Hymns, Hymnody, Translations and a few assorted
Exegetical and Historical Thoughts thrown in
Exegetical and Historical Thoughts thrown in
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This summer, I wrote some hymn texts based on the Psalms for the 2024 LCMS Institution on Preaching, Liturgy and Church Music. I meant to post these earlier, but like so many other projects they get put to the side when a new one comes up.
That said, I received many good comments about this text. Some composers at the conference wanted to try their hand at writing a tune. Whether they did or not, I do not know. We are going to be using this in my congregations for the next few weeks starting on Sunday. The tune we are using was written by my mother, Joeline M. Mayes, and it is called MAIESTATICUM. Let me know what you think about this text!
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A Hymn on Mt. 16:13-20, by Nikolaus Herman (c. 1500-1561), trans. Robert J. H. Mayes, 20245/29/2024 Recently, I translated this hymn by Lutheran cantor Nikolaus Herman based on Mt. 16:13-20. It helps contribute to our understanding of how Reformation Lutherans understood the Office of the Keys. This hymn comes from Herman's 1561 book, Sonntags-Evangelia, a collection of hymns for each Sunday and some minor feast days from the liturgical church year. This is the hymn for the day of Sts. Peter and Paul (June 29). There is no tune recommendation, which means it's fair game for composers.
A Hymn for the Parish Pastor by Johann Rist ("O Jesus, Who Turns to Your People, You Love")5/23/2022 One of the lost treasures of Johann Rist, recently translated (May 2022). Though this book of hymns, Frommer Gottseliger Christen Alltägliche Hausmusik, of 1654 was written for use in the Christian home, yet this particular hymn is written particularly for pastors. It is a kind of a poetic prayer that encapsulates all of the duties and concerns of the parish pastor.
I resonate with Rist's observations about the pastoral life and pastoral care for the people of God. This is why I find it beneficial to share and post. May it be a blessing to pastors and people both as they think and learn what their pastor worries about. At a time when the estate of marriage is under great assault, when the devil has convinced the world that a man and a woman should live and sleep together before marriage, and how he turns married couples against each other, it is a great blessing to read the praises of marriage and its blessings from Lutherans in times past.
This hymn is the first of at a least a few hymns on marriage by Rist in the book I am translating. I am sharing it here for your blessing and edification. God be praised and thanked for His estate of marriage. Hello dear readers. I know I haven't posted in a while, but I am still doing work with hymns. Right now, I am in the midst of a translation project. I am trying to translate a book of some 80 hymns by Lutheran hymn writer Johann Rist. It is called, "Frommer Gottseliger Christen Alltägliche Hausmusik, oder musikalische Andachten." It was written in 1654, published in Lüneburg, and is the fifth book of out of seven hymn-books that Rist wrote.
Why this book? More by chance than anything else. I found it online at Google Books, and was looking for a project. Since then, I've been keeping up at it. I have now translated 13 hymns from this source and am at work on the 14th. So far, the list of topics the hymns cover include: New Years, Confession and Absolution, Baptism, the Lord's Supper, Marriage, and Prayer. I have not looked too far at the rest - preferring to go one hymn at a time. But I am making progress, even if a little here, a little there. Such is the life of a scholar-pastor-husband-father. Anyway, I will try to post some other hymns in the near future, and especially original hymn tunes. But just so you all know that my main focus is on a major translation project. Rist; Johann Rist; Prayer; translation; Robert J. H. Mayes; Mayes; Lutheran Orthodox; Lutheran Orthodoxy; Lutheran hymn The prolific Lutheran hymn writer Johann Rist (1607-1667) wrote several volumes of Lutheran hymn verses. While a few have been translated and are accessible today, most remain locked away in the German in out of the way resources. However, I am making an effort to bring some of these long-forgotten hymn verses back.
The following is a translation of a Rist hymn on prayer (a translation of “Mein Gott und Vater / der Du Mir,” from Rist's book, Frommer Gottseliger Christen Alltägliche Hausmusik, Lüneburg, 1654). Good hymns on prayer are either hard to find or not easy to sing. I don't know if this one will be easier to sing or not, but it does add one more Lutheran hymn on prayer for us to be aware of. Congregation Anniversary; original text; original tune; Catechetical A few years ago, I was commissioned by a congregation to write a new hymn for their upcoming congregation anniversary celebration. It happened that I knew both the pastor and the organist. The congregation (St. John Lutheran Church, Kimball, Nebraska) in 2016 was observing their 100th anniversary. Their theme text was 1 Jn. 3:23 - "And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment."
Receiving this commission was an honor. It humbled me at the time (and still does). I wrote both text and tune (ST. JOHN'S KIMBALL), as well as an organ prelude and some instrumental descants. The hymn text and tune are listed below (if you want the organ prelude or instrumental parts, email me). (In the text, I apparently wrote 10 verses and have listed only 8 with the music. I do not remember why I did this). "A Bright Angelic Greeting" - text by James Blain, tune MAGNUM MYSTERIUM by Robert J. H. Mayes11/9/2021 Advent; Gabriel; Mary; Annunciation; James Blain; This text by Pastor James Blain is a great Advent text based on the Annunciation. I do not know Pastor Blain, and only am aware of this one particular hymn text of his. There may be more he has written that I do not know. But working with this fine text, I hope he does have more, and if not, I hope he continues writing.
My original tune, MAGNUM MYSTERIUM, is wed to Blain's text and is embedded as a PDF after the text of the hymn. It is a favorite tune of mine. Reformation; original text; contest entry; This is a Reformation hymn text I wrote in 2016 for a contest sponsored by the LCMS. The Synod invited hymn writers to compose a text in celebration of the 500th anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation. I submitted the following text. Even though it did not win, I was proud of my effort.
I submit my text, "The Mercy of the Lord is Rich, Indeed." Christmas; Henry Bramley; Incarnation; regularThis is a favorite of mine. I wrote this tune in 2001 when I was on vicarage in California, after finding the public domain text online. Since then, it has become a standard hymn we sing at Christmas in my churches. In 2002, I submitted this hymn in for consideration to the Lutheran Service Book hymnal. It did not make the final list, but it was on the cusp, so I was told by a friend on the hymn committee. (Coincidentally, there are some hymns I see in LSB sometimes that are of lesser quality than this, and I just shake my head at how those got in and this one didn't).
Here is a fine Christmas hymn, "The Great God of Heaven," text by Henry R. Bramley (1833-1917). My original tune, INCARNATION, is also attached beneath the text as an embedded PDF. |
AuthorRev. Robert J. H. Mayes is a justified sinner through faith in Christ. He is a husband, father, an LCMS pastor, musician, and has a strong interest in Lutheranism, Christ-centered Scriptural exegesis and the hymns of the Church. In his spare time, he likes to watch the Kansas City Chiefs. Archives
February 2025
CategoriesImportant Links- - LCMS website - Nebraska dist. - CPH - Issues, Etc. - Lutheran Public Radio - PRDL (Post Reformation Digital Library) Other Hymn sites - What you need to know about hymns - Public domain Lutheran hymns - Mark Preus - Matthew Carver - Walther's Hymnal (ed. Carver) - Stephen Starke - Starke hymns vol. 1 & vol. 2 - Alan Kornacki Jr. - Kathryn Ann Hill - Robin Fish, Jr. - Kurt E. Reinhardt - Center for Church Music (Concordia Chicago) |
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