On religious music...

[conuly]

Regarding my earlier post (which I didn't get to until recently, as I was trying to simultaneously memorize "Black Jack Davey" (success!) and "Pretty Polly" (uh...) which was a bit hard), one of the commentors winced, or said she did, about offering up a hymn.

Despite the fact that I'm not religious in the slightest (though fascinated by religion), I love hymns. No, seriously. I find that they tend towards a beauty secular music *wishes* it could emulate. I modify the words so they're pretty much in line with my ethics, ignore the parts that directly reference god, christ, or other religious figures, and belt them out in the shower. Why do you think I know that you can sing Amazing Grace to the tune of Skibbereen, or Danny Boy?

*nods*

Hymns? Love 'em. Same with carols. I figure I don't have to believe it to sing it, so long as I'm doing it for my own personal enjoyment, and it's completely uncoerced.

On a similar note, I'm trying now to dig out my copy of Handel's Messiah, but I think that might be a lost cause...

Comments

[bridgetester.livejournal.com]

Folliot S. Pierpoint

For the beauty of the earth
For the glory of the skies,
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies.

Lord of all, to Thee we raise,
This our hymn of grateful praise.

For the beauty of each hour,
Of the day and of the night,
Hill and vale, and tree and flower,
Sun and moon, and stars of light.

Lord of all, to Thee we raise,
This our hymn of grateful praise.

For the joy of ear and eye,
For the heart and mind’s delight,
For the mystic harmony
Linking sense to sound and sight.

Lord of all, to Thee we raise,
This our hymn of grateful praise.

For the joy of human love,
Brother, sister, parent, child,
Friends on earth and friends above,
For all gentle thoughts and mild.

Lord of all, to Thee we raise,
This our hymn of grateful praise.

For Thy Church, that evermore
Lifteth holy hands above,
Offering up on every shore
Her pure sacrifice of love.

Lord of all, to Thee we raise,
This our hymn of grateful praise.

For the martyrs’ crown of light,
For Thy prophets’ eagle eye,
For Thy bold confessors’ might,
For the lips of infancy.

Lord of all, to Thee we raise,
This our hymn of grateful praise.

For Thy virgins’ robes of snow,
For Thy maiden mother mild,
For Thyself, with hearts aglow,
Jesu, Victim undefiled.

Lord of all, to Thee we raise,
This our hymn of grateful praise.

For each perfect gift of Thine,
To our race so freely given,
Graces human and divine,
Flowers of earth and buds of Heaven.

Lord of all, to Thee we raise,
This our hymn of grateful praise.