(no subject)

[tree_and_leaf]

It's not that I dislike "Immortal, Invisible" - it's a cracking hymn - but given that there's as far as I can see not one word that could be objected to by a conscientious Unitarian, Jew, or Muslim, I'm not convinced it's an ideal choice for Trinity Sunday.

Similarly, while I understand why you might feel the need to cut a verse from "The God of Abram praise" (an even better hymn), the doxology is a weird one to remove....

Comments

[kerravonsen]

I hate it when they alter the good old hymns. There are a few that they sing at my church that give me the irrits whenever we get to the (wrong) words. Often they alter the meaning in subtle and not-so-subtle ways.

Here's one from the awesome "Great Is Thy Faithfulness" - as well as altering all the "thy"s and "thee"s, they changed "Morning by morning new mercies I see" to "New every morning your mercies I see", which does NOT mean the same thing, and I can't see any reason for changing it, either. Grrr.

"All ye who hear, now to his temple draw near" gets changed to "All you who hear, brothers and sisters draw near" in another hymn. Grrr.

[tree_and_leaf]

That always drives me mad too, though we are mostly spared that particular habit, as we use the New English Hymnal which tends to prefer the authorial text. But that doesn't stop the random excision of verses to shorten the him.

(Though to be fair, in the case of "Praise to the Lord", the 'modernisation' is probably a somewhat closer translation of the German, though they're both fairly free).

[kerravonsen]

Though to be fair, in the case of "Praise to the Lord", the 'modernisation' is probably a somewhat closer translation of the German, though they're both fairly free

Oh, I didn't know that. Interesting.

[el_staplador]

Has the NEH put Who Would True Valour See back the way it was before Percy Dearmer got at it?

Hymns Old and New is particularly squeamish ('Onward Christian Pilgrims', hem hem), and I still cannot see what is the point of turning the second verse of O Little Town back to front and leaving it otherwise unchanged.

I think Mission Praise is the worst of the lot for that kind of thing, though.

[tree_and_leaf]

Oh, good point. "He who would valiant be" drives me nuts. But the other hymnbook I use regularly (when visiting my parents) is Mission Praise, so I probably tend to be kinder to the NEH than it always deserves.

I strongly suspect MP of being the abomination of desolation...

[antisoppist]

The only time I attend church now is the primary school carol concert and the second verse of O Little Town being the wrong way round is extremely annoying. When did it happen and does anyone know why?

[quinfirefrorefiddle]

At a night chapel in seminary, the same day as a gender-inclusive language panel, we sang "Children of the Heavenly Father." Which is an old favorite of mine. But we gave up trying to change the pronouns on the fly at the start of the second verse- partly because we were laughing so hard.

[tree_and_leaf]

Back in the day, my theological college used to insists that "Faith of our Fathers" came out as "Faith of our Forebears". Though these days no-one sings it at all, because it's strongly associated with Forward in Faith. Which is a shame, because I like it, in a fierce way.

[zeborah]

Hee. I approve of judicious editing for gender-inclusivity, but on-the-fly does seem doomed to hilarity.

Because I approve of it yet keep seeing it done badly, I've thought about it a lot and concluded that it really needs to be done by someone who a) doesn't have a tin-ear for language/rhythm and b) has a clue what the original meant, so you don't have some idiot blithely changing the carol "pleased as Man with man to dwell" (ie "pleased to dwell in the form of Man with other men") to "pleased as us with us to dwell" (ie ...what??!) For example. (Two or three Christmases ago and I'll never forget.)

And even if one isn't lazy or a fool, it's often not as simple as just swapping words - eg "Brother, let me be your servant" -> "Brother, sister, let me serve you" works well but required changing the whole syntax.

In summary: if you're going to mess with the good stuff, put some thought into it.

[primsong]

Pleased as us with us to dwell? Wha....? As in, "We really like hanging out in the kitchen and Jesus does too"? Sigh.

[wendylove]

Well, since "The God of Abram Praise" has its melody and many of its words (depending on how loose you think a translation can be) lifted from a well-known Jewish hymn, I tend to think of the Doxology verse as being decidedly... optional. But then I am not the target audience for Trinity Sunday, where I imagine the focus is rather different. :)

[tree_and_leaf]

I know the origins are in a Jewish hymn :) , but the selections of the verses that the NEH prints includes:

Before the great Three-One they all exulting stand;
And tell the wonders He hath done, through all their land:
The list’ning spheres attend, and swell the growing fame;
And sing, in songs which never end, the wondrous Name.

and

Before the Savior’s face the ransomed nations bow;
O’erwhelmed at His almighty grace, forever new:
He shows His prints of love—they kindle to a flame!
And sound thro’ all the worlds above the slaughtered Lamb.

- so if you're singing those, from my perspective it seems odd not to have the doxology.