"Across the Sky the Shades of Night"

In March, I started working through Georg Phillip Telemann's Fast allgemeines Evangelisch-Musicalisches Lieder-Buch, a collection of some four hundred hymn tunes (more details here).  A few months ago, I learned his arrangement of "Allein Gott in der Höh'."  Although the text that was originally paired with this tune is "All Glory Be to God on High" (LSB #947), I found myself thinking about "Across the Sky the Shades of Night" (LSB #899), which is sung to the same tune, and I noticed a small feature.

Here's the first phrase:

The first line is, of course, "Across the sky the shades of night."  The phrase "across the sky" is sung to a group of notes that spans a fifth (G to D), and this musical distance provides a sense of the breadth of that "across."  That each note is a different pitch furthers this sense.

LSB #605 "Father Welcomes"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Galatians 3:26-27, Romans 6:1-7, Mark 16:16, John 3:3-6

Galatians 3:26-27:  "26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.  27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ."

Romans 6:1-7:  "1 What shall we say then?  Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?  2 By no means!  How can we who died to sin still live in it?  3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?  4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

"5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.  6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.  7 For one who has died has been set free from sin."

Mark 16:16:  "'Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.'"

John 3:3-6:  "3 Jesus answered him, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.'  4 Nicodemus said to him, 'How can a man be born when he is old?  Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?'  5 Jesus answered, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.  6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.'"

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Galatians 3:26-27 and Romans 6:1-7 are the basis for the refrain.  Mark 16:16 and John 3:3-6 appear at the end of the second verse:  "Those who are baptized and believe / Shall be born again."

The beginning of the first verse ("Little children, come to Me, / For My kingdom is of these") is from Matthew 19:13-14:  "13 Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray.  The disciples rebuked the people, 14 but Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.'"

The beginning of the third verse ("Let us daily die to sin; / Let us daily rise with Him") seems to echo Luther's Small Catechism:  "[Baptism] indicates that the Old Adam in us should by daily contrition and repentance be drowned and die with all sins and evil desires, and that a new man should daily emerge and arise to live before God in righteousness and purity forever."

"Italian Hymn" (TLH #227)

"All My Heart This Night Rejoices"

Earlier this year, when I transposed "Fröhlich soll mein Herze" in order to record it, I found a slew of small features to note in the hymn "All My Heart This Night Rejoices" (TLH #77).

I'll go phrase by phrase.  Here's the first:

In the tenth verse, the text here is "Hither come, ye heavy-hearted."  As if to reflect the "heav[iness]," the melody descends at the end.

I didn't find any musical features in the second or third phrases, but I did notice some merisms in the text:  "far and near" in the first verse and "great and small" in the eighth.

The fourth musical phrase:

In the eleventh verse, the text here is "Every hand outstretchèd."  "Outstretched" is sung with a melisma (F G F), and this expanded pronunciation (indicated by the accent) gives a sense of the word's meaning.

The sixth and seventh musical phrases (combined because they're so short):

In the first verse, the text here is "Till the air / Ev'rywhere."  Each syllable of "ev'rywhere" is sung to a different pitch (Bb Ab G), giving a sense of that breadth.

In the eighth verse, there's an-other merism here:  "Hail the Star / Near and far."

In the fifteenth verse, the text here is "There on high, / In that joy."  "High" is sung to the highest note in the phrase (and even in the whole tune), and this gives a sense of its meaning.

The eighth musical phrase:

In the fourth verse, the text here is "Left His throne above us?"  (This completes the sense from earlier in the verse:  "Should the Son of God not love us, / Who, to cheer / Suff'rers here, / Left His throne above us?")  Pitch-wise, "throne" (sung to an Ab) really is above "us" (sung to an Eb).

LSB #604 "I Bind unto Myself Today"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  1 Peter 1:1-9, Matthew 28:19, Romans 6:4, John 6:39

1 Peter 1:1-9:  "1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

"To those who are elect exiles of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood:

"May grace and peace be multiplied to you.

"3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!  According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.  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."

Matthew 28:19:  "'Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit'"

Romans 6:4:  "We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life."

John 6:39:  "'And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.'"

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The text is public domain:

I bind unto myself today

The strong name of the Trinity

By invocation of the same,

The Three in One and One in Three.

I bind this day to me forever,

By pow'r of faith, Christ's incarnation,

His Baptism in the Jordan River,

His cross of death for my salvation,

His bursting from the spiced tomb,

His riding up the heav'nly way,

His coming at the day of doom,

I bind unto myself today.

I bind unto myself today

The pow'r of God to hold and lead,

His eye to watch, His might to stay,

His ear to hearken to my need,

The wisdom of my God to teach,

His hand to guide, His shield to ward,

The Word of God to give me speech,

His heav'nly host to be my guard.

Against the demon snares of sin,

The vice that gives temptation force,

The natural lusts that war within,

The hostile foes that mar my course;

Or few or many, far or nigh,

In ev'ry place and in all hours,

Against their fierce hostility,

I bind to me those holy pow'rs.

I bind unto myself the name,

The strong name of the Trinity

By invocation of the same,

The Three in One and One in Three,

Of whom all nature has creation,

Eternal Father, Spirit, Word.

Praise to the Lord of my salvation;

Salvation is of Christ the Lord!

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Matthew 28:19 appears in both the first and last verses ("the strong name of the Trinity").  The other passages aren't so easy to identify.  Part of the passage from 1 Peter 1 and Romans 6:4 could be cited for the second verse ("His cross of death for my salvation, / His bursting from the spiced tomb"), and 1 Peter 1 and John 6:39 could be cited for the last line ("Salvation is of Christ the Lord!"), but there's not a strong resemblance between any of these.

Incidentally, the phrases "few or many, far or nigh" are merisms.

"Komm, o komm, du Geist" (TLH #226)

"O Jesus Christ, Thy Manger Is"

When I recorded "O Jesu Christ, dein Kripplein" back in September, I noticed a small connection between it and the text "O Jesus Christ, Thy Manger Is" (TLH #81).  (In The Lutheran Service Book, "O Jesus Christ, Thy Manger Is" [#372] is sung to the tune "In paradisum.")

Here's the second musical phrase:

In the first verse, the text here (describing the manger) is "My paradise at which my soul reclineth."  The phrase "my soul reclineth" is sung to a descending group of notes (Bb Ab G F Eb), musically giving a sense of this "reclin[ing]."

LSB #603 "We Know That Christ Is Raised"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Romans 6:3-11, John 3:1-6, Romans 8:11

Romans 6:3-11:  "3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?  4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

"5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.  6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.  7 For one who has died has been set free from sin.  8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.  9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.  10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God.  11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus."

John 3:1-6:  "1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.  2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, 'Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.'  3 Jesus answered him, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.'  4 Nicodemus said to him, 'How can a man be born when he is old?  Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?'  5 Jesus answered, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.  6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.'"

Romans 8:11:  "If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you."

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The text from Romans 6 is the main source for the hymn.  The first line of the hymn is taken directly from verse 9.

The text from John 3, particularly verses 3-5, seems to appear in the line "Reborn, we share with Him an Easter life" in the second verse.  While Romans 8:11 overlaps a bit with the text from Romans 6, it could be cited for this line too.

"St. Bernard"

This tune isn't in Lutheran Worship or The Lutheran Service Book; this is twice through the arrangement in The Lutheran Hymnal (#378), although I transposed it from Eb major to F major.  Some of the parts are pretty high, so to make it easier, I played the soprano and alto parts on soprano recorder and the tenor part on alto recorder.

"Boylston" (TLH #225)

"O Come, O Come, Emmanuel"

About two years ago, I noticed a couple small features in the seventh verse of "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel":

O come, Desire of nations, bind

In one the hearts of all mankind;

Bid Thou our sad divisions cease,

And be Thyself our King of Peace.

The hymn is sung to the tune "Veni Emmanuel."  Here's the second musical phrase:

In the line "In one the hearts of all mankind," "all" is sung with a melisma (A F# E), musically giving a sense of breadth.

The third musical phrase:

In the line "Bid Thou our sad divisions cease," "divisions" is sung with a melisma (F# G F# E).  The syllables are divided among more notes than they would be normally, so there's a sense of the word's meaning.

LSB #602 "The Gifts Christ Freely Gives"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Ephesians 1:3-7, 1 John 5:6-8

Ephesians 1:3-7:  "3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.  In love 5 he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.  7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace"

1 John 5:6-8:  "6 This is he who came by water and blood - Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood.  And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.  7 For there are three that testify:  8 the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree."

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Ephesians 1:3-7 seems to be the basis for the hymn.  Each verse of the hymn (save perhaps for the doxology at the end) expands upon "every spiritual blessing" from verse 3.  Specifically, verses 4-5 appear in the hymn's first verse ("To be... His chosen, saved and free! / Saints blest with these rich gifts / Are children who proclaim / That they were won by Christ"), and verse 7 appears in the hymn's fifth verse ("The body and the blood / Remove our ev'ry sin") and third verse ("Forgiveness that we need / Is granted to us there").

1 John 5:6-8 appears mostly in the second verse, which is all about Baptism.  Blood isn't mentioned in the hymn until the fifth verse, though.

"Komm, Heiliger Geist, Herre Gott" (TLH #224)

"Once He Came in Blessing"

A couple years ago, I noticed two small features in "Once He Came in Blessing," sung to the tune "Gottes Sohn ist kommen."  Here are the third and fourth musical phrases:

In the first verse, the text here is "Came in likeness lowly, / Son of God most holy."  "Lowly" is sung to a descending group of notes (G F Eb), and to some degree, this illustrates that humility.  "Holy" is sung with a melisma (F Eb D C Bb), musically giving a sense of degree (for "most").

LSB #601 "All Who Believe and Are Baptized"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Mark 16:16, Colossians 2:12-13, Acts 2:38, Revelation 7:13-15

Mark 16:16:  "'Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.'"

Colossians 2:12-13:  "12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.  13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses"

Acts 2:38:  "And Peter said to them, 'Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'"

Revelation 7:13-15:  "13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, 'Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?'  14 I said to him, 'Sir, you know.'  And he said to me, 'These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation.  They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

"15 'Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence."

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The text is public domain:

All who believe and are baptized

Shall see the Lord's salvation;

Baptized into the death of Christ,

They are a new creation.

Through Christ's redemption they shall stand

Among the glorious, heav'nly band

Of ev'ry tribe and nation.

With one accord, O God, we pray:

Grant us Your Holy Spirit.

Help us in our infirmity

Through Jesus' blood and merit.

Grant us to grow in grace each day

That by this sacrament we may

Eternal life inherit.

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Mark 16:16 appears in the first two lines.

Colossians 2:12-13 is cited apparently for the lines "Baptized into the death of Christ, / They are a new creation," although these lines bear a stronger resemblance to Romans 6:3-4:  "3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?  4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life." and 2 Corinthians 5:17:  "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.  The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."

The text from Revelation 7 appears at the end of the first verse, although the part about "the glorious, heav'nly band / Of ev'ry tribe and nation" comes a bit earlier than the cited text; it's in Revelation 7:9:  "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."  Revelation 7:14 also seems to be referred to in the lines "Help us in our infirmity / Through Jesus' blood and merit." in the second verse.

Acts 2:38 seems to appear at the beginning of the second verse:  "With one accord, O God, we pray: / Grant us Your Holy Spirit."

"Erschienen ist" (TLH #223)

I went through this three times.

"Lord of All Good"

When I recorded a version of "Farley Castle" with recorders a couple months ago, I used the arrangement from The Lutheran Service Book #786 "Lord of All Good."  While going through the tune, I noticed a connection between it and the text.  The second phrase has a number of cross inscriptions.  It would be cumbersome to indicate them all; aside from the first C, any four sequential notes form this figure.

These cross inscriptions connect to the text in the second verse.  The line here is "Christ, by whose willing sacrifice we live."  Part of that "willing sacrifice" was the crucifixion.

LSB #600 "Mark How the Lamb of God's Self-Offering"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Matthew 3:13-16, 1 Peter 2:9

Matthew 3:13-16: "13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him.  14 John would have prevented him, saying, 'I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?'  15 But Jesus answered him, 'Let it be so now, for this it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.'  Then he consented.  16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him"

1 Peter 2:9:  "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light."

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The text from Matthew is the basis for the first verse.  Matthew 3:17 should also be included:  "and behold, a voice from heaven said, 'This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.'"  In the hymn, this is rendered as "Hear how the voice from heaven thunders, / 'Lo, this is My beloved Son.'"  The first part of Matthew 4 is also summarized in the beginning of the second verse:  "From this assurance of God's favor / Jesus goes to the wilderness, / There to endure a time of testing."

1 Peter 2:9 appears in the third verse, specifically in the lines "Christ's royal priesthood help us share" and "Raise up in us a chosen people."

"St. Anatolius"

I had planned to record the tunes named after saints in alphabetical order, but I accidentally skipt this one.  Last time I did one, I lookt in the index of The Lutheran Service Book, not remembering that there are a number of tunes named after saints in The Lutheran Hymnal that aren't in The Lutheran Service Book.  This is TLH #555.

I transposed this from Eb major to F major.  The alto part is so high that it was easier to play it on soprano recorder than on alto recorder.  This is two soprano recorders, a tenor recorder, and electric bass.

"Coronae" (TLH #222)

I don't know if this is a really a shorter tune or not, but I went through it three times anyway.  The first two measures of the alto part are the same as "Frère Jacques."

"Love Divine, All Loves Excelling"

Last year and then again a couple months ago, I found a handful of features in "Love Divine, All Loves Excelling."  It's sung to the tune "Hyfrydol."  Here's the third musical phrase:

In the second verse, the text here is "Let us all in Thee inherit."  "All" is sung with a melisma (F G), musically giving a sense of entirety.

The fifth musical phrase:

In the first verse, the text here is "Jesus, Thou art all compassion."  "Compassion" is sung with a melisma (Bb Bb A G), musically illustrating that "all."  In the second verse, the text is "Take away the love of sinning."  Here, "away" is sung with a melisma (C C Bb), giving a sense of (metaphorical) movement.  In the third verse, the text is "Thee we would be always blessing."  "Blessing" is sung with a melisma (Bb A G), providing a sense of the duration of "always."

The sixth musical phrase:

In the first verse, the text here is "Pure, unbounded love Thou art."  The words "unbounded love" are sung with melismas (A A Bb C | C Bb), and since the words aren't limited to their usual amount of syllables, there's a sense of the meaning of "unbounded."

The last (eighth) musical phrase:

In the first verse, the text here is "Enter ev'ry trembling heart."  "Ev'ry" is sung with a melisma (D C Bb), and each syllable is sung to a different pitch.  Both of these features indicate that breadth.

LSB #599 "O Gracious Lord, with Love Draw Near"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Matthew 28:19, Mark 16:16, Titus 3:5-8, Romans 6:4

Matthew 28:19:  "'Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit'"

Mark 16:16:  "'Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.'"

Titus 3:5-8:  "5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.  8 The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works.  These things are excellent and profitable for people."

Romans 6:4:  "We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life."

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Titus 3:5-8 could be cited for the end of the second verse ("For in that pure baptismal flood / They have been cleansed by Jesus' blood") and part of the fifth verse ("With fruits of faith their lives now bless").  Matthew 28:19 and Romans 6:4 could also be cited for the line about "fruits of faith."  For the most part, though, the cited verses (especially Mark 16:16) seem to be merely background for the hymn text.

The third verse, which begins with the line "Deliver them from ev'ry wile," expands upon part of the Lord's Prayer:  "'And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil'" (Matthew 6:13).  The last line of that verse ("That they may not Your Word despise") echoes the explanation of the Third Commandment from Luther's Small Catechism:  "We should fear and love God so that we do not despise preaching and His Word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it."

The line "And make them strong, each cross to bear" at the end of the fourth verse could be cited from a few places:  Matthew 10:38, Matthew 16:24, or Luke 9:23.

The last verse, particularly the line "Then robed in white before Your throne," is drawn from Revelation 7.

"Neander" (TLH #221)

Because this is a shorter tune, I went through it three times.

"The Bridegroom Soon Will Call Us"

When I wrote the post about the Biblical sources for "The Bridegroom Soon Will Call Us," I also noticed some musical features.  The hymn is sung to the tune "Ach Gott vom Himmelreiche."  In Lutheran Worship, it's in 6/4, but in The Lutheran Service Book, it's in 6/8 (both are in G major).  I'm going to use the notation in 6/4, although I found features to note in both hymnals (it seems that LSB has a different translation for verses two through four).

Here's the first phrase:

In Lutheran Worship, the second verse begins with the line "Then, oh, what jubilation."  "Jubilation" is sung with a melisma (A C B A B A), musically giving a sense of that ebullience.  The third verse begins with the line "Then Christ, his glory sharing."  Here, "sharing" is sung with a melisma (B A B A), and because the word is spread across multiple notes, there's a sense of its meaning.

Here's the third musical phrase:

In Lutheran Worship, the text here in the fourth verse is "New song will fill the ocean."  "Ocean" is sung with a melisma (F# E F# D), giving a sense of the abundance of being "fill[ed]."

In The Lutheran Service Book, the text here in the fourth verse is "With hearts and lips forever" (the sentiment is continued into the next line:  "We shall in God rejoice").  "Forever" is sung with a melisma (A F# E F# D), giving a sense of duration.

LSB #598 "Once in the Blest Baptismal Waters"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Galatians 3:26-27, Romans 6:3, Luke 2:29-32

Galatians 3:26-27:  "26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.  27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ."

Romans 6:3:  "Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?"

Luke 2:29-32:  "29 'Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; 30 for my eyes have seen your salvation 31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.'"

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The passage from Galatians appears at the beginning of the first verse:  "Once in the blest baptismal waters / I put on Christ and made Him mine."

Romans 6:3 seems to be the basis for the lines "And thus I live in God contented / And die without a thought of fear" at the beginning of the third verse.

The hymn's refrain ("O God, for Jesus' sake I pray / Your peace may bless my dying day.") is drawn from Luke 2:29-32.

"Bevan" (TLH #220)

I transposed this from Eb major to F major, and because it's a shorter tune, I went through it three times.

"From God Can Nothing Move Me"

Last year, I noticed two small features in "From God Can Nothing Move Me," sung to the tune "Von Gott will ich nicht lassen."

The first line is, of course, "From God can nothing move me," sung to this phrase:

"From God" is sung to two G notes.  The tune is in G minor, so this is the tonic note.  In the same way that God is the anchor, the very phrase "from God" is sung to the foundational pitch of the hymn's tune.

The first verse ends with the lines "My life with grace adorning / Wherever I may stand," sung to these phrases:

There are two accidentals in the phrase to which "Wherever I may stand" is sung (E natural and F#), and the syllables of "wherever" are each sung to a different pitch (E D G).  Both of these features indicate the breadth of that "wherever."

LSB #597 "Water, Blood, and Spirit Crying"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  1 John 5:5-8, John 10:10

1 John 5:5-8:  "5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

"6 This is he who came by water and blood - Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood.  And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.  7 For there are three that testify:  8 the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree."

John 10:10:  "'The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.  I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.'"

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The passage from 1 John 5 is the basis for the hymn and appears most clearly in the first and fifth verses.  John 10:10 appears in the line "Life has come, with life for all," which occurs at the end of both of these verses.

The third verse ends with the lines "[Christ] spreads a table where He feeds us / With His body and His blood."  While this clearly refers to the Lord's Supper, the language recalls Psalm 23:5:  "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows."

Part of the fourth verse ("God, His two-edged sword unsheathing, / By His Spirit life is breathing / Through the living, active Word.") comes Hebrews 4:12 ("For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.") and possible also Ephesians 6:17 ("and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God").

"St. Magnus" (TLH #219)

Because this is a shorter tune, I went through it three times.  The tenor part of the Amen cadence fell beneath the range of standard guitar tuning, so I played those notes an octave higher.

"O God, My Faithful God"

I noticed a couple small features specific to Lutheran Worship's version of "O God, My Faithful God."  In Lutheran Worship, the hymn is sung to the tune "Was frag' ich nach der Welt," but in The Lutheran Service Book, it's sung to the tune "O Gott, du frommer Gott."

Here are the first two phrases of "Was frag' ich nach der Welt":

The first two lines are "O God, my faithful God, / True fountain ever flowing."  "Flowing" is sung with a melisma (F# E D), musically giving a sense either of movement or of the duration of "ever."

The second two phrases:

In the third verse, the text here is "Guard me lest idle speech / May from my lips be falling."  "Falling" is sung to a descending group of notes (C# B A), musically giving a sense of its meaning.  That it's sung with a melisma emphasizes this.

LSB #596 "All Christians Who Have Been Baptized"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Romans 6:1-10, Ephesians 5:25b-26, Ezekiel 36:25-27, Galatians 3:26-27

Romans 6:1-10:  "1 What shall we say then?  Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?  2 By no means!  How can we who died to sin still live in it?  3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?  4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

"5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.  6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.  7 For one who has died has been set free from sin.  8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.  9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.  10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God."

Ephesians 5:25b-26:  "as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word"

Ezekiel 36:25-27:  "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.  26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you.  And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.  27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.

Galatians 3:26-27:  "26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.  27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ."

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The lines "Consider now what God has done / The gifts He gives to ev'ryone / Baptized into Christ Jesus!" in the hymn's first verse seem to refer to the text from Romans 6.

The third verse incorporates the texts from Ephesians 5 and Ezekiel 36.

Galatians 3:26-27 appears at the beginning of the fourth verse:  "In Baptism we now put on Christ."

The beginning of the sixth verse ("So use it well!  You are made new - / In Christ a new creation!") comes from 2 Corinthians 5:17:  "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.  The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."

"St. Anne"

The arrangements of "St. Anne" in The Lutheran Service Book (#733) and Lutheran Worship (#180) are the same, and they differ from the arrangement in The Lutheran Hymnal (#123) by only one note.  An F in the tenor part in the TLH arrangement becomes an A in the LW/LSB arrangement.

This is once through the TLH arrangement, once through the LW/LSB arrangement, and then the Amen cadence from TLH.

Brahms: Ein deutsches Requiem, Op. 45: I. Selig sind, die da Leid tragen

Last week, I listened to Brahms' Ein deutsches Requiem, Op. 45.  I've listened to it only a handful of times (eight, according to my records), so I'm not that familiar with it, but I did notice a small feature in the first movement (Selig sind, die da Leid tragen).

Here are the first few bars of the string parts:

[source]

The third bar of the cello part and the fifth and seventh bars of the viola (Bratschen) part match the first bar of a tune that Haydn wrote.  Here's the first phrase:

In The Lutheran Service Book, this tune has the title "Austria."

According to Britannica, Haydn's tune was paired with the text of the "Deutschlandlied" in the 1840s, although it didn't become the official national anthem of Germany until 1922.  Brahms' requiem is from the 1860s, a few decades later.  It seems, then, that he took the opening notes of the "Deutschlandlied" and put them here at the beginning of his requiem, as if to indicate its "German-ness."

"Rex Gloriae" (TLH #218)

I transposed this from Ab major to G major.  The Amen cadence fell beneath the range of guitar in standard tuning, though, so I played those notes an octave higher.

"Alleluia! Sing to Jesus"

Over the last few years, I found some things to note in "Alleluia! Sing to Jesus," sung to the tune "Hyfrydol."  Here's the first musical phrase:

In the fourth verse, the text here is "Alleluia!  King eternal."  "Eternal" is sung with a melisma (A G F G), musically giving a sense of duration.

The first verse ends with the lines "'Jesus out of ev'ry nation / Has redeemed us by His blood.'"  The first of these two lines is sung to this musical phrase:

The phrase "ev'ry nation" is sung with melismas (A F A | G A Bb A G), and this illustrates that breadth.

LSB #595 "O Blessed Spring"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  John 15:1-5, Genesis 2:9, Revelation 22:14

John 15:1-5:  "1 'I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.  2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.  3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.  4 Abide in me, and I in you.  As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.  5 I am the vine; you are the branches.  Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.'"

Genesis 2:9:  "And out of the ground the LORD God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food.  The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil."

Revelation 22:14:  "Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates."

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The hymn uses the imagery from John 15, and Jesus as the vine is mentioned specifically in the first and fifth verses.

The other two cited verses (but mostly Revelation 22:14) appear in the last two lines of the fifth verse:  "That Word and water thus revive / And join us to Your Tree of Life."

The line "We breathe our last, return to dust" in the fourth verse refers to either Genesis 3:19 ("'By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.'") or Ecclesiastes 3:20 ("All go to one place.  All are from the dust, and to dust all return.").

"St. Agnes"

This is the first recording in a new series I'm doing (and for which "Farley Castle" was my trial run).  Using recorders, I'm going to record the tunes named after saints, combining arrangements from The Lutheran Hymnal, Lutheran Worship, and The Lutheran Service Book.  I have no set schedule for these, although I'm going to post them on Tuesdays.

"St. Agnes" appears in only The Lutheran Hymnal (#361) and The Lutheran Service Book (#554), but the arrangement is the same.

"Aus meines Herzens Grunde" (TLH #217)

"He's Got the Whole World in His Hands"

Recently, I was thinking about "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" and remembered some features I'd noticed last year in a version by the Isley Brothers.  I dug out my copy of All God's People Sing! and found that it includes "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" (#117), although the melody there is different from what I'm familiar with.  The melody (titled "In His Hands") changes a bit from verse to verse, but the first verse (as I know it) is something like:

The text for the first verse is

He's got the whole world in His hands,

He's got the whole wide world in His hands,

He's got the whole world in His hands,

He's got the whole world in His hands.

The first three "whole"s are sung to half notes, and the difference between the lengths of these half notes and the much shorter values of the surrounding notes provides a sense of that entirety.  The first three "world"s are each sung with a melisma (A F, G E, A F, respectively), and this gives a sense of the breadth of "whole" and "wide."

Each verse simply substitutes something else for "the whole world."  The second verse alternates between "the wind and the rain" and "the sun and the moon"; the third verse repeats "the tiny little baby"; and the fourth verse alternates between "you and me, brother" and "you and me, sister."  To some degree, then, the text is a rhetorical catalogue, listing various entities that are "in His hands" and indicating the all-encompassing nature of God's care.

LSB #594 "God's Own Child, I Gladly Say It"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Romans 6:1-10, 1 Peter 3:18-22, Titus 3:4-7

Romans 6:1-10:  "1 What shall we say then?  Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?  2 By no means!  How can we who died to sin still live in it?  3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?  4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

"5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.  6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.  7 For one who has died has been set free from sin.  8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.  9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.  10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God."

1 Peter 3:18-22:  "18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, 19 in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, 20 because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water.  21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him."

Titus 3:4-7:  "4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life."

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These three texts are similar enough that it's difficult to say where or if the hymn draws from one more than the others.  The first and last lines, however, ("God's own child, I gladly say it" and "I'm a child of paradise!") seem to refer to "becom[ing] heirs" in Titus 3:7.

The beginning of the fifth verse ("There is nothing worth comparing / To this life-long comfort sure!") seems to borrow from Romans 8:18:  "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us."

"Lobt Gott, ihr Christen" (TLH #106)

"Dearest Jesus, We Are Here"

When I wrote a post about the Biblical sources of "Dearest Jesus, We Are Here," I noticed a small feature in the music.  The hymn is sung to the tune "Liebster Jesu, wir sind hier."  Here's the second-to-last phrase:

In the third verse, the text here is "In Your arms be shielded ever."  As if the demonstrate the duration of that "ever," "shielded" is sung with a melisma (G A G).

LSB #593 "See This Wonder in the Making"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Matthew 3:16-17, Titus 3:3-7, Ephesians 5:25b-26, Mark 10:16

Matthew 3:16-17:  "16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, 'This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.'"

Titus 3:3-7:  "3 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaved to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.  4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life."

Ephesians 5:25b-26:  "as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word"

Mark 10:16:  "And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them."

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The text from Matthew 3 seems to appear in the second verse, specifically in the line "And the Father beams, 'Beloved.'"  The text from Mark 10 is at the end of the third verse:  "God, into Your arms we place him/her/them, / With Your love and peace embrace him/her/them."

The text from Ephesians comes at the very end of the hymn, the last line of the fourth verse:  "Born again by Word and water."

The text from Titus informs the hymn (especially the first two verses) more broadly, although the line "'Heir of gifts a king would covet!'" at the end of the hymn's second verse seems to refer to verse 7.

"Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland" (TLH #95)

Because this is a shorter tune, I went through it three times.

"Father Most Holy"

While working on the post about the Biblical sources of "Father Most Holy" last year, I noticed some small features in the hymn.  It's sung to the tune "Christe sanctorum"; here's the last musical phrase:

The end of the second verse calls the Trinity "Hope of all living."  "Living" is sung with a melisma (F# E D), musically giving a sense of the entirety of that "all."

The fourth verse ends with the lines "Glory we offer, praise Thee and adore Thee, / Now and forever."  Here, "forever" is sung with a melisma (G F# E D), musically giving a sense of duration.

The whole note in this phrase is the longest note value in the entire tune, and it also provides a sense of the breadth of "all living" and the duration of "forever."

LSB #592 "Dearest Jesus, We Are Here"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Mark 10:13-16, John 3:3-6

Mark 10:13-16:  "13 And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them.  14 But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, 'Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.  15 Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.'  16 And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them."

John 3:3-6:  "3 Jesus answered him, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.'  4 Nicodemus said to him, 'How can a man be born when he is old?  Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?'  5 Jesus answered, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.'"

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The text is public domain:

Dearest Jesus, we are here,

Gladly Your command obeying;

With this child we now draw near

In response to Your own saying

That to You it shall be given

As a child and heir of heaven.

Your command is clear and plain,

And we would obey it duly:

"You must all be born again,

Heart and life renewing truly,

Born of water and the Spirit,

And My kingdom thus inherit."

Therefore we have come to You,

In our arms this infant bearing.

Truly here Your grace we view;

May this child, Your mercy sharing,

In Your arms be shielded ever,

Yours on earth and Yours forever.

Gracious Head, Your member own;

Shepherd, take Your lamb and feed it;

Prince of Peace, make here Your throne;

Way of Life, to heaven lead it;

Precious Vine, let nothing sever

From Your side this branch forever.

Now into Your heart we pour

Prayers that from our hearts proceeded.

Our petitions heav'nward soar;

May our hearts' desires be heeded!

Write the name we now have given;

Write it in the book of heaven!

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The text from Mark appears in the first and third verses, and the text from John appears in the second verse.

There are a multitude of references in the fourth verse.  "Gracious Head, Your member own" seems to refer to Ephesians 5:23:  "For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior."  "Shepherd, take Your lamb and feed it" refers to the Good Shepherd in John 10.  "Prince of Peace" comes from Isaiah 9:6; "Way of Life" from John 14:6 ("'I am the way, and the truth, and the life'"); and "Precious Vine, let nothing sever / From Your side this branch forever" from John 15.

"Write the name we now have given; / Write it in the book of heaven!" at the end of the fifth verse seems to come from Revelation 3:5:  "'The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life.  I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.'"

"Farley Castle" (LSB #786)

I did this mostly as a test to see what a hymn tune would sound like if I did the higher three parts with recorders (soprano, alto, and tenor) and the lowest with electric bass.  I'm considered doing a project using this instrumentation.

"Nun danket alle Gott" (TLH #93)

"What God Ordains Is Always Good"

Last year, I noticed a small feature specific to the Lutheran Worship version of "What God Ordains Is Always Good" (#422).  One of the lines in the fourth verse is "Though many storms may gather," sung to this phrase from the tune "Was Gott tut":

"Storms" is sung with a melisma (A G), musically giving a sense of being "many."

"What God Ordains Is Always Good" is also present in The Lutheran Hymnal (#521) and in The Lutheran Service Book (#760), but both of those hymnals have a single quarter note (an A) where Lutheran Worship has two eighth notes (A G).

LSB #591 "This Is the Spirit's Entry Now"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Ephesians 5:25b-27, Romans 6:3-9

Ephesians 5:25b-27:  "as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish."

Romans 6:3-9:  "3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?  4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

"5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.  6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.  7 For one who has died has been set free from sin.  8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.  9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him."

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The text from Ephesians appears in the first verse (specifically in the phrase "the water and the Word") and in the fourth (last) verse ("That washes us through all our days; / Lord, cleanse again this hour").

The text from Romans appears at the end of the second verse ("Our life comes through Christ's death") and perhaps even into the third verse.

"Aus meines Herzens Grunde" (TLH #75)

"Lord, When You Came as Welcome Guest"

Near the beginning of the year, I noticed a few small features in the hymn "Lord, When You Came as Welcome Guest," sung to the tune "Land of Rest."  Here's the first phrase:

In the fourth verse, the text here is "Your daily mercies let them share."  "Share" is sung with a melisma (D C), and this gives a sense of its meaning since the word is "share[d]" between the two notes.

Here's the third musical phrase:

In the third verse, the text here is "This golden ring that none may break."  Here, "break" is sung with a melisma (D C), giving a sense of its meaning.

In the fourth verse, the text is "By this their vow divide their care."  "Care" is sung with the same melisma, and this gives a sense of its being "divide[d]."

LSB #590 "Baptized into Your Name Most Holy"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Matthew 28:19; Romans 6:2-4, 11; Galatians 3:26-27; Psalm 51:10-12

Matthew 28:19:  "'Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,'"

Romans 6:2-4:  "2 By no means!  How can we who died to sin still live in it?  3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?  4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life."

Romans 6:11:  "So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus."

Galatians 3:26-27:  "26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.  27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ."

Psalm 51:10-12:  "10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.  11 Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.  12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit."

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The text is public domain:

Baptized into Your name most holy,

O Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,

I claim a place, though weak and lowly,

Among Your saints, Your chosen host.

Buried with Christ and dead to sin,

Your Spirit now shall live within.

My loving Father, here You take me

To be henceforth Your child and heir.

My faithful Savior, here You make me

The fruit of all Your sorrows share.

O Holy Spirit, comfort me

When threat'ning clouds around I see.

My faithful God, You fail me never;

Your promise surely will endure.

O cast me not away forever

If words and deeds become impure.

Have mercy when I come defiled;

Forgive, lift up, restore Your child.

All that I am and love most dearly -

Receive it all, O Lord, from me.

Let me confess my faith sincerely;

Help me Your faithful child to be!

Let nothing that I am or own

Serve any will but Yours alone.

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Matthew 28:19 appears in the first two lines, and the two passages from Romans 6 appear at the end of the first verse:  "Buried with Christ and dead to sin, / Your Spirit now shall live within."

The passage from Galatians 3 mentions being "sons of God," and this is primarily in the second verse ("My loving Father, here You take me / To be henceforth Your child and heir"), but it's also referred to in the third and fourth verses.

Psalm 51:11 is clearly the source for the line "O cast me not away forever" in the third verse.  The cited verses from Psalm 51 may also inform the lines "Your Spirit now shall live within" (in the first verse) and "O Holy Spirit, comfort me" (in the second).

"O Jesu Christ, dein Kripplein" (TLH #81)

I transposed this from Eb major to F major and went through it three times.

"Faith and Truth and Life Bestowing"

When I wrote a post about the Biblical sources in "Faith and Truth and Life Bestowing" last month, I noticed a few significant melismas.  The hymn is sung to the tune "Holy Manna."  Here are the third and fourth phrases:

In the first verse, the text here is "Seed to life eternal sowing, / Scattered on the wind abroad."  "Eternal" is sung with a melisma (F G G F), giving a sense of duration, and "Scattered" is sung with a melisma (C C D), giving something of a sense of its meaning.  In the second verse, the text here is "Daily in our hearts increasing, / Bearing fruit that shall remain."  "Increasing" is sung with a melisma (G F A G F D), so there's a sense of the word's meaning.

LSB #589 "Speak, O Lord, Your Servant Listens"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  1 Samuel 3:10; 1 Peter 1:23-25; John 6:63; 15:7-8

1 Samuel 3:10:  "And the LORD came and stood, calling as at other times, 'Samuel!  Samuel!'  And Samuel said, 'Speak, for your servant hears.'"

1 Peter 1:23-25:  "23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; 24 for 'All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass.  The grass withers, and the flower falls,  25 but the word of the Lord remains forever.'  And this word is the good news that was preached to you."

John 6:63:  "'It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all.  The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.'"

John 15:7-8:  "7 'If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.  8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.'"

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The text is public domain:

Speak, O Lord, Your servant listens,

Let Your Word to me come near;

Newborn life and spirit give me,

Let each promise still my fear.

Death's dread pow'r, its inward strife,

Wars against Your Word of life;

Fill me, Lord, with love's strong fervor

That I cling to You forever!

Oh, what blessing to be near You

And to listen to Your voice;

Let me ever love and hear You,

Let Your Word be now my choice!

Many hardened sinners, Lord,

Flee in terror at Your Word;

But to all who feel sin's burden

You give words of peace and pardon.

Lord, Your words are waters living

When my thirsting spirit pleads.

Lord, Your words are bread life-giving;

On Your words my spirit feeds.

Lord, Your words will be my light

Through death's cold and dreary night;

Yes, they are my sword prevailing

And my cup of joy unfailing!

As I pray, dear Jesus, hear me;

Let Your words in me take root.

May Your Spirit e'er be near me

That I bear abundant fruit.

May I daily sing Your praise,

From my heart glad anthems raise,

Till my highest praise is given

In the endless joy of heaven.

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The first line of the hymn comes from 1 Samuel 3:10.

John 6:63 seems to appear in the third verse, but there are other Bible verses that bear a stronger resemblance to the hymn.  "Lord, Your words are waters living / When my thirsting spirit pleads" could come from John 4:14 ("'but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again.  The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life'") or Revelation 7:17 ("'For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.'").  "Lord, Your words are bread life-giving" seems to point to John 6:35 ("Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.'").  "Lord, Your words will be my light" resembles Psalm 119:105 ("Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path") and possibly even John 8:12 ("Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, 'I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'").

John 15:7-8 appears in the last verse, particularly in the lines "May Your Spirit e'er be near me / That I bear abundant fruit."

1 Peter 1:23-25 could be cited throughout the hymn.  Verse 23 bears the most resemblance to the line "Newborn life and spirit give me" in the first verse, but like the third verse, this passage mentions the life-giving word of God, and like the fourth verse, it uses agricultural imagery (imperishable seed).