"Next to the Word of God", wrote German theologian Martin Luther, "the noble art of music is the greatest treasure in the world." Hymns in this week's programme include settings of Psalm 150, and a hymn by 20th century minister Fred Pratt Green: When in our music God is glorified.
Photo: RNZ / Joe Porter
SONG: PRAISE THE LORD! YE HEAVENS ADORE HIM
Artist: Choir of Belfast Cathedral
Words/Music: Richard Mant/Joseph Haydn
Recording: Priory PRCD 722
Praise the Lord! ye heav'ns adore him;
Praise him angels, in the height;
Sun and moon, rejoice before him;
Praise him, all ye stars of light.
Praise the Lord! for he has spoken;
Worlds his mighty voice obeyed;
Laws which never shall be broken
For their guidance he has made.
Praise the Lord! for he is glorious;
Never shall his promise fail;
God has made his saints victorious;
Sin and death shall not prevail.
Praise the God of our salvation!
Hosts on high his pow'r proclaim;
Heav'n, and earth, and all creation,
Laud and magnify his name.
Worship, honour, glory, blessing,
Lord, we offer unto thee;
Young and old, thy praise expressing,
In glad homage bend the knee.
All the saints in heav'n adore thee,
We would bow before thy throne;
As thine angels serve before thee,
So on earth thy will be done.
SONG: LAUDATE OMNES GENTES
Artist: St Thomas’ Music Group, Margaret Rizza (dir)
Words/Music: From Psalm 117/Berthier
Recording: Alliance Music 1901592
Laudate omnes gentes, laudate Dominum!
Sing praises, all ye peoples, sing praises to the Lord!
SONG: LORD GOD OF MORNING AND OF NIGHT
Artist: Harvard University Choir
Words/Music: Francis Palgrave/M Lee Suitor
Recording: HUC 2012
Lord God of morning and of night,
We thank Thee for Thy gift of light;
As in the dawn the shadows fly,
We seem to find Thee now more nigh.
Yet, whilst Thy will we would pursue
Oft what we would we cannot do
The sun may stand in zenith skies
But on the soul thick midnight lies
O Lord of lights, ‘tis Thou alone
Canst make our darkened hearts Thine own;
O then be with us, Lord, that we
In Thy great day may wake to Thee.
Praise God our Maker and our Friend;
Praise Him through time, till time shall end;
Till psalm and song His name adore
Through heavens great day of evermore.
SONG: WHEN IN OUR MUSIC GOD IS GLORIFIED
Artist: Harvard University Choir
Words/Music: Fred Pratt Green/Charles Stanford
Label: HUC 2012
When in our music God is glorified,
and adoration leaves no room for pride,
it is as though the whole creation cried:
Alleluia!
How often, making music, we have found
a new dimension in the world of sound,
as worship moved us to a more profound
Alleluia!
So has the church, in spoken word and song,
in faith and love, through centuries of wrong,
borne witness to the truth in every tongue:
Alleluia!
And did not Jesus sing a psalm that night
when utmost evil strove against the light?
Then let us sing, for whom he won the fight:
Alleluia!
Let every instrument be tuned for praise!
Let all rejoice who have a voice to raise!
And may God give us faith to sing always:
Alleluia!
SONG: PSALM 150
Artist: Choir of Winchester Cathedral
Words/Music: Psalm 150/Charles Stanford
Recording: EMI 763100
O praise God in his holiness praise him in the firmament of his power.
Praise him in his noble acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness.
Praise him in the sound of the trumpet: praise him upon the lute and harp.
Praise him in the cymbals and dances: praise him upon the strings and pipe.
Praise him upon the well-tuned cymbals: praise him upon the loud cymbals.
Let every thing that hath breath: praise the Lord.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son
And to the Holy Ghost,
As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be
World without end. Amen
SONG: MY HOPE IS BUILT ON NOTHING LESS
Artist: Wellington Youth Choir
Words/Music: Edward Mote/William Bradbury
Recording: TVNZ 398174
My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus' blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
but wholly lean on Jesus' name.
Refrain:
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
all other ground is sinking sand;
all other ground is sinking sand.
When darkness seems to hide his face,
I rest on his unchanging grace;
in every high and stormy gale,
my anchor holds within the veil.
Refrain
When he shall come with trumpet sound,
O may I then in him be found,
dressed in his righteousness alone,
faultless to stand before the throne.
Refrain
SONG: BEAUTIFUL PRESENCE
Artist: Viva Voce, John Rosser (dir), Michael Bell (piano)
Words/Music: Joy Cowley/Barry Brinson
Recording: NZ Hymnbook Trust 941300
Beautiful presence, how can we name you?
Words are too small for the one who is all.
How can we speak of your gentleness in us,
the warmth of our hearts in response to your call?
Refrain:
Beautiful presence, ocean of love,
strong as forever, soft as a dove.
Words often fail us, but this we know true,
you live within us as we live in you.
There have been times of spiritual blindness,
when error and pain have distorted our sight.
Beautiful presence, you were there with us,
to show us how darkness can turn into light.
Refrain:
Nothing that happens to us will be wasted,
all of our living is grounded in grace.
Gently you take down the walls of division,
leading us on to a larger place.
Refrain:
SONG: TO YOU WE BRING OUR HYMN OF PRAISE
Artist: St Michael’s Singers, Coventry Cathedral
Words/Music: Stuart Townend, Matt Maher, Kelly Minter
Recording: Integrity Music 2007
To you we bring our hymn of praise; glory be to God.
Hearts and hands together raised; glory be to God.
Who spoke before the dawn of time; glory be to God.
Veil of darkness torn by light; glory be to God.
And with unceasing voice all heaven sings; glory be to God
The anthem of the Lord’s redeemed; glory be to God
You purchased captives for Your saints; glory be to God
And opened wide the kingdom gates; glory be to God
You overcame the sting of death; glory be to God
And clothed us in Christ’s righteousness; glory be to God
And all Your children cry with loud acclaim; glory be to God
Sing O church Your sweet refrain; glory be to God
Glory, glory, glory, glory forever and ever.
Glory, glory, glory, glory forever and ever. (x2)
Father, Spirit, risen Son; glory be to God.
Who was and is and is to come; glory be to God.
And with unceasing voice all heaven sings; glory be to God
The anthem of the Lord’s redeemed; glory be to God.
And all Your children cry with loud acclaim; glory be to God
Sing O church Your sweet refrain; glory be to God.
SONG: PRAISE TO THE LORD, THE ALMIGHTY
Artist: Choir of Westminster Abbey
Words/Music: Joachim Neander trans Catherine Winkworth/Anon
Recording: Hyperion 712801
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation.
O my soul, praise him, for he is thy health and salvation:
All ye who hear,
brothers and sisters draw near,
praise him in glad adoration.
Praise to the Lord, who o'er all things so wondrously reigneth
shelters thee under his wings, yea, so gently sustaineth:
hast thou not seen
all that his people have been
granted in what he ordaineth?
Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper thy work and defend thee;
surely his goodness and mercy here daily attend thee:
ponder anew
what the Almighty can do,
if with his love he befriend thee.
Praise to the Lord! O let all that is in me adore him!
All that hath life and breath come now with praises before him!
Let the Amen
sound from his people again:
gladly for aye we adore him.
