Saint-Saëns: Christmas Oratorio, Op. 12: V. Duo (soprano & bass)

In looking into the Latin Vulgate recently, I found the source of the text for the fifth movement of Saint-Saëns' Christmas Oratorio, Op. 12.  Of course, sections of the text are repeated, but it's basically:  "Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini!  Deus Dominus, et illuxit nobis.  Deus meus es tu, et confitebor tibi.  Deus meus es tu, et exaltabo te."  This comes from parts of Psalm 118:26-28:  "26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD!  We bless you from the house of the LORD.  27 The LORD is God, and he has made his light to shine upon us.  Bind the festal sacrifice with cords, up to the horns of the altar!  28 You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God; I will extol you."

LSB #761 "Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  1 Corinthians 10:4, John 19:34, Hebrews 9:14, Ezra 36:25

1 Corinthians 10:4:  "and all drank the same spiritual drink.  For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ."

John 19:34:  "But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water."

Hebrews 9:14:  "how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God."

Ezra has only ten chapters; the intended citation seems to be Ezekiel 36:25:  "I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you."

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The text is public domain:

1 Rock of Ages, cleft for me,

Let me hide myself in Thee;

Let the water and the blood,

From Thy riven side which flowed,

Be of sin the double cure:

Cleanse me from its guilt and pow'r.

2 Not the labors of my hands

Can fulfill Thy Law's demands;

Could my zeal no respite know,

Could my tears forever flow,

All for sin could not atone;

Thou must save, and Thou alone.

3 Nothing in my hand I bring;

Simply to Thy cross I cling.

Naked, come to Thee for dress;

Helpless, look to Thee for grace;

Foul, I to the fountain fly;

Wash me, Savior, or I die.

4 While I draw this fleeting breath,

When mine eyelids close in death,

When I soar to worlds unknown,

See Thee on Thy judgement throne,

Rock of Ages, cleft for me,

Let me hide myself in Thee.

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1 Corinthians 10:4 appears in the title "Rock of Ages" in first and fourth verses.  John 19:34 is combined with this in the description "cleft for me" and also appears in the middle of the first verse:  "Let the water and the blood, / From Thy riven side which flowed."  Hebrews 9:14 and Ezekiel 36:25 round out the rest of the first verse ("Let the water and the blood... Be of sin the double cure: / Cleanse me from its guilt and pow'r") and are briefly alluded to again in the third ("Foul, I to the fountain fly; / Wash me, Savior, or I die.").

"Once He Came in Blessing"

Last week, I watched the Concordia University Wisconsin chapel service from the 2nd.  The hymn was "Once He Came in Blessing," apparently from a hand-out rather than from a hymnal, since the versions in TLH, LW, and LSB all have four verses each, but six verses were sung in the service.  In any case, I noticed a couple small features.

The hymn is sung to the tune "Gottes Sohn ist kommen."  Here are the first two musical phrases:

In the first verse, the text here is "Once He came in blessing, / All our sins redressing" (TLH has "all our ills").  The phrase "all our sins" is sung to notes of all different pitches (C D Eb), giving a sense of the breadth or entirety of that "all."

Here are the last two musical phrases:

In the third verse, the text here is "With the faithful sharing / Joy beyond comparing."  "Sharing" is sung with a melisma (Bb C Bb), and since it's spread across more notes than usual, there's something of a sense of its meaning.

I wrote about a couple small features in this hymn a few years ago, too.

LSB #760 "What God Ordains Is Always Good"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Romans 8:28, Psalm 92:15, Deuteronomy 32:4, Lamentations 3:19-26

Romans 8:28:  "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."

Psalm 92:15:  "to declare that the LORD is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him."

Deuteronomy 32:4:  "'The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice.  A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he.'"

Lamentations 3:19-26:  "19 Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall!  20 My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me.  21 But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:

"22 The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.  24 'The LORD is my portion,' says my soul, 'therefore I will hope in him.'

"25 The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.  26 It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD."

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The text is public domain:

1 What God ordains is always good:

His will is just and holy.

As He directs my life for me,

I follow meek and lowly.

My God indeed

In ev'ry need

Knows well how He will shield me;

To Him, then, I will yield me.

2 What God ordains is always good:

He never will deceive me;

He leads me in His righteous way,

And never will He leave me.

I take content

What He has sent;

His hand that sends me sadness

Will turn my years to gladness.

3 What God ordains is always good:

His loving thought attends me;

No poison can be in the cup

That my physicians sends me.

My God is true;

Each morning new

I trust His grace unending,

My life to Him commending.

4 What God ordains is always good:

He is my friend and Father;

He suffers naught to do me harm

Though many storms may gather.

Now I may know

Both joy and woe;

Someday I shall see clearly

That He has loved me dearly.

5 What God ordains is always good:

Though I the cup am drinking

Which savors now of bitterness,

I take it without shrinking.

For after grief

God gives relief,

My heart with comfort filling

And all my sorrow stilling.

6 What God ordains is always good:

This truth remains unshaken.

Though sorrow, need, or death be mine,

I shall not be forsaken.

I fear no harm,

For with His arm

He shall embrace and shield me;

So to my God I yield me.

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Romans 8:28, Psalm 92:15, Deuteronomy 32:4, and Lamentations 3:25 all seem to be combined in the line "What God ordains is always good" at the beginning of each verse, although Romans 8:28 seems to be the most prominent.  Psalm 92:15 and Deuteronomy 32:4 also seem to appear in the second line of the first verse:  "His will is just and holy."

The passage from Lamentations 3 is alluded to at the end of the third verse ("Each morning new / I trust His grace unending, / My life to Him commending.") and more generally in the fifth verse.

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The line "And never will He leave me" in the second verse seems to come ultimately from part of Joshua 1:5:  "'I will not leave you or forsake you.'"

The lines "His hand that sends me sadness / Will turn my years to gladness" at the end of the second verse bear some resemblance to Psalm 30:11:  "You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness."

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Each verse begins with the title phrase, and this provides a sense of the steadfastness that's also mentioned in the sixth verse:  "This truth remains unshaken."

"Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending"

Last week, "Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending" was one of the hymns on Worship Anew and in a Concordia University Wisconsin chapel service, and I found a number of features to write about.

The hymn is sung to the tune "Helmsley."  Here's the first musical phrase:

In the first verse, the text here is (of course) "Lo! He comes with clouds descending."  "Descending" is sung with a descending melisma (F# E D C B), giving a sense of its meaning.  "Comes" is also sung with a melisma (G F#), providing something of a sense of movement; appropriate for the context, these notes also descend, although only a half-step.

In the second verse, the text is "Ev'ry eye shall now behold Him."  The words "ev'ry eye" are sung with melismas (G B D | G F#), giving a sense of entirety or number.

In the fourth verse, the text is "Yea, amen, let all adore Thee."  Similar to the above, "all" is sung with a melisma (E F# G), lending a sense of entirety.

This same musical phrase is repeated as the third phrase, and in the first verse, the text here is "Thousand thousand saints attending."  The words "thousand thousand saints" are sung with melismas (G B D | G F# E D | E F# G), providing a sense of that multitude.

In the third phrase of the third verse, the text (describing the "dear tokens of His passion" from a previous line) is "Cause of endless exultation."  The words "endless exultation" are both sung with melismas (G F# E D | E F# G F# E D C B), and since they're stretched out, there's a sense of the duration of "endless."

Here's the second musical phrase:

In the fourth verse, the text here (describing "Thee" from the previous line) is "High on Thine eternal throne."  Like "endless exultation," the words "eternal throne" are sung with melismas (A B D C B | B A), giving a sense of that duration.

LSB #759 "This Body in the Grave We Lay"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  John 5:24, 1 Corinthians 15:51-57, 2 Corinthians 5:4, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14

John 5:24:  "'Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life.  He does not come into judgement, but has passed from death to life.'"

1 Corinthians 15:51-57:  "51 Behold!  I tell you a mystery.  We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.  For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.  53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.  54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:  'Death is swallowed up in victory.'  55 'O death, where is your victory?  O death, where is your sting?'  56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.  57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

2 Corinthians 5:4:  "For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened - not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallow up by life."

1 Thessalonians 4:13-14:  "13 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.  14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep."

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The text is public domain:

1 This body in the grave we lay

There to await that solemn day

When God Himself shall bid it rise

To mount triumphant to the skies.

2 And so to earth we now entrust

What came from dust and turns to dust

And from the dust shall rise that day

In glorious triumph o'er decay.

3 The soul forever lives with God,

Who freely hath His grace bestowed

And through His Son redeemed it here

From ev'ry sin, from ev'ry fear.

4 All trials and all griefs are past,

A blessed end has come at last.

Christ's yoke was borne with ready will;

Who dieth thus is living still.

5 We have no cause to mourn or weep;

Securely shall this body sleep

Till Christ Himself shall death destroy

And raise the blessed dead to joy.

6 Then let us leave this place of rest

And homeward turn, for they are blest

Who heed God's warning and prepare

Lest death should find them unaware.

7 So help us, Jesus, ground of faith;

Thou hast redeemed us by Thy death

From endless death and set us free.

We laud and praise and worship Thee.

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All of the cited passages inform the hymn (especially the fifth verse) in a more general way.  The passage from 1 Corinthians 15 seems to be alluded to in the phrase "glorious triumph o'er decay" at the end of the second verse, and John 5:24 seems to be the basis for most of the seventh verse.

The line "What came from dust and turns to dust" in the second verse could refer to either Ecclesiastes 3:20 ("All go to one place.  All are from the dust, and to dust all return.") or part of Genesis 3:19 ("'for you are dust, and to dust you shall return'").

"Holy God, We Praise Thy Name"

Years ago, I wrote about a number of features in "Holy God, We Praise Thy Name," but when it was substituted for the "Te Deum" in the Concordia University Wisconsin chapel service on the 7th, I noticed a few more.

The hymn is sung to the tune "Grosser Gott."  Here's the fourth musical phrase:

In the second verse, the text here, describing the "Cherubim and seraphim" from the previous line, is "In unceasing chorus praising."  I'd previously noted that "unceasing" is sung with a melisma (A A G A), giving a sense of this duration, but the same is also true of "chorus" (sung to the notes C Bb A).

The fifth musical phrase:

In the first verse, the text here is "Infinite Thy vast domain."  I'd noted before that "Infinite" is sung with a melisma (G A Bb A), giving a sense of that expanse, but the phrase "vast domain" is sung to notes of all different pitches (A Bb C), and this provides a sense of space, too.

In the second verse, the text is "Fill the heav'ns with sweet accord," and the same features are present:  "heav'ns" is sung with a melisma (Bb A), and the phrase "sweet accord" is sung to all different pitches (A Bb C).  Now, though, these features lend a sense of the expansion of that "fill[ing]."

LSB #758 "The Will of God Is Always Best"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Matthew 6:10; 26:39, 42; 1 Corinthians 10:13; Psalm 84:12

Matthew 6:10:  "'Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.'"

Matthew 26:39:  "And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, 'My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.'"

Matthew 26:42:  "Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, 'My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.'"

1 Corinthians 10:13:  "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.  God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it."

Psalm 84:12:  "O LORD of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!"

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The text is public domain:

1 The will of God is always best

And shall be done forever;

And they who trust in Him are blest;

He will forsake them never.

He helps indeed

In time of need;

He chastens with forbearing.

They who depend

On God, their friend,

Shall not be left despairing.

2 God is my comfort and my trust,

My hope and life abiding;

And to His counsel, wise and just,

I yield, in Him confiding.

The very hairs,

His Word declares,

Upon my head He numbers.

By night and day

God is my stay;

He never sleeps nor slumbers.

3 Lord, this I ask, O hear my plea,

Deny me not this favor:

When Satan sorely troubles me,

Then do not let me waver.

O guard me well,

My fear dispel,

Fulfill Your faithful saying:

All who believe

By grace receive

An answer to their praying.

4 When life's brief course on earth is run

And I this world am leaving,

Grant me to say, "Your will be done,"

Your faithful Word believing.

My dearest Friend,

I now commend

My soul into Your keeping;

From sin and hell,

And death as well,

By You the vict'ry reaping.

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The three verses from Matthew (6:10; 26:39, 42) all appear in the first two lines and are referred to again in the line "Grant me to say, 'Your will be done'" in the fourth verse.

Psalm 84:12 is rendered as "And they who trust in Him are blest" in the first verse.

1 Corinthians 10:13 seems to be the basis for the third verse.

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The lines "The very hairs, / His Word declares, / Upon my head He numbers" in the second verse refer to Matthew 10:30:  "'But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.'"

The line "He never sleeps nor slumbers" at the end of the second verse comes from Psalm 121:4 ("Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep"), so it seems that the preceding lines ("By night and day / God is my stay") may be drawn at least partially from Psalm 121:6 ("The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night").  Incidentally, "night and day" is a merism.

The line "When life's brief course on earth is run" at the beginning of the fourth verse may allude to part of Hebrews 12:1:  "let us run with endurance the race that is set before us."

"Thee Will I Love, My Strength, My Tower"

Earlier this month, I watched the Concordia University Wisconsin chapel service from the 5th.  The hymn was "Thee Will I Love, My Strength, My Tower," and I noticed a small feature in it.

The hymn is sung to the tune "Ich will dich lieben."  Here's the third musical phrase:

In the fourth verse, the text here is "Uphold me when my feet would stumble."  The phrase "Uphold me" is sung to an ascending group of notes (D F# A), giving something of a sense of its meaning.

LSB #757 "Lord, It Belongs Not to My Care"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Philippians 1:21-26, Luke 23:43

Philippians 1:21-26:  "21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.  22 If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me.  Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell.  23 I am hard pressed between the two.  My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.  24 But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account.  25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that in me you may have ample cause to glory of Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again."

Luke 23:43: "And he said to him, 'Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.'"

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The text is public domain:

1 Lord, it belongs not to my care

Whether I die or live;

To love and serve Thee is my share,

And this Thy grace must give.

2 If life be long, I will be glad

That I may long obey;

If short, yet why should I be sad

To soar to endless day?

3 Christ leads me through no darker rooms

Than He went through before;

He that unto God's kingdom comes

Must enter by this door.

4 Come, Lord, when grace has made me meet

Thy blessed face to see;

For if Thy work on earth be sweet,

What will Thy glory be!

5 Then shall I end my sad complaints

And weary, sinful days

And join with the triumphant saints

Who sing my Savior's praise.

6 My knowledge of that life is small,

The eye of faith is dim;

But 'tis enough that Christ knows all,

And I shall be with Him.

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Philippians 1:21-26 appears primarily in the first verse and perhaps also in the second, and Luke 23:43 appears at the end of the sixth verse ("And I shall be with Him").

1 Corinthians 13:12 seems to be a source, too:  "For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face.  Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known."  There are similarities in the lines "Thy blessed face to see" in the fourth verse and "The eye of faith is dim" in the sixth.

The lines "He that unto God's kingdom comes / Must enter by this door" in the third verse may allude to John 10:9:  "'I am the door.  If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.'"

The lines "And join with the triumphant saints / Who sing my Savior's praise" may refer to Revelation 7:9-10:  "9 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, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, 'Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!'"

"Seek Where You May to Find a Way"

Last month, I watched the Concordia University Wisconsin chapel service from the 15th.  The hymn was "Seek Where You May to Find a Way," and I found a few instances where groups of words including "all" or "ev'ry" are sung to all different pitches, resulting in a sense of entirety or breadth.

The hymn is sung to the tune "Such, wer da will."  Here are the fourth and fifth musical phrases:

In the second verse, the text here is "All helpers failed / This man prevailed," with "all helpers" sung to all different pitches (A F# G).

The seventh and eighth musical phrases:

In the third verse, the text here is "In ev'ry need / Seek Him indeed," with "ev'ry need" sung to all different pitches (F# G A).

The ninth and tenth musical phrases:

In the third verse, the text here is "To ev'ry heart / He will impart" (the sense continues into the next line:  "His blessings without measure"), with "ev'ry heart" sung to all different pitches (G A B).

LSB #756 "Why Should Cross and Trial Grieve Me"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  1 Peter 1:6-9, James 1:2-4, 1 Peter 4:12, Matthew 11:29-30

1 Peter 1:6-9:  "6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith - more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire - may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.  8 Though you have not seen him, you love him.  Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls."

James 1:2-4:  "2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.  4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."

1 Peter 4:12:  "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you."

Matthew 11:29-30:  "29 'Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.'"

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Only the first three stanzas are public domain:

1 Why should cross and trial grieve me?

Christ is near

With His cheer;

Never will He leave me.

Who can rob me of the heaven

That God's Son

For me won

When His life was given?

2 When life's troubles rise to meet me,

Though their weight

May be great,

They will not defeat me.

God, my loving Savior, sends them;

He who knows

All my woes

Knows how best to end them.

3 God gives me my days of gladness,

And I will

Trust Him still

When He sends me sadness.

God is good; His love attends me

Day by day,

Come what may,

Guides me and defends me.

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1 Peter 1:6-9, James 1:2-4, and 1 Peter 4:12 all mention trial(s) and appear most clearly in the hymn's first line ("Why should cross and trial grieve me?"), but the whole hymn develops the ideas in these passages.

Matthew 11:29-30 seems to appear (in an inverted way) at the beginning of the second verse:  "When life's troubles rise to meet me, / Though their weight / May be great, / They will not defeat me."  Instead of the light burden of rest, the hymn talks about the great weight of troubles.

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The lines "For I am / His dear lamb, / He, my Shepherd ever" in the fourth verse borrow imagery from John 10 ("'I am the good shepherd.'")

"Day and night" in the fifth verse is a merism.