Welcome! If you are a first-time visitor, click here to find out what "Notes of Glory" is all about (short story: helping you to SING and worship musically wherever you are)!
Here's an alphabetical list of all "Notes of Glory" music with links so that you can revisit your favorite hymns/songs.
Complete "Notes of Glory" Song List
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PIANO PRELUDE
(to help you enter into a spirit of worship)
Come My Soul, Thou Must Be Waking
Words by Friedrich R. L. von Canitz, translated by Henry James Buckoll, Music by Franz Joseph Haydn. Piano solo arrangement by Penny Rodriguez.
As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness;
when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.
when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.
Psalm 57:8-9
Awake, my soul!
Awake, harp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn.
I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
I will sing of you among the peoples.
Awake, harp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn.
I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
I will sing of you among the peoples.
Psalm 143:8
Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,
for to you I entrust my life.
Acts 5:32
We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.
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The piano prelude today was selected both for its relevance to this weekend in which Daylight Savings Time ends (resulting in more morning light...for a while) as well as for its reminder that God is an ever-present source of strength and help in our daily lives (see lyrics posted below).
German poet and diplomat Friedrich Rudolf Ludwig von Canitz (1654-1699) was educated at the universities of Leipzig and Leiden, and then worked for the Elector Frederick Wilhelm of Brandenburg. He was later appointed councilor of legation, then privy councilor, and was finally created a baron of the empire. Friedrich von Canitz also wrote a variety of poems, including a set of 24 spiritual poems, published after his death at age 45. "Come, my soul, thou must be waking" comes from this posthumous collection, and it was translated into English in 1840 by Henry James Buckoll.
At the time of the English translation of "Come My Soul," the following touching story about Friedrich von Canitz was shared in Thomas Arnold's "The Christian Life: Its Course, Its Hindrances, and Its Helps (London, 1841, p. 61).
Some may know the story of that German nobleman (von Canitz) whose life had been distinguished alike by genius and worldly distinctions, and by Christian holiness; and who, in the last morning of his life, when the dawn broke into his sick chamber, prayed that he might be supported to the window, and might look once again upon the rising sun. After looking steadily at it for some time, he cried out, "Oh! if the appearance of this earthly and created thing is so beautiful and quickening, how much more shall I be enraptured at the sight of the unspeakable glory of the Creator Himself." That was the feeling of a man whose sense of earthly beauty bad all the keenness of a poet's enthusiasm, but who, withal, had in his greatest health and vigour preserved the consciousness that his life was hid with Christ in God; that the things seen, how beautiful soever, were as nothing to the things which are not seen.
The exquisite melody matched with "Come My Soul, Thou Must Be Waking" was written by Austrian composer Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809), who once stated, ""when I think upon my God, my heart is so full of joy that the notes dance and leap from my pen." Another Haydn tune, "Austrian Hymn" was featured previously here on Notes of Glory as the melody for "Praise the Lord! Ye Heavens Adore Him."
Come, my soul, thou must be waking;
Now is breaking
Over the earth another day;
Come to him who made this splendor;
See thou render
All thy feeble strength can pay.
Gladly hail the sun returning;
Ready burning
Be the incense of thy powers;
For the night is safely ended;
God hath tended
With his care thy helpless hours.
Pray that he may prosper ever
Each endeavor,
When thine aim is good and true;
But that he may ever thwart thee,
And convert thee,
When thou evil wouldst pursue.
Only God's free gifts abuse not,
Light refuse not,
But this Spirit's voice obey;
Thou with him shalt dwell, beholding
Light enfolding
All things in unclouded day.
Words by William Walsham How, Music by Ralph Vaughn Williams
to which I may continually come;
you have given the command to save me,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
Now is breaking
Over the earth another day;
Come to him who made this splendor;
See thou render
All thy feeble strength can pay.
Gladly hail the sun returning;
Ready burning
Be the incense of thy powers;
For the night is safely ended;
God hath tended
With his care thy helpless hours.
Pray that he may prosper ever
Each endeavor,
When thine aim is good and true;
But that he may ever thwart thee,
And convert thee,
When thou evil wouldst pursue.
Only God's free gifts abuse not,
Light refuse not,
But this Spirit's voice obey;
Thou with him shalt dwell, beholding
Light enfolding
All things in unclouded day.
HYMNS FOR YOU TO SING ANYWHERE
(transposed to easily singable keys!)
For All the Saints
Words by William Walsham How, Music by Ralph Vaughn Williams
Hebrews 12:1-2
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.Revelation 14:12-13
Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!"Psalm 71:3
Be to me a rock of refuge,to which I may continually come;
you have given the command to save me,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
Revelation 21:21-25
And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass. And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there.
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"For all the Saints" is a beloved hymn of remembrance that alternates in each verse between recalling heroes of the faith and pointing singers/listeners toward the Savior whom they served, praising Him with a hearty "Alleluia." The text was composed by English bishop and hymnwriter William Walsham How (1823-1897), who also wrote "O Word of God Incarnate," featured on the September 13 edition of Notes of Glory (you can read more about the life and music of William Walsham How here). First published in 1864, the hymn appeared with the title "A Cloud of Witnesses" (a reference to Hebrews 12:1) in the printed collection Hymns for Saints’ Days and Other Hymns, edited by Horatio Nelson.
Different hymnals include different combinations of How's original 11 stanzas. You might enjoy reading or singing these stanzas that are often omitted from the printed sheet music version of "For All The Saints" shown below:
O blest communion, fellowship divine!We feebly struggle, they in glory shine;Yet all are one in Thee, for all are Thine.Alleluia!For the Apostles’ glorious company,Who, bearing forth the cross o’er land and sea,Shook all the mighty world, we sing to thee,Alleluia!For the Evangelists, by whose blest word,Like fourfold streams, the garden of the LordIs fair and fruitful, be thy name adored,Alleluia!For Martyrs, who, with rapture-kindled eye,Saw the bright crown descending from the sky,And died to grasp it, thee we glorify,Alleluia!The golden evening brightens in the west;Soon, soon to faithful warriors comes their rest;Sweet is the calm of paradise the blessed.Alleluia!But lo! there breaks a yet more glorious day;The saints triumphant rise in bright array;The King of glory passes on His way.Alleluia!
The gorgeous melody for "For All The Saints" that we usually sing today was written by British composer Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) specifically for this text and published in the English Hymnal in 1906. If this hymn is new to you, you might enjoy watching this video featuring an English church congregation singing it, with organ accompaniment. Here's a recording by the St. Paul's Cathedral Choir, and here's a lovely solo version by Christian singer Fernando Ortega
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| Public domain. Courtesy PDhymns.com |
For all the saints who from their labors rest,
who thee by faith before the world confessed,
thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Thou wast their rock, their fortress, and their might;
thou, Lord, their captain in the well-fought fight;
thou, in the darkness drear, their one true light.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
O may thy soldiers, faithful, true, and bold,
fight as the saints who nobly fought of old,
and win with them the victor's crown of gold.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
And when the fight is fierce, the warfare long,
steals on the ear the distant triumph song,
and hearts are brave again, and arms are strong.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
From earth's wide bounds, from ocean's farthest coast,
through gates of pearl streams in the countless host,
singing to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Shall We Gather At the River
Words and Music by Robert Lowry
Hebrews 8:1-2
Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man.Revelation 14:13
And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!
James 1:12
Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.
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Robert Lowry (1826-1899) was a renowned American preacher who is today best known as a gospel hymn writer. He wrote over 500 hymns, often composing both words and music. Some of his best known songs include "How Can I Keep From Singing?," "Nothing but the Blood of Jesus," and "Christ Arose! (Low in the Grave He Lay)."
According to author Henry Burrage, in his book, Baptist Hymn Writers and Their Hymns, Lowry's hymn "Shall We Gather at the River" was created in the midst of a typhoid epidemic in Brooklyn, NY during the Civil War.
The hymn “Shall we gather at the river” was written one afternoon in July, 1864, when Dr. Lowry was pastor of the Hanson Place Baptist Church, Brooklyn, N.Y. The weather was oppressively hot, and the author was lying on a lounge in a state of physical exhaustion. He was almost incapable of bodily exertion, and his imagination began to take itself wings. Visions of the future passed before him with startling vividness. The imagery of the Apocalypse took the form of tableaux. Brightest of all were the throne, the heavenly river, and the gathering of the saints. While he was thus breathing heavily in the sultry atmosphere of that July day, his soul seemed to take new life from that celestial outlook. He began to wonder why the hymn-writers had said so much about “the river of death,” and so little about “the pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.”As he mused, the words began to construct themselves. They came first as a question, of Christian inquiry, “Shall we gather?” Then they broke out in chorus, as an answer of Christian faith, “Yes, we’ll gather.” On this question and answer the hymn developed itself. The music came with the hymn. The author never has been able to tell which had priority of birth. They are twins. When song had formulated itself, the author sprang up, sat down at his organ, played the tune through, and sang the first stanza and the chorus. Then he wrote it out.
If this song is new to you, you might enjoy listening to this version from a capella gospel singing group Take 6. Here's an arrangement from the gospel group The Chuck Wagon Gang, and here's a recording from the Celebration Choir.
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| Public domain. Courtesy of hymnary.org |
Shall we gather at the river,
Where bright angel feet have trod;
With its crystal tide forever
Flowing by the throne of God?
Refrain:
Yes, we'll gather at the river,
The beautiful, the beautiful river;
Gather with the saints at the river
That flows by the throne of God.
On the margin of the river,
Washing up its silver spray,
We will walk and worship ever,
All the happy golden day. [Refrain]
Ere we reach the shining river,
Lay we ev'ry burden down;
Grace our spirits will deliver,
And provide a robe and crown. [Refrain]
Soon we'll reach the shining river,
Soon our pilgrimage will cease;
Soon our happy hearts will quiver
With the melody of peace. [Refrain]
Washing up its silver spray,
We will walk and worship ever,
All the happy golden day. [Refrain]
Ere we reach the shining river,
Lay we ev'ry burden down;
Grace our spirits will deliver,
And provide a robe and crown. [Refrain]
Soon we'll reach the shining river,
Soon our pilgrimage will cease;
Soon our happy hearts will quiver
With the melody of peace. [Refrain]
Let Saints on Earth in Concert Sing
Words by Charles Wesley, "Dundee" hymn tune arranged by Thomas Ravenscroft
1 Corinthians 12:12
For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.Ephesians 2:19
So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.
Joshua 3:14-17
Joshua 3:14-17
So when the people set out from their tents to pass over the Jordan with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, and as soon as those bearing the ark had come as far as the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the brink of the water (now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest), the waters coming down from above stood and rose up in a heap very far away, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, and those flowing down toward the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. And the people passed over opposite Jericho. Now the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firmly on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, and all Israel was passing over on dry ground until all the nation finished passing over the Jordan.
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Hymns by pastor and prolific writer Charles Wesley have been regularly featured here on Notes of Glory. Wesley wrote over 6500 hymns, including "Love Divine, All Loves, Excelling," "Rejoice, the Lord is King," "Christ the Lord is Risen Today" and "Jesus, Lover of My Soul." He also wrote "O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing," which includes a verse that states "Glory to God, and praise and love, be ev'r, ev'r given, by saints below and saints above the church in earth and heaven." This stanza refers to the biblical description of saints as living Christians, and also refers to believers in heaven (who are "absent from the body, present with the Lord" [2 Corinthians 5:8]) as saints.
In "Let Saints on Earth in Concert Sing," Wesley expanded on that concept of "saints above and saints below." The title of this hymn doesn't tell the whole story (he's not suggesting that Christians simply present a choral performance!). The idea is that Christians both here on earth and in heaven alike are united in singing praise to God: "Let saints on earth in concert sing with those whose work is done." The phrase "in concert" refers to togetherness, and the hymn details the temporary separation of death, using the Biblical account of crossing the river Jordan to remind believers that heaven will be our home, because of Christ's victory over death (as Wesley dramatically pointed out in another hymn, "Christ the Lord is Risen Today"):
Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia!Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia!Once he died our souls to save, Alleluia!Where's thy victory, boasting grave? Alleluia!Soar we now where Christ has led, Alleluia!Following our exalted Head, Alleluia!Made like him, like him we rise, Alleluia!Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia!
For many of us the idea of singing together brings deep longing: after months of separation from other believers, we yearn for the day when we can once again sing "in concert" (together) just as we also look forward to the day of reunification with our loved ones in heaven. Wesley reminds us that, while yet apart, separated by space and even the "narrow stream of death," we are "one family" as we are "fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God" (Ephesians 2:19).
Because this hymn may be new to you, you might enjoy listening to this lovely recording by the choir of Sidney Sussex College before singing it yourself. You may recognize the melody as the tune for "God Moves in a Mysterious Way" ("Dundee" hymn tune by Thomas Ravenscroft, from the 1615 Scottish Psalter) featured in this post.
Let saints on earth in concert sing
with those whose work is done;
for all the servants of our King
in heaven and earth are one.
One family, we dwell in him,
one church, above, beneath;
though now divided by the stream,
the narrow stream of death.
One army of the living God,
to his command we bow:
part of the host have crossed the flood,
and part are crossing now.
E'en now to their eternal home
there pass some spirits blest;
while others to the margin come,
waiting their call to rest.
Jesu, be thou our constant guide;
then, when the word is given,
bid Jordan's narrow stream divide,
and bring us safe to heaven.
POSTLUDE
Words by Thomas Kelly, Music by William Owen. Piano solo arrangement by Mark Hayes.
and glory and a kingdom,
that all peoples, nations, and languages
should serve him;
his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
which shall not pass away,
and his kingdom one
that shall not be destroyed.
Let saints on earth in concert sing
with those whose work is done;
for all the servants of our King
in heaven and earth are one.
One family, we dwell in him,
one church, above, beneath;
though now divided by the stream,
the narrow stream of death.
One army of the living God,
to his command we bow:
part of the host have crossed the flood,
and part are crossing now.
E'en now to their eternal home
there pass some spirits blest;
while others to the margin come,
waiting their call to rest.
Jesu, be thou our constant guide;
then, when the word is given,
bid Jordan's narrow stream divide,
and bring us safe to heaven.
(to send you forth with joy!)
Look, Ye Saints, the Sight is Glorious
Words by Thomas Kelly, Music by William Owen. Piano solo arrangement by Mark Hayes.
Daniel 7:14
And to him was given dominionand glory and a kingdom,
that all peoples, nations, and languages
should serve him;
his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
which shall not pass away,
and his kingdom one
that shall not be destroyed.
Romans 14:11
As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,
and every tongue shall confess to God.
As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,
and every tongue shall confess to God.
Hebrews 2:9
But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.Revelation 7:9-12
After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
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"Look, ye saints, the sight is glorious" paints a picture of the resurrected and triumphant Jesus Christ, and beckons saints (all those who believe in Christ) to ponder his victory and majesty. It was written by Thomas Kelly (1769-1855), an Irish evangelical cleric who was known for his open-air preaching. He also wrote approximately 765 hymns, including "Praise the Savior, Ye Who Know Him" which was featured earlier this month on Notes of Glory. Welsh composer William Owen (1814-1893) wrote the bold hymn tune "Bryn Calfaria" which is paired with "Look, Ye Saints" here. Little is known of Owen other than that he was a locally trained musician in North Wales who wrote a number of well-received hymn tunes during his lifetime. Like his father, Owen worked at a slate quarry and is said to have written "Bryn Calfaria" ("Calvary Hill") on a slate on his way to work. It is also used as the tune for the English hymn "Lord Enthroned in Heavenly Splendor."
from the fight returned victorious,
ev'ry knee to him shall bow.
Crown him! Crown him!
Crowns become the Victor's brow.
Crown the Savior, angels, crown him;
rich the trophies Jesus brings;
in the seat of pow'r enthrone him,
while the vault of heaven rings.
Crown him! Crown him!
Crown the Savior King of kings.
Sinners in derision crowned him,
mocking thus the Savior's claim;
saints and angels crowd around him,
own his title, praise his name.
Crown him! Crown him!
Spread abroad the Victor's fame!
Hark! those bursts of acclamation!
Hark! those loud triumphant chords!
Jesus takes the highest station;
O what joy the sight affords!
Crown him! Crown him!
King of kings and Lord of lords.
Look, ye saints, the sight is glorious:
see the Man of Sorrows now;from the fight returned victorious,
ev'ry knee to him shall bow.
Crown him! Crown him!
Crowns become the Victor's brow.
Crown the Savior, angels, crown him;
rich the trophies Jesus brings;
in the seat of pow'r enthrone him,
while the vault of heaven rings.
Crown him! Crown him!
Crown the Savior King of kings.
Sinners in derision crowned him,
mocking thus the Savior's claim;
saints and angels crowd around him,
own his title, praise his name.
Crown him! Crown him!
Spread abroad the Victor's fame!
Hark! those bursts of acclamation!
Hark! those loud triumphant chords!
Jesus takes the highest station;
O what joy the sight affords!
Crown him! Crown him!
King of kings and Lord of lords.
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