O make me Thine indeed, Thou blessèd Son.

Refrain

Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken

 

Franz Joseph Haydn

  Glorious things of thee are spoken,

  Zion, city of our God;

  he whose word cannot be broken

  formed thee for his own abode;

  on the Rock of Ages founded,

  what can shake thy sure repose?

  With salvation's walls surrounded,

  thou may'st smile at all thy foes.

A lively tune based on a Croatian folk song, by Franz Joseph Haydn (words by John Newton). Again, using a more period sound with a harpsichord stop.  You can't help but feel happy with this arrangement, I think. It was a fun discovery... Hope you enjoy it!

This arrangement comes from Sunday Morning Companion, Arr by Victor Labenske, found here. More details can be found on the Project Page.

Glorious things of thee are spoken,

Zion, city of our God;

he whose word cannot be broken

formed thee for his own abode;

on the Rock of Ages founded,

what can shake thy sure repose?

With salvation's walls surrounded,

thou may'st smile at all thy foes.

See! the streams of living waters,

spring form eternal love,

well supply thy sons and daughters

and all fear of want remove.

Who can faint, when such a river

ever flows their thirst to assuage?

Grace which, like the Lord, the Giver,

never fails from age to age.

Round each habitation hovering,

see the cloud and fire appear

for a glory and a covering,

showing that the Lord is near.

Thus they march, their pillar leading,

light by night, and shade by day;

daily on the manna feeding

which he gives them when they pray.

Blest inhabitants of Zion,

washed in the Redeemer's blood!

Jesus, whom their souls rely on,

makes them kings and priests to God.

'Tis his love his people raises

over self to reign as kings:

and as priests, his solemn praises

each for a thank-offering brings.

Savior, if of Zion's city,

I through grace a member am,

let the world deride or pity,

I will glory in thy Name.

Fading is the worldling's pleasure,

all his boasted pomp and show;

solid joys and lasting treasure

none but Zion's children know.

Come, Christians, Join to Sing!

Two Angels Singing, by Benjamin West

Come, Christians, join to sing

Alleluia! Amen!

A lovely Spanish melody. Always reminds me of happiness and Christmastime.  I couldn't resist using the cembalo stop on this one. Adds to the Spanish flavor, I think. Bright. Happy. Hope you like it.





This arrangement comes from Sunday Morning Companion, Arr by Victor Labenske, found here. More details can be found on the Project Page.

Come, Christians, join to sing

Alleluia! Amen!

Loud praise to Christ our King;

Alleluia! Amen!

Let all, with heart and voice,

Before His throne rejoice;

Praise is His gracious choice.

Alleluia! Amen!

Come, lift your hearts on high,

Alleluia! Amen!

Let praises fill the sky;

Alleluia! Amen!

He is our Guide and Friend;

To us He’ll condescend;

His love shall never end.

Alleluia! Amen!

Praise yet our Christ again,

Alleluia! Amen!

Life shall not end the strain;

Alleluia! Amen!

On heaven’s blissful shore,

His goodness we’ll adore,

Singing forevermore,

“Alleluia! Amen!”

When I Survey the Wondrous Cross

When I survey the wondrous cross

On which the Prince of glory died,

My richest gain I count but loss,

And pour contempt on all my pride.

Again, one of my favorite Easter Hymns. It embodies all of the awe and reverence I feel at that time of year.  I love the arrangements that delve into the darker aspect of this piece and this arrangement does just that. But, then, at the end, as I always hope, there is a rise of power and majesty and we end in a major mode.

The Easter story is one of sorrow and love mingled down. Yes. But, because of this sorrow coupled with love, it is a story of glory and power. Jesus is not dead. He is alive. He overcame death so that we might live. And, we are forgiven. Forever. That is the story of Easter. The glorious hope of Easter.

One of my favorite hymns to play. I probably enjoy playing it more than anyone can possibly enjoy hearing it! Such is the "gift of music." I hope you enjoy this rendition....

This arrangement comes from Sunday Morning Companion, Arr by Victor Labenske, found here. More details can be found on the Project Page.

Words: Isaac Watts, Hymns and Spir­it­u­al Songs, 1707. Charles Wes­ley re­port­ed­ly said he would give up all his other hymns to have writ­ten this one.

When I survey the wondrous cross

On which the Prince of glory died,

My richest gain I count but loss,

And pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,

Save in the death of Christ my God!

All the vain things that charm me most,

I sacrifice them to His blood.

See from His head, His hands, His feet,

Sorrow and love flow mingled down!

Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,

Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

His dying crimson, like a robe,

Spreads o’er His body on the tree;

Then I am dead to all the globe,

And all the globe is dead to me.

Were the whole realm of nature mine,

That were a present far too small;

Love so amazing, so divine,

Demands my soul, my life, my all.

O Sacred Head, Now Wounded

O sacred Head, now wounded, 
with grief and shame weighed down,

Now scornfully surrounded 

with thorns, Thine only crown;
How pale Thou art with anguish, 

with sore abuse and scorn!
How does that visage languish, 

which once was bright as morn!

Truly, one of my favorite Easter Hymns. It seems at once sad and somber. And, you feel the shame and guilt. But, the divine and the sacredness of the sacrifice shine through with glorious hope and yet, reverence. It is just a beautiful tune and a lovely lyric. 

What Thou, my Lord, hast suffered, was all for sinners' gain;

Mine, mine was the transgression, but Thine the deadly pain. 

This arrangement comes from Sunday Morning Companion, Arr by Victor Labenske, found here. More details can be found on the Project Page.

Lyrics: 1830 (J.W. Alexander)

O sacred Head, now wounded, with grief and shame weighed down,

Now scornfully surrounded with thorns, Thine only crown;

How pale Thou art 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 Savior! ’Tis I deserve Thy place;

Look on me with Thy favor, vouchsafe to me Thy grace.

Men mock and taunt and jeer Thee, Thou noble countenance,

Though mighty worlds shall fear Thee and flee before Thy glance.

How doth Thy visage languish that once was bright as morn!

How art thou pale with anguish, with sore abuse and scorn!

Now from Thy cheeks has vanished their color once so fair;

From Thy red lips is banished the splendor that was there.

Thus Thou hast lost Thy vigor, Thy strength in this sad strife.

Grim death, with cruel rigor, hath robbed Thee of Thy life;

My burden in Thy Passion, Lord, Thou hast borne for me,

For it was my transgression which brought this woe on Thee.

Have mercy, I implore Thee; Redeemer, spurn me not!

I cast me down before Thee, wrath were my rightful lot;

What language shall I borrow to thank Thee, dearest friend,

For this Thy dying sorrow, Thy pity without end?

Lord, let me never, never outlive my love to Thee.

O make me Thine forever, and should I fainting be,

My Shepherd, now receive me; my Guardian, own me Thine.

Great blessings Thou didst give me, O source of gifts divine.

Thy Spirit oft hath led me to heavenly joys above.

Thy lips have often fed me with words of truth and love;

Here I will stand beside Thee, from Thee I will not part;

O Savior, do not chide me! When breaks Thy loving heart,

Then, in Thy deepest anguish, Thee in mine arms I’ll clasp.

When soul and body languish in death’s cold, cruel grasp,

The joy can never be spoken, above all joys beside,

When in Thy body broken I thus with safety hide.

Beside Thy cross expiring, I’d breathe my soul to Thee.

O Lord of Life, desiring Thy glory now to see,

My Savior, be Thou near me when death is at my door;

Then let Thy presence cheer me, forsake me nevermore!

But take away mine anguish by virtue of Thine own!

When soul and body languish, oh, leave me not alone,

Be Thou my consolation, my shield when I must die;

Remind me of Thy passion when my last hour draws nigh.

Mine eyes shall then behold Thee, upon Thy cross shall dwell, 

My heart by faith enfolds Thee. Who dieth thus dies well.