Sunday, 11 January 2015

SUMMER REQUESTS

SONG: LET ALL MORTAL FLESH KEEP SILENCE

Artist: Choir of Westminster Abbey
Words/Music: Anon paraphrased Moultrie/Anon
Recording: Hyperion 712801

Let all mortal flesh keep silence,
And with fear and trembling stand;
Ponder nothing earthly minded,
For with blessing in his hand,
Christ our God to earth descendeth,
Our full homage to demand.

King of kings, yet born of Mary,
as of old on earth he stood,
Lord of lords, in human vesture,
in the body and the blood,
he will give to all the faithful
his own self for heavenly food.

Rank on rank the host of heaven
Spreads its vanguard on the way,
As the light of light descendeth
From the realms of endless day,
That the powers of hell may vanish
As the darkness clears away.

At his feet the six wingèd seraph,
Cherubim with sleepless eye,
Veil their faces to the presence,
As with ceaseless voice they cry:
Alleluia, alleluia
Alleluia, Lord most high!

SONG: O JESUS, I HAVE PROMISED

Artist: Wells Cathedral Choir
Words/Music: Bode/Elliott
Recording: Hyperion 112102

O Jesus, I have promised
to serve thee to the end;
be thou forever near me,
my Master and my friend;
I shall not fear the battle
if thou art by my side,
nor wander from the pathway
if thou wilt be my guide.

O let me feel thee near me!
The world is ever near:
I see the sights that dazzle;
the tempting sounds I hear.
My foes are ever near me,
around me and within;
but, Jesus, draw thou nearer
and shield my soul from sin.

O let me hear thee speaking
in accents clear and still,
above the storms of passion,
the murmurs of self-will;
O speak to reassure me,
to hasten or control;
O speak, and make me listen,
thou guardian of my soul.

O let me see thy footmarks,
and in them plant mine own:
my hope to follow duly
is in thy strength alone:
O guide me, call me, draw me,
uphold me to the end;
and then in heav’n receive me,
my Saviour and my friend.

SONG: FAR ABOVE THE HIGHEST HEAVEN

Artist: Huddersfield Choral Society
Words/Music: C Wesley/Wyn Morris
Recording: Decca 448684

Far above in highest heaven, Jesus reigns, our Lord and King:
He His life for us has given, He did life eternal bring:
Sing, then children, sing with gladness, Loud let grateful anthems ring:
Jesus is the children’s Saviour, Jesus is the children’s King.

Once on earth the children praised Him, and ‘hosanna’ was their cry;
Now that God to heav’n has raised Him, loud they praise Him in the sky:
Shout, then, children, shout your praises, Loud let grateful anthems ring:
Jesus is the children’s Saviour, Jesus is the children’s King.

Come, then, early, come to Jesus, As the children did of old:
He from sin and sorrow frees us, never will His love grow cold:
Daily let us learn to love Him, daily let us join to sing
Praises to our Lord and Saviour, praises to the children’s King.

Then, when life’s short days are ended, if we’ve served our Saviour well,
By His angels gently tended, in His kingdom we shall dwell;
There we’ll shout our joyous praises, there the song of vict’ry sing:
Jesus is our Lord and Saviour, praises to the children’s King.

SONG: KING OF GLORY, KING OF PEACE

Artist: Choir of All Saint’s Episcopal Church, Beverly Hills
Words/Music: Herbert/Walker
Recording: Gothic 349074

King of glory, King of peace,
I will love thee;
and that love may never cease,
I will move thee.
Thou hast granted my request,
thou hast heard me;
thou didst note my working breast,
thou hast spared me.

Wherefore with my utmost art
I will sing thee,
and the cream of all my heart
I will bring thee.
Though my sins against me cried,
thou didst clear me;
and alone, when they replied,
thou didst hear me.

Seven whole days, not one in seven,
I will praise thee;
in my heart, though not in heaven,
I can raise thee.
Small it is, in this poor sort
to enroll thee;
e'en eternity's too short
to extol thee.

SONG: LET ALL THE WORLD IN EVERY CORNER SING

Artist: Cantus Choro
Words/Music: Herbert/Harwood
Recording: Move MD 3062

Let all the world in every corner sing,
my God and King!
The heavens are not too high,
God's praise may thither fly;
the earth is not too low,
God's praises there may grow.
Let all the world in every corner sing,
my God and King!

Let all the world in every corner sing,
my God and King!
The church with psalms must shout:
no door can keep them out.
But, more than all, the heart
must bear the longest part.
Let all the world in every corner sing,
my God and King!

SONG: THE LORD’S MY SHEPHERD

Artist: Scottish Philharmonic Singers
Words/Music: Psalm 23/Campbell
Recording: Abbey 282830

The Lord's my shepherd; I'll not want.
He makes me down to lie
In pastures green; He leadeth me
In pastures green; He leadeth me
The quiet waters by.

My soul He doth restore again;
And me to walk doth make
Within the paths of righteousness,
Within the paths of righteousness,
E'en for His own name's sake.

Yea, though I walk through death's dark vale,
Yet will I fear no ill;
For Thou art with me, and Thy rod
For Thou art with me, and Thy rod
And staff me comfort still.

My table Thou hast furnished
In presence of my foes;
My head Thou dost with oil anoint,
My head Thou dost with oil anoint,
And my cup overflows.

Goodness and mercy all my life
Shall surely follow me;
And in God's house forevermore
And in God's house forevermore
My dwelling place shall be.

SONG: DEAR LORD AND FATHER OF MANKIND

Artist: St Paul’s Cathedral Choir
Words/Music: Whittier/Parry
Recording: Helios CDH 88036

Dear Lord and father of mankind,
Forgive our foolish ways;
Reclothe us in our rightful mind,
In purer lives thy service find,
In deeper reverence, praise.

In simple trust like theirs who heard,
Beside the Syrian sea,
The gracious calling of the Lord,
Let us, like them, without a word,
Rise up and follow thee.

Drop thy still dews of quietness,
Till all our strivings cease;
Take from our souls the strain and stress,
And let our ordered lives confess
The beauty of thy peace.

Breathe through the heats of our desire
Thy coolness and thy balm,
Let sense be dumb, let flesh retire;
Speak through the earthquake, wind and fires,
O still small voice of calm!

SONG: FOR THE BEAUTY OF THE EARTH

Artist: Gondwana Voices
Words/Music: Pierpoint/Rutter
Recording: ABC 472822

For the beauty of the earth,
For the beauty of the skies,
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies;
over and around us lies:
Lord of all, to thee we raise
This our joyful hymn of praise.

For the beauty of each hour
Of the day and of the night,
Hill and vale,
and tree and flower,
Sun and moon and stars of light:
Sun and moon and stars of light:
Lord of all, to thee we raise
This our joyful hymn of praise.

For the joy of human love,
Brother, sister, parent, child,
Friends on earth,
and friends above,
For all gentle thoughts and mild:
Lord of all, to thee we raise
This our joyful hymn of praise.

For each perfect gift of thine
To our race so freely given,
Graces human and divine,
Flow'rs of earth and buds of heav'n:
flow'rs of earth and buds of heav'n:
Lord of all, to thee we raise
This our joyful hymn of praise,
our hymn of praise.