"O Savior, rend the heavens wide"
  • Anyone using this hymn or ever see it in a Catholic hymnal?

    It's one of the few German Catholic hymns I know of, and a great text to sing on Rorate Sunday. Plus if you have the choir for it you can pull out Distler or Brahms's motet on the tune! :-)
    Thanked by 1Heath
  • I like the Brahms version. I've never seen it in a Catholic hymnal. I have seen it in Lutheran hymnals.
    Thanked by 1PHFarseth
  • Heath
    Posts: 933
    Used it yesterday..it's in the St Michael hymnal.
  • Richard MixRichard Mix
    Posts: 2,767
    I hunted around for a version to use as an audience singalong when our community chorus did the Brahms, but the English singing translation is still copyrighted: might have booked Lutheran churches for the concert if we'd thought far enough ahead.

    The closest to a Catholic version I'm aware of is this in Latin.
  • rich_enough
    Posts: 1,032
    It's also in the Summit Choirbook.
    Thanked by 2eft94530 nun_34
  • The tune is used for Behold, a Virgin bearing him. It appeared in three or four early 20th century hymnals for Roman Catholics in the German American Tradition. Here are some translations that are public domain (why the Trapp translation is p.d. I could not say).

    VERSION 1 (Translator unknown)
    O Heiland Reiss Die Himmel Auf!
    “O, that thou wouldst rend the heavens and come down!” (Isaiah 64:1).

    1 O Saviour, rend the heavens wide;
    Come down, come down with mighty stride;
    Unlock the gates, the doors break down;
    Unbar the way to heaven’s crown.

    2 O Father, light from heaven lend;
    As morning dew, O sun, descend.
    Drop down, you clouds, the life of spring:
    To Jacob’s line rain down the King.

    3 O earth, in flow’ring bud be seen;
    Clothe hill and dale in garb of green.
    Bring forth, O earth, a blossom rare,
    Our Savior, sprung from meadow fair.

    4 O Morning Star, O Radiant Dawn,
    When will we sing your morning song?
    Come, Son of God! Without your light
    We grope in dread and gloom of night.

    5 Sin’s dreadful doom upon us lies;
    Grim death looms fierce before our eyes.
    Oh, come; lead us with mighty hand
    From exile to our promised land.
    Frederich von Spee, 17th century, translator unknown

    VERSION 2 (Macfarren)
    Redeemer open wide in Love

    1 Redeemer open wide in Love,
    The portals of Thy heav’n above,
    Spare aught that may our entrance mar,
    The doors unlock, the gates unbar.

    2 O God, a dew from Heaven send,
    Do Saviour Thou in dew descend;
    Gather ye clouds, thus forth to bring,
    In rain on us, our Heav nly King.

    3 Let earth break forth; and hence be seen,
    Both hill and dale all dressed in green,
    O earth, prepare this fruit to bring,
    O Saviour from Earth’s bosom spring.

    4 Grave need we face at ev’ry breath,
    Before our eyes stands hitter death:
    Be Thou our Guide with mighty hand,
    From sorrow to the Promised Land.

    5 Blest Saviour, be all thanks to Thee,
    From now to all eternity:
    We thus Thy Holy Name to praise
    Shall evermore our voices raise.
    Natalia Macfarren (1827–1916), alt.

    VERSION 3 (Trapp)
    O Saviour, Heaven’s Portal Rend

    1. O Saviour, heaven’s portals rend,
    Come down, from heav’n, to earth descend!
    Open celestial gate and door;
    Never to lock nor fasten more.

    2. O brilliant Sun, O lovely Star,
    We dare behold Thee from afar.
    O Sun arise, without Thy light
    We languish all in darkest night.

    3. Drop dew, ye heavens from above,
    Come in the dew, O God of love!
    Ye clouds now break; rain down the King,
    His peace to Jacob’s house to bring.

    Melody in the first (Dorian) mode.
    Maria Augusta Trapp, Around the Year with the Trapp Family (New York: Pantheon, 1955)

    VERSION 4 (G. R. Woodward)
    O Saviour, Rent The Heavens In Twain

    1. O Saviour, rent the heav’ns in twain!
    Descend, descend from thy domain:
    Burst lock and latchet of the bowers
    Of thine eternal princely towers.

    2. Drop down, O God, from heav’n as dew,
    In show’rs, O Saviour, Lord Jesu:
    Thou welkin, break; rain, rain, and bring
    To Jacob house the promised King.

    3. O earth, earth, earth, bud forth anew:
    Deck dale and down with verdant hue:
    Bring beauteous Blossom to the birth;
    O Saviour, upward spring from earth.

    4. Why stay’st thou, comfort of our race,
    On whom our every hope we place?
    Draw nigh from thy celestial spheres,
    To glad us in this vale of tears.

    5. O shining Sun, O Morn-star bright,
    We should behold thee with delight:
    Clear Orb, arise; without thy rays
    In darkness all we pass our days.

    6. Here suffer we in doleful wife;
    Death, endless death, afore our eyes:
    But come lead thou with mighty hand
    Us exiles to our native land.
    Words: George R. Woodward
    Source: Rev. George R. Woodward, The Babe Of Bethlehem, Being Some Christmas Carols (48 West Hill, Highgate Village, 1923), #01
  • How about Vodnanskys Rorando coeli defluat (to be found on youtube)? We sing it to the German text "O Heiland, reiß die Himmel auf" in a concert on Sunday.
  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 1,945
    The Trapp one is P.D. because the text was first published in 1923 as the citation indicates.
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • @MatthewRoth: IIRC, the law stipulates that the work needs to be published before 1923 … so a work published in 1923 can indeed still be under copyright for a few more years.

    #becausemickeymouse
    Thanked by 1eft94530
  • It's in the Collegeville Hymnal. I sang it last Advent and it was so nice, but I didn't have enough time to prepare it this year. Maybe next year...
  • I have edited my post for clarity. Why the Trapp translation (and that entire book) is p.d. remains a mystery.
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,157
    Just speculating: perhaps the copyright holder failed to renew the copyright of the text in the pertinent one-year window.