As with Gladness Men of Old
  • CatholicZ09
    Posts: 264
    There is no real point to this post, but I always love sharing these two verses of one of my favorite hymns that (of course) is sung in many churches on the Epiphany:

    Holy Jesus, every day,
    Keep us in the narrow way.
    And, when earthly things are past,
    Bring our ransomed souls at last
    Where they need no star to guide,
    Where no clouds Thy glory hide.

    In the heavenly country bright,
    Need they no created light.
    Thou, its light, its joy, its crown,
    Thou, its Sun, which goes not down.
    There forever may we sing
    “Alleluias” to our King!

    While “We Three Kings” may be the popular choice amongst the PIPs, this hymn has such rich meaning and sums up the story of the Epiphany really well while also bringing in the modern-day worshiper as it does in the verses I have posted.

    Our one priest did, however, snarkily said to me after one of last year’s Masses for Epiphany that he hates hymns that use the tune of other hymns—in this case, he was referencing “For the Beauty of the Earth”. I wanted to note that “As with Gladness” was written prior to it, but whatever....
    Thanked by 10M. Jackson Osborn MarkB CHGiffen Casavant Organist ServiamScores Carol jcr marymezzo Heath chonak
  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,368
    Indeed! Epiphany would be lacking without 'As With Gladness Men of Old' paired with Dix, and 'Brightest and Best of the Sons of Morning' paired with Morning Star. 'As With Gladness..' is one of richest and most touching of our hymns
    Thanked by 2CHGiffen Casavant Organist
  • Casavant Organist
    Posts: 800
    I always do Brightest and Best to STELLA ORIENTIS by Healey Willan - a wonderful tune with great harmonic interest. It's been the communion hymn at St Michael's Cathedral the past few years but I think it works best as a recessional.
    Thanked by 2Joseph Michael ServiamScores
  • Kathy
    Posts: 5,500
    Our one priest did, however, snarkily said to me after one of last year’s Masses for Epiphany that he hates hymns that use the tune of other hymns—in this case, he was referencing “For the Beauty of the Earth”. I wanted to note that “As with Gladness” was written prior to it, but whatever....


    Indeed, DIX is the name of the text's author. However, if you want the tune's "original" text pairing, that's a German chorale.
  • davido
    Posts: 874
    Which chorale?

    I like Brightest and Best to LIEBSTER IMMANUEL. I know MORNING STAR is an Anglican standby, but I’ve never cared for it. I’ll have to check out the Willan.
  • Kathy
    Posts: 5,500
    William H. Monk created the current form of DIX by revising and shortening Conrad Kocher's chorale melody for “Treuer Heiland, wir sind hir,” found in Kocher's Stimmen aus den Reiche Gottes (1838).


    https://hymnary.org/person/Kocher_Conrad
    Thanked by 2CHGiffen M. Jackson Osborn
  • marymezzomarymezzo
    Posts: 236
    We're singing As With Gladness tomorrow. One of my choir members thanked me for *not* making them sing We Three Kings. :-)
    Thanked by 2CHGiffen CCooze
  • Liam
    Posts: 4,945
    Trinity College, Cambridge, Richard Marlow - sung to DIX; beautifully done, majestic descant - the only pity is just three verses offered: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sN3Gxrf6vfM
    Thanked by 3M. Jackson Osborn CHGiffen marymezzo
  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,368
    Nice singing, Liam!
    I hope that everyone noticed how that the Trinity choir didn't take a breath or a break between musical phrases when there was no comma there, and that they did take such a breath or break within a musical phrase if there was a comma there. We are wont to say that 'music is the handmaid of the text', not the other way around. Purposefully communicating grammar and syntax comes first.
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • Carol
    Posts: 849
    That is true but if the tempo is too slow breathing becomes an issue. Albeit, this is less of a problem with a choir than with a cantor. We have to breathe!
  • Earl_GreyEarl_Grey
    Posts: 891
    We sang this hymn. Unfortunately, the ministers took the first line of verse two too literally and we didn't get to sing the other stanzas!

    As with joyful steps they sped...
    Thanked by 1Joseph Michael
  • CatholicZ09
    Posts: 264
    Bump, as we are nearing the Epiphany.

    It’ll be nice to sing this after taking a year off last year. We didn’t do any congregational singing last Epiphany (save for having the congregation sing the refrain to ‘We Three Kings of Orient Are’ and cantor sing the verses).
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