New hymn for Advent - Chosen Daughter of Israel
  • Don9of11Don9of11
    Posts: 887
    I thought I would try my hand at composing lyrics for a new Advent hymn. The hymn is called Chosen Daughter of Israel and I set it to the melody WINCHESTER NEW or On Jordan's Bank.

    This hymn draws its inspiration from the Advent liturgies honoring Mary as the Chosen Daughter of Israel. Rooted in Scripture and the Church's prayer, it reflects Advent's promises of salvation, presenting Mary as the faithful daughter of Israel through whom Christ, the long-awaited Savior, comes into the world.

    Your thoughts and suggestions are welcomed.

    Chosen Daughter of Israel
    Meter: 8.8.8.8 (Long Meter)
    Tune: WINCHESTER NEW (On Jordan's Bank)

    Verse 1
    O God, who planned our saving day,
    You chose from David's line the way;
    Your ancient covenant is sealed,
    As promised truth is now revealed.

    Verse 2
    The Virgin Mary, chaste and fair,
    Is named the child of Adam's care;
    By her untainted, sinless grace,
    She brings relief to Adam's race.

    Verse 3
    By faith a child of Abraham,
    She bore the long-foretold I AM;
    From Jesse's root the branch has grown,
    To make the flower of justice known.

    Verse 4 (Doxology)
    To God the Father, source of might,
    To Christ the Lord, our saving Light,
    And to the Spirit, Lord of love,
    Be praise from earth and heaven above.
    Thanked by 5CHGiffen lmassery Chant_Supremacist probe liampmcdonough
  • RoborgelmeisterRoborgelmeister
    Posts: 420
    Extra points for rhyming Abraham with I AM.
    Thanked by 2Don9of11 CHGiffen
  • lmassery
    Posts: 453
    quite nice, thank you
    Thanked by 1Don9of11
  • StPatrick
    Posts: 33
    Can I set this to music and use it with my choir this year? We do an Advent concert each year and I'm always looking for texts we haven't used yet.
    Thanked by 1Don9of11
  • Don9of11Don9of11
    Posts: 887
    @StPatrick That would be wonderful. I composed this hymn because I felt there was a need for new Advent hymnody.

    In fact, I have two other Advent hymns that I would like to share. One is for the Visitation, “Shout for Joy, O Daughter Zion,” set to HYFRYDOL (Alleluia, Sing to Jesus) or HYMN TO JOY (Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee) . The other is for the Annunciation of the Lord, “Drop Down, You Highest Heavens,” which can be sung to ST. THEODULPH (All Glory, Laud, and Honor) or AURELIA (The Church’s One Foundation).

    I wasn't sure whether I should start a new post for these two or continue them here, since they are part of the same effort to provide new Advent hymnody.
  • liampmcdonough
    Posts: 344
    I wonder if you might further enrich this beautiful text in the second stanza, where the 1st and 3rd line have similar themes already. You could for instance expound on the connection as "chosen daughter" of Israel. Perhaps:

    For Mary, Israel's Daughter fair
    Is named the child of Adam's care;

    Or

    Jerusalem, thy daughter fair
    Is named the child of Adam's care;


    I also wonder if it would be more potent to make the verbs present tense in the 1st and 3rd stanza
    Thanked by 1Don9of11
  • Don9of11Don9of11
    Posts: 887
    @liampmcdonough Thank you, Liam. I appreciate both suggestions, especially the thought of making the “chosen daughter” theme more explicit.

    One reason I need to be careful about revisions, however, is that I deliberately constructed this hymn from the texts of the Collection of Masses of the Blessed Virgin Mary, specifically the Missal and Lectionary for the Advent Mass “The Blessed Virgin Mary, Chosen Daughter of Israel.” I am trying to translate the prayers, Preface, and scriptural selections into metrical hymnody rather than introduce additional imagery or themes of my own.

    The second stanza follows the Preface's description of Mary as daughter of Adam, while the third moves through the Preface's references to Abraham and the root of Jesse. So I think that sequence is important to preserve.

    I will certainly give some thought to the present-tense suggestion, though. I appreciate you taking the time to look closely at the text.
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • RoborgelmeisterRoborgelmeister
    Posts: 420
    I deliberately constructed this hymn from the texts of the Collection of Masses of the Blessed Virgin Mary


    A very worthy endeavor.
    Thanked by 2Don9of11 CHGiffen
  • Don9of11Don9of11
    Posts: 887
    I have composed hymns for the seasons of Advent, Christmas, Easter, and now I am into Ordinary Time. Ordinary time is divided into three sections of which I have the first section done.
  • Don9of11Don9of11
    Posts: 887
    I have been working on adding a Offertory/Communion verse. It doesn't ryhme like the other verses but I don't know if it matters. The inspiration of the text comes from the Prayer over the Offerings and the Communion Antiphon.

    Verse 4 (Offertory/ Communion)
    Accept, O Lord, these offerings,
    and change them into Salvation,
    The true Lamb, Jesus Christ your Son,
    brought forth for us the Bread of Life! (or "the Bread of Life brought forth for us") ?

    Verse 5 (Doxology)
    To God the Father, source of might,
    To Christ the Lord, our saving Light,
    And to the Spirit, Lord of love,
    Be praise from earth and heaven above.
  • unknownadversary
    Posts: 16
    I had a crack at making the offertory verse rhyme.

    Accept these offerings, O Lord
    And change them with your saving word
    Into our Saviour Christ Jesus;
    The Bread of Life brought forth for us!
    Thanked by 2Don9of11 CHGiffen
  • Don9of11Don9of11
    Posts: 887
    @unknownadversary, interesting choices. For my own hymn texts, I tend to set a pretty high bar for fidelity to the source. I'd rather stay as close as possible to the liturgical text than introduce new narrative details, imagery, or theological expressions simply to secure a rhyme or meet a syllable count.

    The verse I'm working from is drawn directly from the Prayer over the Offerings:

    Accept, O Lord, these offerings,
    and by your power change them
    into the Sacrament of salvation,
    in which, fulfilling the sacrifices of the Fathers,
    is offered the true Lamb, Jesus Christ your Son,
    born of the ever-Virgin Mary in a way beyond all telling.
    Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.

    And the phrase "Bread of Life brought forth for us" comes from the Communion Antiphon:

    Rejoice and be glad, O joy of Israel!
    Through the angel you received the world's joy!
    Rejoice and be glad,
    for you brought to birth for us the Bread of Life!

    So while your version produces cleaner rhymes, I'm inclined to preserve the imagery and wording of the liturgical texts as much as possible, even if that means sacrificing some poetic elegance.
    Thanked by 2CHGiffen unknownadversary
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