The sequence hymn for the 11:15 service on Sunday is one of my favorites - Be Thou My Vision. The tune, not surprisingly, is a traditional Irish tune, but the text is also traditional Irish, and has been attributed to the sixth century Irish Saint Dallan Forgaill. It has been part of the Irish monastic tradition for centuries. The text was first translated into English in 1905, but it wasnt a metrical translation - that is, a translation that would fit the rhythm of a hymn. That had to wait until 1912, when it was translated into a singing edition that is very close to the one we use today. It has been modernized a couple of times since then - Wikipedia lists the text from the 1964 Methodist hymnal, and our 1982 is slightly different even from that. The text has also been translated into modern Irish and modern Scottish Gaelic, both of which are daughter languages of Old Irish. The tune Slane, the traditional Irish melody we now use for this text, was first paired with the text in the Irish Hymnal in 1919. As a folk tune, it has that immediate accessibility and simple beauty of the best folk tunes. As such, it lends itself to a number of different musical interpretations. I chose the attached video primarily because of the use of the Irish text, which is shown as the hymn is sung - something I always find fascinating - but I also like the folk-pop performance, which is not something I find appealing for every hymn. But its appropriate for this one, and I hope you enjoy it. And I hope youll enjoy singing it Sunday morning, if youre there at 11:15. I know I will.
Posted on: Fri, 10 Oct 2014 23:19:37 +0000
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