Sometimes, something makes a song stick. Music has a special way of speaking to us, and certain melodies and texts often blend in such a way that they seem to become part of our entire spiritual being. In this post, I would like to discuss my favorite hymn and some of the events that made it so.
“Holy God, We Praise Thy Name” was attributed to Ignaz Franz in the 1774. This has become my favorite hymn. It is generally sung in the key of G Major and is inspired from the text from Psalm 103, which reads, “All my inmost being, Praise his Holy Name.” The text is as follows:
1.Holy God, we praise thy name;
Lord of all, we bow before thee;
all on earth thy scepter claim;
all in heaven above adore thee.
Infinite thy vast domain;
everlasting is thy reign.
2. Hark the glad celestial hymn
angel choirs above are raising;
cherubim and seraphim,
in unceasing chorus praising,
fill the heavens with sweet accord:
Holy, holy, holy Lord.
3. Lo! the apostolic train
joins thy sacred name to hallow;
prophets swell the glad refrain,
and the white-robed martyrs follow.
And from morn to set of sun,
through the church the song goes on.
4. Holy Father, Holy Son,
Holy Spirit: three we name thee,
though in essence only one;
undivided God we claim thee,
and adoring bend the knee
while we own the mystery.
First, I would like to look at the text of this piece. For me, these words seem to capture of essence of worship. The imagery that Franz gives us is incredible. The text is not focused on our own challenges or triumphs, but rather on the awesomeness of God. It places all of our focus and all of our energy towards our everlasting Father and this is where true worship takes place.
The melody of the hymn is also awe inspiring and yet simple. The harmonic analysis of this piece is not complicated by any means, but rather it has strength in it’s natural order. Each verse begins on the tonic and leads directly to the dominant. From there it continues to follow acceptable voice leading rules and finishes each verse with an authentic cadance. Though at first glance it may seem dull and unoriginal, the normality of it’s chord progressions provide a subconcious strength and wisdom.
This piece became very special to me in the summer following my freshman year of high school, and grows more significant each time I sing it. In the summer following my freshman year of high school, I was a member of The National Catholic Youth Choir. THis choir was held at St. John’s Abbey and University in Collegeville, Minnesota, under the direction of Dr. Axel Theimer. It was a 10 day camp that gathered from all over the country to join together and sing God’s praises. The choir rehearsed on the grounds of St. John’s Abbey for 5-7 days and then set out on tour to nearby cities in nearby states to share the joy of music with others at ecumenical Hymnfests and Catholic masses. The time I spent with the choir (in the summers of 2003, 2004, and 2005) had a tremendous impact on my growth as a Christian as well as a musician. This camp gave me an opportunity to get to know the Monks at St. Johns as well as the opporunity to meet other young people who shared the same love for Christ and love for music as I did. Many of the people I met there have become my some of my very best friends. It was truly a life-changing spiritual experience.
The choir’s closing piece at every concert was this hymn. It was not the most elaborate piece we ever did and it certainly was not the most impressive piece we did each year. However, this hymn gave me chills at every performance. Though the gorgeous descant on verse two was my personal favorite part to sing, it was the fourth verse sung in complete unison that got me every time. The idea of 50 high schoolers joined together in song to give worship to our Almighty Creator was an awesome feeling. To me, it showed the strength of our Christian faith as we praise the God of Power and Might.
