Hymn of the Week: September 19, 2022

Hymn of the Week: Come, Worship God
Glory to God: 386

Text Michael Perry 1980
Music Paris Antiphoner 1680

Come, worship God, who is worthy of honor;
enter God’s presence with thanks and a song!
You are the rock of your people’s salvation,
to whom our jubilant praises belong.

Ruled by your might are the heights of the mountains;
held in your hands are the depths of the earth.
Yours is the sea, yours the land, for you made them,
God above all gods, who gave us our birth.

We are your people, the sheep of your pasture;
you are our Maker, and to you we pray.
Gladly we kneel in obedience before you;
great is the one whom we worship this day!

Now let us listen, for you speak among us;
open our hearts to receive what you say.
Peace be to all who remember your goodness,
trust in your word, and rejoice in your way!

The text comes to us from the 1980s with a brief bio about the hymn writer, below.

Initially studying mathematics and physics at Dulwich College, Michael A. Perry (b. Beckenham, Kent, England, 1942; d. England, 1996) was headed for a career in the sciences. However, after one year of study in physics at the University of London, he transferred to Oak Hill College to study theology. He also studied at Ridley Hall, Cambridge, and received a Master of Philosophy from the University of Southhampton in 1973. Ordained a priest in the Church of England in 1966, Perry served the parish of St. Helen's in Liverpool as a youth worker and evangelist. From 1972 to 1981 he was the vicar of Bitterne in Southhampton and from 1981 to 1989, rector of Eversley in Hampshire and chaplain at the Police Staff College. He then became vicar of Tonbridge in Kent, where he remained until his death from a brain tumor in 1996. Perry published widely in the areas of Bible study and worship. He edited Jubilate publications such as Hymns for Today's Church (1982), Carols for Today (1986), Come Rejoice! (1989), and Psalms for Today (1990). Composer of the musical drama Coming Home (1987), he also wrote more than two hundred hymns and Bible versifications.

The hymn tune comes to us from a much earlier time. Paris 1680. The tune itself was based on a tune by Peter Abelard. In 1898 John B. Dykes took the tune and put it into the form we know today. Below is a brief introduction to Peter Abelard’s life and the great love of his life, Heloise.

Peter Abelard was born in Pallet, France, in 1079 and died in Priory St. Martel, France, in 1142. At a young age, Abelard showed an unusual capacity for knowledge. He soon became a lecturer at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Although many students flocked to Abelard because of the grace and simplicity of his lectures, his rationalistic views brought him into conflict with many of his colleagues.

Abelard’s life took many twists and turns because he was a priest who fell in love with Heloise, the niece of Canon Fulbert of Notre Dame. When the two could no longer hide their affair, they fled to Brittany, France, where they privately married and had one son. When Abelard and Heloise returned to Paris, Canon Fulbert hired men to emasculate Abelard. After this, Heloise became a nun; and Abelard, a monk. In fact, it was for Heloise’s Convent of the Paraclete, founded at Nogent-sur-Seine in 1129 that Abelard wrote “O Quanta, Qualia Sunt Illa Sabbata."

Finding a place at the Abby of St. Denis, Abelard resumed teaching and again attracted crowds. St. Bernard of Clairvaux instituted a trail for heresy based on Abelard’s Theologia. He was condemned for heresy by the Council of Soissons in 1121 and by the Council of Sens in 1141 and was forced to cease teaching. He appealed to Rome; unfortunately, he died on his way there. He and Heloise are buried together in the Cemetery of Père-la-Chaise, Paris. This storied romance has been the subject of numerous novels and plays (Glover, 1994, vol. 3A, 311); (Young, 1993, 714).

John Mason Neale’s (1818–1866) translation of Abelard’s text appeared first in 1854 for the Hymnal Noted. Neale was an Anglican priest, scholar, and hymn writer. His contribution to hymnody in the nineteenth century is vast. Neale is primarily known for his translations from Latin and Greek sources into English. Neale is the original author or translator of over 350 hymn texts.

FOR FURTHER READING:

• Glover, Raymond F. The Hymnal 1982 Companion. Vol. 3a. New York, NY: Church Hymnal Corp., 1994.

• Young, Carlton R. Companion to the United Methodist Hymnal. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1993.

• “O What Their Joy and Their Glory Must Be” at hymnary.org, http://hymnary.org/text/o_what_their_joy_and_their_glory_must_be

ABOUT THIS WEEK'S WRITER:

Darrell St. Romain currently serves as Director of Music and Liturgy at St. James and St. Philip Catholic Churches in St. James and Vacherie, LA respectively. He also serves as the assistant director for the Diocesan Gospel Choir for the Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge, LA.

This article is provided as a collaboration between Discipleship Ministries and The Hymn Society in the U.S. and Canada. For more information about The Hymn Society, visit thehymnsociety.org.

I am including two videos this week to show you the version we are familiar with and the tune as Abelard initially conceived it.