"Nun danket all'" (TLH #344)

"Sing, My Tongue, the Glorious Battle"

Last year, I found a number of instances in "Sing, My Tongue, the Glorious Battle" where the word "cross" in the text is highlighted by cross inscriptions in the tune ("Fortunatus New").  Here's the first musical phrase, which is also repeated as the third musical phrase:

The first line of the fourth verse is "Faithful cross, true sign of triumph," and the third line of the first verse is "Now above the cross, the trophy" (the sense is completed in the next line:  "Sound the loud triumphant lay").

There are also cross inscriptions in the last (sixth) musical phrase:

In the third verse, the text here is "On the cross His dying breath," completing the sense from the previous line:  "Like a lamb He humbly yielded."

LSB #723 "The Lord Is My Light"

Biblical citation in the hymnal:  Psalm 27

Psalm 27:  "1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?  The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

"2 When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall.

"3 Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident.

"4 One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after:  that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple.

"5 For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock.

"6 And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the LORD.

"7 Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud; be gracious to me and answer me!  8 You have said, 'Seek my face.'  My heart says to you, 'Your face, LORD, do I seek.'  9 Hide not your face from me.  Turn not your servant away in anger, O you who have been my help.  Cast me not off; forsake me not, O God of my salvation!  10 For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the LORD will take me in.

"11 Teach me your way, O LORD, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies.  12 Give me not up to the will of my adversaries; for false witnesses have risen against me, and they breathe our violence.  13 I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living!  14 Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!"

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The hymn's refrain comes from Psalm 27:1; the first stanza from verse 4; the second stanza from verses 9-10; and the third stanza from verses 11 and 13.

"Wie schön leuchtet" (TLH #343)

Transposed from Eb major to F major

"Church of God, Elect and Glorious"

Recently, I found some notes on "Church of God, Elect and Glorious" that I'd forgotten to write about here.  The hymn is sung to the tune "Abbot's Leigh."  Here's the third musical phrase:

In the third verse, the text here is "But He brought you home in mercy."  "Home" is sung to a C, and since the tune is in C major, this is the tonic or "home" pitch, so there's a musical representation of this "home."

The sixth musical phrase:

In the first verse, the text here is "Show to all His mighty deeds."  "All" is sung with a melisma (B C D), providing a sense of breadth.

The seventh musical phrase:

In the fourth verse, the text here is "Give your lives in joyful service."  "Joyful" is sung with a melisma (Bb A G), lending a sense either of this ebullience ("joy") or of the abundance of "-ful."

The eighth musical phrase:

In the third verse, the text here is "And His countless blessings share."  "Countless" is sung with a melisma (C G A), giving a sense of that abundance.

LSB #722 "Lord, Take My Hand and Lead Me"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  John 10:27-28; Psalm 23; Psalm 5:8; 121:4-7

John 10:27-28:  "27 'My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.  28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.'"

Psalm 23:  "1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.  2 He makes me lie down in green pastures.  He leads me beside still waters.  3 He restores my soul.  He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

"4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

"5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.  6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever."

Psalm 5:8:  "Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me."

Psalm 121:4-7:  "4 Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

"5 The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade on your right hand.  6 The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.

"7 The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.  8 The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore."

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The first three cited passages (John 10:27-28, Psalm 23, and Psalm 5:8) appear throughout the first verse and at the ends of the second and third ("For when Your hand is guiding, / In peace I go" and "So take my hand and lead me / Unto the end").

The passage from Psalm 121 appears in the lines "Direct, protect, and feed me / From day to day," specifically the "protect[ing]."  The "feed[ing]" seems to come from Psalm 23:5.

The line "Without Your grace and favor / I go astray" in the first verse may come from the first part of Psalm 119:176 ("I have gone astray like a lost sheep...") or part of Isaiah 53:6 ("All we like sheep have gone astray..."), both of which use the same sheep imagery as Psalm 23 and John 10.

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The line "Close by Your side abiding" in the second verse exhibits internal rhyme, and this provides a sense of the constancy of "abiding."

"Gethsemane" (TLH #342)

Transposed from Eb major to F major

"Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven"

I recently rediscovered a small feature in "Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven" that I'd neglected to write about.  The hymn is sung to the tune "Lauda anima."  Here's the fourth phrase:

In the third verse, the text here is "[He] Rescues us from all our foes."  Since the words "all our foes" are sung to all different pitches (F# G# A), there's a sense of that entirety, especially since one of those pitches is an accidental.

LSB #721 "Lead Me, Guide Me"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Psalm 5:8, 25:5

Psalm 5:8:  "Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me."

Psalm 25:5:  "Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long."

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The "lead me"s in both cited verses occur throughout the hymn, particularly in the refrain.  Psalm 5:8 also appears at the beginning of the second verse ("Help me tread in the paths of righteousness").

"Diademata" (TLH #341)

Transposed from E major to D major

"Jesus, Grant That Balm and Healing"

Last month, I watched the Concordia University Wisconsin chapel service from 23 February.  The hymn was "Jesus, Grant That Balm and Healing."  I wrote about the Biblical sources for the hymn years ago, but after hearing it again, I found two more relevant passages.

The first two lines of the fifth verse are "O my God, my rock and tower, / Grant that in Your death I trust."  The image of God as a tower also occurs in Psalm 61:3 ("for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy") and in Proverbs 18:10 ("The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.").

LSB #720 "We Walk by Faith and Not by Sight"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Hebrews 12:2, John 20:29

Hebrews 12:2:  "looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."

John 20:29:  "Jesus said to him [Thomas], 'Have you believed because you have seen me?  Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.'"

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The text is public domain:

1 We walk by faith and not by sight,

No gracious words we hear

From Him who spoke as none e'er spoke,

But we believe Him near.

2 We may not touch His hands and side,

Nor follow where He trod;

But in His promise we rejoice

And cry "My Lord and God!"

3 Help then, O Lord, our unbelief;

And may our faith abound

To call on You when You are near

And seek where You are found.

4 For You, O resurrected Lord,

Are found in means divine:

Beneath the water and the Word,

Beneath the bread and wine.

5 Lord, when our life of faith is done,

In realms of clearer light

We may behold You as You are,

With full and endless sight.

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The verse from Hebrews 12 appears in roughly the second half of the hymn, starting with the line "To call on You when You are near."  The last verse seems to incorporate imagery from the first part of 1 Corinthians 13:12:  "For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face."  In the hymn, "in a mirror dimly" is inverted, resulting in "realms of clearer light... with full and endless sight."

The verse from John 20 is cited apparently because of its similarity to the title line, although 2 Corinthians 5:7 is the actual source:  "for we walk by faith, not by sight."  The verse immediately preceding this (John 20:28, where Thomas says, "My Lord and my God!") is referred to in the second verse.

The line "Help then, O Lord, our unbelief" at the beginning of the third verse seems to be drawn from Mark 9:24:  "Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, 'I believe; help my unbelief!'"

"O Heilige Dreifaltigkeit" (TLH #340)

"Lord, 'Tis Not That I Did Choose Thee"

A little over a month ago, I watched the Concordia University Wisconsin chapel service from 25 January.  The hymn was "Lord, 'Tis Not That I Did Choose Thee" (LSB #573), and I noticed some significant accidentals in the alto part.  Here are the fifth and sixth phrases from the tune "O du Liebe meiner Liebe":

In the first verse, the text here is "Thou hast from the sin that stained me / Washed and cleansed and set me free."  Under the first "me," there's a C#, and the accidental provides some sense of being "stained" by sin, but in the following phrase, it reverts to a C natural under "cleansed," giving some sense of that purity.