8 Great Christian Songs

Ignitum Today ^ | 18 August 2013 | Matthew Olson

[matthewrobertolson]

Here are 8 great Christian songs. (The links lead to the corresponding audio via YouTube.)

Read "8 Great Christian Songs"

[Fiji Hill]

I like the original Swedish version of "How Great Thou Art," written in 1885 by Carl Gustav Boberg:

O Store Gud (Oh Mighty God)

[Fiji Hill]

I like the original Swedish version of "How Great Thou Art," written in 1885 by Carl Gustav Boberg:

O Store Gud (Oh Mighty God)

[Fiji Hill]

I haven't found very many hymns and gospel songs on Youtube that I like, but here are a few:

• The Star of the East--The Trinity Choir

• My Heavenly Father Watches Over Me--The Old Fashioned Revival Hour Quartet

• The Unclouded Day--Homer Rodeheaver

• Lead, Kindly Light--The Wells Cathedral Choir

• By the Sea of Crystal--sine nomine

• Let the Lower Lights Be Burning--The Ely Cathedral Choir

[firerosemom]

Some personal favorites:

Sicut Cervus - Palestrina
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nsw1kdLqfec

Tu Es Petrus - Palestrina
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mSLVoOKzBM

Maria Magdalene - Andrea Gabrieli (hard to find because of everything else that comes up in a ‘Maria Magdalene’ search)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlTtU6k9jCY

Exultate Justi in Domino - Viadana
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ok8evP2S70

Biebl’s Ave Maria
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rby62ZghBWg

Thanks for this thread!

[firerosemom]

Beautiful! Thanks for posting those!

[AnAmericanMother]

I see we got several of the same faves! (love that Biebl)

Our choir sings the Viadana "Exultate Justi" and the Palestrina "Sicut Cervus". The middle section of the Viadana is a real tongue twister - first 'in psalterio decem chordarum' and then 'in vociferatione' . . .

Another great one is the Palestrina Magnificat Primi Toni (Liber Primus). We sang this for Archbishop Donoghue's vigil/vespers the night before his funeral.

[AnAmericanMother]

. . . and now for something completely different . . .

"Cowper" (168) and "Delight" (216)

This (Sacred Harp or Original Sacred Harp/OSH) is the source of gospel music. It derives from the New England Singing School, transmitted down the Southern mountains. That in its turn derived from the West Gallery choir music of rural England, that grew out of the old Tate & Brady psalmody.

Great film about the tradition is "Awake My Soul" - here's the trailer. Best line: "They asked, 'do you want to sound like a bunch of uneducated Southerners?' We all said . . . 'Yeah!'"

It's pretty raw in performance, but it is actually very sophisticated music. The classic signature "fuging tune" (when you hear the parts in imitation of each other a few measures or beats apart) originates even further back - in early Renaissance polyphony. Everything new is old.

[Fiji Hill]

That's very interesting--and, indeed, completely different from what I'm used to. The melody for Cowper (There Is a Fountain) that I am familiar with can be heard here, although it has been set to several tunes.

[Fiji Hill]

My favorite version of "Sanctus," from Charles Gounod's St. Cecilia Mass (1854) is by the choir and orchestra of the Bupyeong Methodist Church in Inchon, South Korea. It is sung in Korean. Listen to it here.

[AnAmericanMother]

One more, which has been running through my head all day -- it is wonderful to hear, and simply glorious to sing, the way the parts chase each other around the melody.

Cantate Domino (Hans Leo Hassler)

Cantate Domino canticum novum, cantate Domino omnis terra.
Sing unto the Lord a new song, sing unto the Lord all the earth.

Cantate Domino, et benedicite nomini ejus.
Sing unto the Lord, and bless his name.

Annuntiate de die in diem salutare ejus.
Proclaim from day to day his salvation.

Annuntiate inter gentes gloriam ejus, in omnibus populis mirabilia ejus.
Proclaim among the nation his glory,among all peoples his wonders.

[Fiji Hill]

That’s a beautiful tune.

[Fiji Hill]

Another one I like is Laudate Dominum (Praise the Lord) by Wolfgang A. Mozart (1780), which is based on Psalm 116 in the Vulgate Bible. It was performed at my father's memorial service.

[AnAmericanMother]

Excellent - we sang that at our long-time deacon's First Mass after his ordination to the priesthood.

You need a REALLY good soprano - fortunately we have one (wish we had more - I'm just a workhorse alto).

[AnAmericanMother]

Mr Hassler should be better known - his stuff is splendid.

Our choir also sings his Dixit Maria, suitable for the Annunciation, Advent or Christmas. "Then said Mary to the angel (in some versions, "Gabriel"): Behold the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me according to thy word."

The fun thing about following the score is that you can see the imitation happening across the parts . . . I really like YouTube . . . sometimes.

[Mr. Lucky]

My favorite hymn written by a Lutheran is Ave Maria.

[Skooz]

Miserere is almost impossibly beautiful. I have several versions of my iPod and cherish them all.

[A Formerly Proud Canadian]

I believe that Maetin Luther approved of the first half of the ‘Hail Mary’ (”Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.”)

[Fiji Hill]

We did, indeed, have an excellent soprano to perform “Laudate Dominum” at my father’s memorial service. She was the wife of a former pastor. My father directed the choir for many years and was a talented baritone singer.

[Fiji Hill]

Another great tune from Hassler. Yes, he should be better known--I had never heard of him until I read this thread. A short biography of him can be found here.

[GSWarrior]

I thought it was gonna be songs like Church In The Wildwood or Standing On the Promises.