"Es ist ein' Ros'" (TLH #76)

I skipt #75 because it had a weird meter.  It was one of those tunes where one measure has twelve beats and the next has nine, and I couldn't really figure it out.

This is the first hymn in the Christmas section.

"Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence"

When I transcribed "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence" back in March, I noticed a small thing about it, and looking at it again recently in order to write this post, I found something else.

The second line in the first verse is "And with fear and trembling stand," sung to this musical phrase (from the tune "Picardy"):

"Trembling" is sung with a melisma (Bb A G), and this articulation gives an impression of the word's meaning.  It's as if the music itself is "trembling."

The fourth line of the third verse is "From the realms of endless day," sung to the same musical phrase.  Here, "endless" is sung with that same melisma, and since the word is stretched out (three syllables instead of two), there's something of a sense of the long time period the word describes.

LSB #433 "Glory Be to Jesus"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  1 Peter 1:18-19, Ephesians 1:6-8, Revelation 7:9-14

1 Peter 1:18-19:  "18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot."

Ephesians 1:6-8:  "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,  8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight..."

Revelation 7:9-14:  "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!'  11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, 'Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.'

"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."

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The text is public domain:

Glory be to Jesus,
Who in bitter pains
Poured for me the life-blood
From His sacred veins!

Grace and life eternal
In that blood I find;
Blest be His compassion,
Infinitely kind!

Blest through endless ages
Be the precious stream
Which from endless torment
Did the world redeem!

Abel's blood for vengeance
Pleaded to the skies;
But the blood of Jesus
For our pardon cries.

Oft as earth exulting
Wafts its praise on high,
Angel hosts rejoicing
Make their glad reply.

Lift we, then, our voices,
Swell the mighty flood;
Louder still and louder
Praise the precious blood!

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The first three verses and the second half of the fourth describe Jesus' blood "Which... Did the world redeem."  These verses are drawn from 1 Peter 1:18-19 and Ephesians 1:6-8, both of which explain that "we have redemption through his blood."

The first half of verse four ("Abel's blood for vengeance / Pleaded to the skies") comes from Genesis 4:10:  "And the LORD said, 'What have you done?  The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground.'"

The last two verses (and specifically "Angel hosts rejoicing") come from the text from Revelation.

"Gottes Sohn ist kommen" (TLH #74)

"Thy Body, Given for Me, O Savior"

Back in March, I transcribed "Thy Body, Given for Me, O Savior" (sung to the tune "Ich sterbe täglich") and noticed a small thing about it.

The third line of the first verse is "These [Christ's body and blood] are my life and strength forever," sung to this phrase:

"Forever" is sung with a melisma (G E D C), and since the word is drawn out, there's something of a sense of that long period of time.

LSB #432 "In Silent Pain the Eternal Son"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Matthew 10:34-39, 27:45-54; 1 Peter 2:24

Matthew 10:34-39:  "34 'Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth.  I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.  35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.  36 And a person's enemies will be those of his own household.  37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.  38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.  39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.'"

Matthew 27:45-54:  "45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.  46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, 'Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?' that is, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'  47 And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, 'This man is calling Elijah.'  48 And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink.  49 But the others said, 'Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.'  50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.

"51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.  And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.  52 The tombs also were opened.  And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, 53 and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.  54 When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, 'Truly this was the Son of God!'"

1 Peter 2:24:  "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.  By his wounds you have been healed."

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Since the hymn is about Jesus' crucifixion, the second text from Matthew (27:45-54) seems to be the main referent, although there aren't many textual similarities between it and the hymn.  The darkness mentioned in verse 45 is present in the hymn's first verse: "In darkened day His work is done."  1 Peter 2:24 appears at the end of the first verse and the beginning of the second: "For in His body on the tree / He carries all our ill. // He died that we might die to sin / And live for righteousness."

Jesus' coming to bring a sword in Matthew 10:34 is at the beginning of the hymn's third verse: "For strife He came to bring a sword."  Later in the third verse, there's the line "For in His hand He holds the stars," which seems to come from Revelation 1:16: "In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength."

"Macht hoch die Tür" (TLH #73b)

There are three tunes for "Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates" in The Lutheran Hymnal.  This is the second.  I skipt the first because part of it is in 4/4 and part of it is in 3/4 and I don't know how to set my click track to accommodate that, and I'll probably skip the third because it's in Ab major and I'm disinclined to transpose it.  Confusingly, all three tunes are titled "Macht hoch die Tür."

"The God of Abraham Praise"

Back in March, I watched the One LSB Hymn a Week video for "The God of Abraham Praise."

I noticed only a single thing then, but in looking at the hymn again in order to write this post, I found a handful of others.

The tune is "Yigdal."  Here's the first phrase:

In the eighth verse, the text here is "The God who reigns on high."  "High" is sung to the highest pitch in the phrase (C), musically giving an impression of this.

The third phrase:

In the second verse, the text here is "From earth I rise and seek the joys."  "From earth I rise" is sung to an ascending group of notes (G Ab Bb C), giving a sense of this "ris[ing]."

The sixth phrase:

In the sixth verse, the text here is about the Promised Land: "And oil and wine abound."  Both "oil" and "abound" are sung with melismas (F G and F F E, respectively), both of which give a musical impression of the ample supply.

In the eighth verse, the text here is "And evermore shall be," describing God with a phrase adapted from Revelation 4:8 ("Who was and is the same / And evermore shall be").  Here, "evermore" is sung with a melisma (F G Ab Bb C).  Because the word is stretched out, there's something of a sense of that long period of time.

The seventh phrase:

In the sixth verse, describing the Promised Land, the text here is "And trees of life forever grow."  Similar to "evermore" mentioned above, "forever" is sung with a melisma (Bb C Bb C), giving a sense of that long period of time.

The eighth (and final) phrase:

Verses one, four, and seven end with "Forever..." or "Forevermore" sung with a melisma (C Bb Ab G [plus F for "Forevermore"]), which - as described above - musically gives a sense of the word's meaning.

LSB #431 "Not All the Blood of Beasts"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Hebrews 10:1-4, 11; Hebrews 9:12-14; Galatians 3:13; Revelation 5:6-14

Hebrews 10:1-4:  "1 For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near.  2 Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins?  3 But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year.  4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins."

Hebrews 10:11:  "And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins."

Hebrews 9:12-14:  "12 He [Christ] entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.  13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, 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."

Galatians 3:13:  "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us - for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree.'"

Revelation 5:6-14:  "6 And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.  7 And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne.  8 And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.  9 And they sang a new song, saying, 'Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, 10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.'  11 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice, 'Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!'  13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, 'To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!'  14 And the four living creatures said, 'Amen!' and the elders fell down and worshiped."

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The text is public domain:

Not all the blood of beasts
On Jewish altars slain
Could give the guilty conscience peace
Or wash away the stain.

But Christ, the heav'nly Lamb,
Takes all our sins away;
A sacrifice of nobler name
And richer blood than they.

My faith would lay its hand
On that dear head of Thine,
While as a penitent I stand,
And there confess my sin.

My soul looks back to see
The burden Thou didst bear
When hanging on the cursed tree;
I know my guilt was there.

Believing, we rejoice
To see the curse remove;
We bless the Lamb with cheerful voice
And sing His bleeding love.

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The two citations from Hebrews 10 are summarized in the first verse, and the citation from Hebrews 9 is summarized in the second verse.

Revelation 5 is the source for "We bless the Lamb with cheerful voice" in the last verse, and it also seems to inform "the heav'nly Lamb, / Takes all our sins away" in the second.  On their own, these two lines bear some resemblance to John 1:29: "The next day he [John the Baptist] saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, 'Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!'" but Revelation 5 also presents Christ as a Lamb.

Galatians 3:13 appears in the fourth verse: "The burden Thou didst bear / When hanging on the cursed tree."

"Valet will ich dir geben" (TLH #72)

"When in the Hour of Deepest Need"

Back in March, I transcribed "When in the Hour of Deepest Need" and noticed a small feature about the first line.  It's sung to this musical phrase from the tune "Wenn wir in höchsten Nöten sein":

The title line "When in the hour of deepest need" is sung to this phrase, with "deepest" sung to a group of descending notes (Bb A G), musically giving a sense of that depth.

LSB #430 "My Song Is Love Unknown"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Isaiah 52:13-53:3; Romans 5:6, 10; Philippians 2:5-11, Acts 3:13-15

Isaiah 52:13-53:3:  "13 Behold, my servant shall act wisely; he shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted.  14 As many were astonished at you - his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the children of mankind - 15 so shall he sprinkle many nations; kings shall shut their mouths because of him; for that which has not been told them they see, and that which they have not heard they understand.

"53 Who has believed what he has heard from us?  And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?  2 For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.  3 He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not."

Romans 5:6:  "For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly."

Romans 5:10:  "For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life."

Philippians 2:5-11:  "5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.  9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

Acts 3:13-15:  "13 The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him.  14 But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15 and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead.  To this we are witnesses."

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The text is public domain:

My song is love unknown,
My Savior's love to me,
Love to the loveless shown
That they might lovely be.
Oh, who am I
That for my sake
My Lord should take
Frail flesh and die?

He came from His blest throne
Salvation to bestow;
But men made strange, and none
The longed-for Christ would know.
But, oh, my friend,
My friend indeed,
Who at my need
His life did spend!

Sometimes they strew His way
And His sweet praises sing;
Resounding all the day
Hosannas to their King.
Then "Crucify!"
Is all their breath,
And for His death
They thirst and cry.

Why, what hath my Lord done?
What makes this rage and spite?
He made the lame to run,
He gave the blind their sight.
Sweet injuries!
Yet they at these
Themselves displease
And 'gainst Him rise.

They rise and needs will have
My dear Lord made away;
A murderer they save,
The Prince of Life they slay.
Yet cheerful He
To suff'ring goes
That He His foes
From thence might free.

In life no house, no home
My Lord on earth might have;
In death no friendly tomb
But what a stranger gave.
What may I say?
Heav'n was His home
But mine the tomb
Wherein He lay.

Here might I stay and sing,
No story so divine!
Never was love, dear King,
Never was grief like Thine.
This is my friend,
In whose sweet praise
I all my days
Could gladly spend!

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Romans 5:6 and 5:10 seem to be the two main sources for the hymn.  "At the right time Christ died for the ungodly" and "while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son" are expressed in various spots in the hymn, particularly the first verse and the end of the fifth: "Yet cheerful He / To suff'ring goes / That He His foes / From thence might free."  These lines from the fifth verse and "My Lord should take / Frail flesh and die" from the first verse also connect to the text from Philippians, especially "taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men" and "he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."

The first half of verse five comes from Acts 3:13-15.  "But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and you killed the Author of life" is rendered as "A murderer they save, / The Prince of Life they slay."

The text from Isaiah (particularly "He was... acquainted with grief" from 53:3) seems to appear in the last verse: "Never was grief like Thine."  "His appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the children of mankind" from 52:14 might also be hinted at in the line "Sweet injuries!"

The third verse has a few lines with uncited Biblical sources.  The first half ("Sometimes they strew His way / And His sweet praises sing; / Resounding all the day / Hosannas to their King.") summarizes the triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:1-11, Mark 11:1-10, Luke 19:28-40, and John 12:12-15).  The second half (Then "Crucify!" / Is all their breath") is in all four Gospels:  Matthew 27:22: "Pilate said to them, 'Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?'  They all said, 'Let him be crucified!'"  Mark 15:12-14: "12 And Pilate again said to them, 'Then what shall I do with the man you call the King of the Jews?'  13 And they cried out again, 'Crucify him.'  14 And Pilate said to them, 'Why, what evil has he done?'  But they shouted all the more, 'Crucify him.'"  Luke 23:20-23:  "20 Pilate addressed them once more, desiring to release Jesus, 21 but they kept shouting, 'Crucify, crucify him!'  22 A third time he said to them, 'Why, what evil has he done?  I have found in him no guilt deserving death.  I will therefore punish and release him.'  23 But they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that he should be crucified.  And their voices prevailed."  John 19:6: "When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, 'Crucify him, crucify him!'"

"In death no friendly tomb / But what a stranger gave" in the sixth verse refers to Joseph of Arimathea.  As far as I can tell, that the tomb is Joseph's own is mentioned only in Matthew 27:59-60:  "59 And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud 60 and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock.  And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away."