The Glory of Music

Notice a couple of things:

• If music has some kind of deep resonance, maybe there really are “good vibrations” at the heart of reality
• Put it another way, an evolutionary account of music and human personality has a very hard time accounting for a primal connection with something as complex as music.
• Music is a deep magic!  A profound harmony.
• This man didn’t choose to listen. He seemed indifferent when the headphones were first offered.
• It’s the music itself that swept him up into enjoyment of the music.
• Music “restores us to ourselves”!
• Music is like “the holy” it comes from outside us to tell us who we are.

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When you prayed beneath the trees

My singing and playing are pretty ropey.  I’d link to another version if I could find one, but I can’t find this tune anywhere else – can you?

Love the tune.  Love the words even more.  Best Maundy Thursday hymn if you ask me.  What’s your favourite?

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Some Easter Kids Songs

Here are a couple of kids songs for Easter.  Feel free to pillage:

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My Favourite Carols

Here’s a Christmas carols playlist.  39 minutes of Carolling glory while you wrap your presents.  You’re welcome!

And here’s the first one:

Unto Us a Child is Born

Thou Who Wast Rich

Hark The Herald

Infant Holy, Infant Lowly

Angels From the Realms of Glory

See Amid the Winter’s Snow

From the Squalor of a Borrowed Stable

O Come O Come Emmanuel

O Come All Ye Faithful

While Shepherds Watched

We Three Kings

Once in Royal David’s City

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From the Squalor (Capo 7)

Here’s a simplified guitar tab for From the Squalor – one of my favourite carols.

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The proper tab can be found at Christisinn’s excellent channel with over a hundred hymns for guitar (really loving his latest upload O Jesus My Hope).

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Happy Friday

 

 

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Happy Friday

 

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Two Easter Kids Songs

I wrote these two last week.  In the end I ditched the first in favour of the second.  We sang about fishes not seeds on Easter Sunday…

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Christ is Risen

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When you prayed beneath the trees

This is such a beautiful song and I couldn’t find it on youtube (not to this tune anyway). So here’s a Good Friday effort. Someday I’ll learn how to fingerpick…

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Happy Friday

This is my happy friday but perhaps not yours.  So instead have some Beardyman:

And on the subject of recapitulation…

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For Unto Us A Child Is Born

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Thou Who Wast Rich Beyond All Splendour

Thou who wast rich beyond all splendour,
All for love’s sake becamest poor;
Thrones for a manger didst surrender,
Sapphire-paved courts for stable floor.
Thou who wast rich beyond all splendour,
All for love’s sake becamest poor.

Thou who art God beyond all praising,
All for love’s sake becamest man;
Stooping so low, but sinners raising
Heavenward by thine eternal plan.
Thou who art God beyond all praising,
All for love’s sake becamest man.

Thou who art love beyond all telling,
Saviour and King, we worship thee.
Emmanuel, within us dwelling,
Make us what thou wouldst have us be.
Thou who art love beyond all telling,
Saviour and King, we worship thee.

The following is a word about the author from John (Confessing Evangelical:)

Frank Houghton was editorial secretary for the China Inland Mission (now OMF), and he wrote the hymn in the aftermath of the savage martyrdom of two missionaries, John and Betty Stam, who were beheaded by bandits in China in 1934 (their three-month old daughter miraculously survived, unnoticed by the bandits). The Stams’ great-nephew, Chip Stam, takes up the story:

The news of these sorrows had reached the mission’s headquarters in Shanghai. Though this was a very dangerous time for both the Chinese Christians and the foreign missionaries, Frank Houghton decided he needed to begin a tour through the country to visit various missionary outposts. While traveling over the mountains of Szechwan, the powerful and comforting words of 2 Corinthians 8:9, “though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor,” were transformed into this beautiful Christmas hymn.

I already loved this hymn, but the “backstory” only adds to its power. Had it been written in comfortable, western safety, this would already be a great hymn. But how moving it is to think of a hymn so full of the love of God being written in circumstances of such precariousness and fear.

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Hark the Herald Angels Sing

Hark the herald angels sing
“Glory to the newborn King!
Peace on earth and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled”
Joyful, all ye nations rise
Join the triumph of the skies
With the angelic host proclaim:
“Christ is born in Bethlehem”
Hark! The herald angels sing
“Glory to the newborn King!”

 

Christ by highest heav’n adored
Christ the everlasting Lord!
Late in time behold Him come
Offspring of a Virgin’s womb
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see
Hail the incarnate Deity
Pleased as man with man to dwell
Jesus, our Emmanuel
Hark! The herald angels sing
“Glory to the newborn King!”

 

Hail the heav’n-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings
Ris’n with healing in His wings
Mild He lays His glory by
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth
Hark! The herald angels sing
“Glory to the newborn King!”

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Hark Now Hear The Angels Sing – The Travellin Strawberries

Norway’s answer to Bez just edges out Bellafonte for sheer car-wreck-watchability…

Long time ago in Bethlehem
So the Holy Bible say
Mary’s boy child, Jesus Christ
Was born on Christmas day.

Hark, now hear the angels sing
A new King born today
And man will live forever more
Because of Christmas day.

While shepherds watched their flock by night
And see a bright new shining star
And hear a choir sing
The music seem to come from afar.

Now Joseph and his wife Mary
Come to Bethlehem that night
And find no place to borne she child
Not a single room was in sight.

By and by they find a little nook
In a stable all forlorn
And in a manger cold and dark
Mary’s little boy was born.

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As Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By Night

While shepherds watched their flocks by night,
All seated on the ground,
The angel of the Lord came down,
And glory shone around,
And glory shone around.

“Fear not!” said he, for mighty dread
Had seized their troubled mind.
“Glad tidings of great joy I bring
To you and all mankind
To you and all mankind.

“To you, in David’s town, this day
Is born of David’s line
A Savior, who is Christ the Lord,
And this shall be the sign,
And this shall be the sign.

“The heavenly Babe you there shall find
To human view displayed,
All meanly wrapped in swathing bands,
And in a manger laid,
And in a manger laid.”

Thus spake the seraph and forthwith
Appeared a shining throng
Of angels praising God on high,
Who thus addressed their song,
Who thus addressed their song:

“All glory be to God on high,
And to the Earth be peace;
Good will henceforth from Heaven to men
Begin and never cease,
Begin and never cease!”

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O Come All Ye Faithful

Oh, come, all ye faithful,
Joyful and triumphant!
Oh, come ye, oh, come ye to Bethlehem;
Come and behold him
Born the king of angels:
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Christ the Lord.

Highest, most holy,
Light of light eternal,
Born of a virgin,
A mortal he comes;
Son of the Father
Now in flesh appearing!
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Christ the Lord.

Sing, choirs of angels,
Sing in exultation,
Sing, all ye citizens of heaven above!
Glory to God
In the highest:
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Christ the Lord.
Yea, Lord, we greet thee,
Born this happy morning;
Jesus, to thee be glory given!
Word of the Father,
Now in flesh appearing!
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Christ the Lord.

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O Come O Come O Emmanuel

Oh, come, oh, come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come, our Wisdom from on high,
Who ordered all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
and teach us in her ways to go.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come, oh, come, our Lord of might,
Who to your tribes on Sinai’s height
In ancient times gave holy law,
In cloud and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come O Rod of Jesse’s stem,
From ev’ry foe deliver them
That trust your mighty pow’r to save;
Bring them in vict’ry through the grave.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come, O Key of David, come,
And open wide our heav’nly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come, our Dayspring from on high,
And cheer us by your drawing nigh,
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Oh, bid our sad divisions cease,
And be yourself our King of Peace.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

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