Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence
  • JenniferGM
    Posts: 59
    I love this hymn, and it's one of my favorite communion hymns. I love just playing it as a meditation piece before Mass or communion.

    But I would like to understand why is it classified as an Advent hymn? Can anyone enlighten me?

    And do you use it year-round, or only for Advent?
  • matthewjmatthewj
    Posts: 2,700
    I've seen it classified many different places in different hymnals: Advent, Christmas, Eucharist/Holy Communion, etc...

    I think it's a highly appropriate hymn for many times throughout the year and there are many great harmonizations of it.
  • Donnaswan
    Posts: 585
    I think it's associated with Christmas b/c of verse that says 'Christ our God descendeth our full homage to demand. But who knows? Certainly it's a Eucharistic hymn
    Donna
  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,424
    This rich hymn is a borrowing from the Liturgy of St James and is purely eucharistic. 'Christ our God descendeth...' refers to the sacramental 'descent' of our Lord into the species of bread and wine. It is appropriate at any mass, perhaps the moreso as an offertory than as a communion hymn.

    And, while on this hymn, one might note (if he or she has not already) that in both stanzas one and three the word 'descendeth' has been changed to 'descending' in a number of Catholic hymnals (Worship III, Gather, & cet.), presumably to avoid the unfashionable 'descendeth'. The result is two sentences that make utterly no grammatical sense. It is bad enough that the compilers of these books play havoc with our heritage in an effort to be linguistically chic. It is worse that in foisting non-sense upon us and (apparently) assuming we won't notice it, they betray their own illiteracy and/or presume that we are as illiterate as they.
  • priorstf
    Posts: 460
    Does the inclusion of "Alleluia" give any problem with singing this in Advent?
  • matthewjmatthewj
    Posts: 2,700
    Alleluia may be sung in Advent, just not Lent.
  • JamJam
    Posts: 636
    I thought this was a holy week hymn.
  • Maureen
    Posts: 679
    It's the Cherubic Hymn from the Liturgy of St. James, which was used in Jerusalem back in the 4th or 5th century. Apparently it used to be used every Mass of that kind, and then it got borrowed into the Liturgy of St. Basil, and then it got replaced by a different Cherubic Hymn. The Eastern Rites and the Orthodox apparently sing this LoSJ Cherubic Hymn only on Holy Saturday.

    So it is a Holy Saturday thing now, in the East, but it was an all the time thing originally.

    http://orthodoxwiki.org/Cherubic_Hymn

    The tune Picardy is a French carol (Wikipedia says "Jesus Christ s'habille en pauvre"), so people might associate that with Christmas.

    I'd say you can sing it whenever you feel like it. A good utility song, with the advantage of being very formal and sacred and lovely.
  • Ryan MurphyRyan Murphy
    Posts: 79
    I use it frequently at the Pittsburgh Oratory as an Offertory hymn. And we use Worship II there, with the unfashionable 'descendeth' in all of its glory :-)
  • Donnaswan
    Posts: 585
    Well, see, I just automatically said descendeth b/c I'm an Episcopalian and we still use it that way

    Donna
  • noel jones, aagonoel jones, aago
    Posts: 6,611
    We are adding a .25 fine every time someone reminds us that they are Episcopalian on this list, the proceeds to fund at least one toast at the Coll...if not wine at all meals.

    We feel sorry for the fact that you are an Episcopalian, and it becomes more painful for us each time you mention it. There are other notable Episcopalians on this list and there are times when I am tempted to ask why they are not part of the Church, but since they don't make an issue of it, I am shy to ask.

    But, since you brought it up once again, why are you still Episcopalian?
  • lacarmencita
    Posts: 2
    I probably program this hymn into our masses about 4 times a year.

    I have a question?? What do you people do when you introduce a hymn that is NEW? Do you spend time teaching them line by line, repeat after me etc? before mass? What do some you do I would like to read your ideas on introducing a new hymn to the congregation please. thanks

    Miramar
  • G
    Posts: 1,401
    "What do you people do when you introduce a hymn that is NEW? "

    Work it into the improvised instrumental "filler" after the hymn or proper at every Offertory and Communion for several weeks, play it meditatively before Mass and then exuberantly as a postlude, again, fro several weeks, maybe have the choir sing it as an anthem.

    By that time people start to know it without knowing it, (my pastor hates learning new things, but sometimes he doesn't even notice, if I've "stealth" taught it well enoug.)

    Then the week before I've programmed it, saying that "a few of you may be unfamiliar with a hymn we'll be singing next week," I teach it one line at a time, ("please repeat after me,") then sing through one verse with the congregation in its entirety.
    I know that seems like overkill,but its the way I have to do it, for the nonce.

    And i also try to program a new hymn at Offertory for its first use.

    I know it is different for others, but that is the time when people sing the best in my parish, sitting down, books in hand.

    And back on topic, I use LAMFKS as often as possilbe, but not during Christmas season, for which the pastor really lit into me, once.

    (Save the Liturgy, save the World)
  • marajoymarajoy
    Posts: 783
    not during Christmas?! Why not? It seems to me that is the ideal time to use it!
    It's talking about "Christ our God to earth descendeth....born of Mary..."

    Given the serious lack of good Communion hymns in our Protestantized-hymnals, I probably use this one for Communion about 10 times a year.
  • francis
    Posts: 10,851
    Great hymn. Mainly Eucharistic. I use it year round.
  • Steve CollinsSteve Collins
    Posts: 1,022
    I agree with the concept of presenting the hymn to the congregation before asking them to sing it - either instrumentally or with a choir. But music is the universal language - human beings do pick it up naturally. I never get up in front of a congregation and have them repeat anything a line at a time. It tells them two things subconsciously: 1) this piece of music is more difficult than you usually sing, and 2) your will not be able to sing it without my help. If you really think/feel that this is the case, that the music is too difficult for them, then it is not time yet to ask them to sing it.

    The best situation would be either an entrance procession that really takes the time of 3 - 6 verses, or at an Offertory -either of which might have incense used extending the time needed. Don't worry if the singing is a bit soft or unsure during the 1st verse. Just keep on, and by the 4th verse they will all know it. OTOH, you could introduce 2 verses of it as a quickie entrance 4 weeks in a row, and they still would not know it!
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