Thank you all for posting the words and music to this great old classic. Ninenot, I was disappointed because my (Catholic) church did NOT sing this one yesterday, despite the fact that it is included in the Missalette and designated as appropriate for the occasion.
Nine, I appreciate your sentiments, but I don't think that the unjustified prejudices of yesteryear should influence the church music of today -- especially shen so many of the other hymns that are currently sung and simply awful.
This is a good one that most everyone knows.
The most interesting part of this article (to me) was the background of the prohibitions that some Protestant sects have against singing with accompanying instruments. I asked my priest about that once, and he did not know the reason. Just last week someone from the Vatican pronounced that only "certain" insturments were to be used in church -- namely traditional ones -- not guitars.
Where would he draw the line? The early Christians did NOT have pipe organs! (Praise him with psalter and harp!" What is a psalter, anyway?)
The Book of Psalms is a psalter.
Basically a collections of hymns
Ummmnnnhhh...first off, the Dutch Orange comment was tongue-in-cheek.
Your analysis of the Vatican's pronouncement is based on some very dicey grounds: namely, the "back to the original" stuff. Early Christians did not have basilicas or reliable indoor heating, either.
The voice, pipes (flutes), harp, (zither) and horn were traditional for the Jews, and used to one extent or another in Temple/synagogue worship.
However, when the piped organ became available, the Church favored it for a number of reasons--not the least because it was able to 'mimic' most of the other instruments reasonably well--but also because it, and it alone, produces a glorious sound which is simply unmatched by any other instrument.
Thus, until Pius XII issued his "Christmas gift" to church musicians in 1955 (?) or 1956, allowing symphonic accompaniment AND women to sing in church choirs (yup, you can check this out) ONLY the pipe (or reed) organ was allowed.
The piano is still NOT officially allowed, by the way.
It is very useful to recall that LATIN was to be retained, per Vatican II documents (except, perhaps, for reading the Epistle and Gospel.)
Change for the sake of "new/improved" or for change's sake is simply not a good idea.