Come, Ye Faithful

The Sixth Sunday of Easter
May 26, 2019
St. John of Damascus
We continue our exploration of Easter hymns with two selections this week: "Come, ye faithful, raise the strain" and "The day of resurrection." These two hymns share many similarities. Both were written by St. John of Damascus, a Syrian monk and priest, in the eighth century. Both were originally written in Greek and translated into English by John Mason Neale. Both translations first appeared in Hymns of the Eastern Church, published in London in 1862.

 Both hymns utilize imagery from the Old Testament. "Come, ye faithful" is based on "The Song of Moses," a canticle found in Exodus 15. "The day of resurrection" refers to "the Passover of gladness, the Passover of God." 

 These hymn texts are paired with joyful tunes from different eras of music history. "Come, ye faithful" is set to two different tunes in our hymnal. The tune we are singing today, Gaudeamus pariter, is a joyful Renaissance carol with dance-like rhythms. "The day of resurrection" is paired with an 18th century tune, Ellacombe. The festive tune has a march-like quality. Both tunes are easily learned due to the repetition of melodic material in three of the four phrases.
John Mason Neale
I give thanks for translators like John Mason Neale (1818-1866), an Anglican priest, whose work made so many ancient Latin and Greek hymns available to the wider church. Take a moment to look at the index of authors, translators, and sources in the back of The Hymnal 1982. You'll see Neale's listing on page 937; his hymn translations appear 45 times in our hymnal. Through our hymns, we are able to join in the unending song of praise sung by generations throughout the Church's history. Alleluia!  

 Music for the Sixth Sunday of Easter
May 26, 2019

 Hymns

175   Hail thee, festival day (Salve festa dies)
486   Hosanna to the living Lord (Hosanna)
193, stanza 5   That Easter day with joy was bright (Puer nobis)
200   Come ye faithful, raise the strain (Gaudeamus pariter)
210   The day of resurrection (Ellacombe)

Service Music
Gloria in excelsis S-278   -William Mathias
Psalm 67, A Hymntune Psalter   -Carl P. Daw, Jr. and Kevin R. Hackett

Sanctus S-128   -Mathias

Fraction Anthem S-167  The disciples knew the Lord Jesus   -Mode 6 melody, adapt. Martens 

Anthem
The Best of Rooms   -Randall Thompson

 Music for Handbells
Jesus Shall Reign   -arr. Sandra Eithun
The Rejoicing   -George Frideric Handel, arr. Martha Lynn Thompson

 Organ Music
Music for a Festival   -Calvin Hampton

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