WORSHIP IV, THE FOLLOW-UP (Part the twentieth)

Just a little over 100 hymns to go.

Sections covered this installment: All Saints, Immaculate Conception, Dedication of a Church, Blessed Virgin Mary, Apostles, Martyrs, Holy Women, Holy Men

* = new to the Worship series

886 Ye Watchers and Ye Holy Ones ("Lasst Uns Erfreuen") - Love the hymn, but it seems to go lower and lower in each edition (E-flat in II, D in III, now C in IV).

*887 As Stars Adorn the Night-Veiled Sky ("Jesu, Dulcis Memoria") - not a bad new text!

*888 Who Are These Like Stars Appearing ("All Saints") - a very welcome addition!

*889 Sing Praise to God for Friends ("Azmon") - nice tune, weak text

890 By All Your Saints Still Striving ("St. Theodulph") - retained from Worship III with same tune, but with some added verses for added saints.  Originally appeared as "From All Thy Saints in Warfare" with the tune "King's Lynn" in Worship II.

891 For All the Saints ("Sine Nomine") - The text is bastardized yet again: Verse 1 went from "Who thee by faith before the world confessed" to "All who by faith before the world confessed" to "Who to the world their faith in you confessed".  The publisher really killed a great hymn.

*892 From All the Saints Who've Shown Your Love ("O Waly Waly") - not bad for a John Bell text, I guess.

893 Immaculate Mary ("Lourdes Hymn") - I particularly like this Brian Foley text.  Two of the verses from Worship II were dropped from Worship III and IV, however.  As much as I like the original devotional text, I like this scriptural text equally.  Also, the best of the harmonies that appeared with this is the one in Worship II.

894 How Blessed Is this Place, O Lord ("Rockingham") - First appeared in Worship III with the tune "O Waly Waly".  I would have rather used a more triumphant tune (don't get me wrong, I like "Rockingham", but for more meditative texts).  The very first "We Celebrate" edition (1976) has a really good tune for it (the name eludes me at the moment).  Another good tune from that same "We Celebrate" would be "Church Triumphant".

*895 For Builders Bold ("Forest Green") - text good, tune nice.

896 Sing We of the Blessed Mother ("Omni Die Dic Mariae" in Latin, "Alle Tage Sing und Sage" in German) - love the tune.  Text is nice as well, but would absolutely love to see "Daily, Daily, Sing to Mary" as well.

*897 Mary, First among Believers ("Pleading Savior") - text not bad at all; tune is very good, but should be in F.

*898 When, to Mary, the Word ("Middlebury") - see part 16, #796.

*899 Come As We Journey along Our Way / Santa Maria del Camino (Espinosa) - syncopated garbage / basura sincopado

*900 Stainless the Maiden / Serdeczna Matko (Polish) - always loved the hymn, best hymn text Willard Jabusch ever wrote.  Only complaint, the fourth verse ("Sons, come, and daughters...") is missing.  Also, this is the first hymnal where the last two lines are repeated, just like in the Polish hymnal my maternal grandmother once had.  A very welcome addition.

*901 As a Star on Cloudless Evenings ("Raquel") - nice tune.  Tune is quite good too.

903 O Sanctissima / O Most Holy One ("Sicilian Mariners", or "O Du Fröliche") - now with four Latin verses and four English verses (Worship III only had the first two Latin verses).  I for one would stick with the Latin, but it's nice to see twice as many verses.

*904 All Who Put their Faith in Jesus ("Julion") - Nice tune by David Hurd.  My favorite tune for this text, however, "Den des Vaters Sinn Geboren".  Also, better title is "YE Who CLAIM THE Faith OF Jesus".

905 Let All on Earth Their Voices Raise ("Truro") - First appeared in Worship III with the tune "Tallis' Canon".  Hey, we're missing a very important hymn that's also set to "Truro": "Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates".  What's up with that?

*908 For All the Faithful Women (Hopson) - nice tune (though similar to "Fulda Melody", which often goes with "O Jesus, We Adore Thee").  Text isn't bad either.

Another hymn I am EXTREMELY disappointed to see disappear in this volume: "Jesus, My Lord, My God, My All" (tune: "Sweet Sacrament").  That's two Fr. Fred Faber classics (the other being "Faith of Our Fathers" that are either missing or mutilated!  :(

On our next installment, we will start covering Sacraments/Rites, starting with Christian Initiation/Baptism.

Peace,

BMP