Words: Hen­ry Vaugh­an, Si­lex Scin­til­lans, or Sac­red Po­ems, 1650. Music: Vul­pi­us, Mel­chi­or Vul­pi­us, Ein Schön Geist­lich Ge­sang­buch (Je­na, Ger­ma­ny: 1609). My soul, there is a country, Afar beyond the stars, Where stands a wingèd sentry, All skillful in the wars. There, above noise and danger, Sweet Peace sits crowned with smiles, And One born in a manger Commands the beauteous files. […]

Words: James Montgomery, Poet’s Port­fo­lio, 1835. Music: Terra Be­a­ta, tra­di­tion­al Eng­lish mel­o­dy, ar­ranged by Frank­lin L. Shep­pard in his Al­le­lu­ia, 1915. Al­ter­nate tune: Nearer Home, Isaac B. Wood­bu­ry, 1852; har­mo­ny by Ar­thur S. Sul­li­van, 1874 “Forever with the Lord!” Amen, so let it be! Life from His death is in that word ’Tis immortality. Here in the body pent, Absent from Him I […]

Words: Ka­tha­ri­na A. von Schle­gel, in Neue Samm­lung Geist­lich­er Lied­er, 1752 (Stille, meine Wille, dein Je­sus hilft sie­gen); trans­lat­ed from Ger­man to Eng­lish by Jane L. Borth­wick in Hymns from the Land of Lu­ther, 1855. Music: Fin­land­ia, Jean Si­bel­i­us, 1899. Al­ter­nate tune: Unde et Memores, Will­iam H. Monk, 1875  This hymn was re­port­ed­ly the fav­or­ite of Er­ic Lid­dell, the ath­lete who be­came […]

Words: Will­iam C. Dix, Al­tar Songs, Vers­es on the Ho­ly Eu­cha­rist, 1867. Music: Hyfrydol, Row­land H. Pri­chard, 1830. Al­ter­nate tunes: Adoration (Lu­ard-Sel­by), Ber­tram Lu­ard-Sel­by, in Hymns An­cient and Mo­dern, 1904 Alleluia (Wes­ley), Sam­u­el S.Wes­ley, in the Eu­ro­pe­an Psalm­ist, 1872  Alleluia! sing to Jesus! His the scepter, His the throne. Alleluia! His the triumph, His the victory alone. Hark! the songs of peaceful Zion […]

Words: John El­ler­ton, A Li­tur­gy for Mis­sion­a­ry Meet­ings, 1870. Queen Vic­tor­ia chose this hymn to be sung at the 60th an­ni­vers­a­ry of her reign in 1897; it was al­so sung at the cer­e­mo­ny when Bri­tain re­turned con­trol of Hong Kong to Chi­na in 1997. Music: St. Cle­ment, Cle­ment C. Schole­field, writ­ten for this text, and ap­pear­ing in Church Hymns with […]

Words: Scot­tish Psal­ter, 1650. Music: Cri­mond, Jes­sie S. Ir­vine, 1872. Al­ter­nate tunes: Bel­mont, Will­iam Gar­din­er, 1812 Evan, Wil­liam H. Hav­er­gal, 1847; ar­ranged by Low­ell Ma­son, 1850 Mar­tyr­dom, Hugh Wil­son, 1800; ar­ranged by Ralph E. Hud­son, cir­ca 1885 Or­ling­ton, John Camp­bell (1807-1860)  (re­peats third line of each verse) Wilt­shire, George T. Smart, 1795 The Lord’s my Shepherd, I’ll not want. He makes me down to lie In pastures green; He […]

Words: Hen­ry F. Lyte, Spir­it of the Psalms, 1834. This hymn was sung at the wed­ding of the fu­ture Queen Eliz­a­beth II of Bri­tain, in West­min­ster Ab­bey, Lon­don, 1947. Music: Lauda An­i­ma, John Goss, in Sup­ple­ment­al Hymn and Tune Book, third edi­tion with new Ap­pen­dix, by Ro­bert Brown-Borth­wick, 1869. Al­tern­ate tunes: Benediction (Hay­dn), Franz J. Haydn (1732-1809) Regent Square, Hen­ry T. Smart, 1867  […]

Words: John Q. Adams (1767-1848). Music: Ham­burg, Low­ell Ma­son, 1824; first ap­peared in The Bos­ton Han­del and Hay­dn So­ci­e­ty Coll­ect­ion of Church Mu­sic, third edi­tion, 1825. O Lord my God! how great art Thou! With honor and with glory crowned; Light’s dazzling splendors veil Thy brow, And gird the universe around. Spirits and angels Thou hast made; Thy ministers a […]