Joyfully Singing

Yet another stunningly beautiful old hymn, written, surprisingly enough by St. Columba. The tune is a traditional Irish melody. Another one of my favorites. Text: St. Columba, c.521-597 Tr. Duncan Macgregor, 1854-1923 Music: Traditional Irish Melody

This is a song most of you have probably never heard of. I know I never would have heard it if it hadn't been for an obscure CD that I don't even know how it was picked up but that we have had in our family for as long as I can remember. This hymn is one of the most beautiful I have ever heard. It can be sung slowly or very quickly and still sound pretty well. The tune is what we now know as plain chant, this one is, I believe, of French origin. Text: Attr. to Gregory the Great, 540-604 Tr. Percy Dearmer, 1870-1936 Music: La Feillee's "Methode du Plain-chant," 1782

This hymn has such a beautiful tune whose ambiance sends you back to tall vaulted cathedrals and with the haunting but beautiful strains of the organ filling every nook and cranny. The words are those of the olden days, rhyming yet full of meaning. I hope you enjoy this lovely rendering of the hymn in four part harmony.