(and the demand) of a generation. Carols of pious joy with inordinate repetition, choruses that surprise old lyrics with modern thrills, ballads of ringing sound and slender verse, are the spray of tuneful emotion that sparkles on every revival hightide, but rarely leaves floodmarks that time will not erase. Religious songs of the demonstrative, not to say sensational, kind spring impromptu from the conditions of their time-and give place to others equally spontaneous when the next spiritual wave sweeps by. Their value lingers in the impulse their novelty gave to the life of sanctuary worship, and in the Christian characters their emotional power helped into being. CHAPTER XIII. HYMNS, FESTIVAL AND OCCASIONAL. CHRISTMAS. "ADESTE FIDELES." This hymn is of doubtful authorship, by some assigned to as late a date as 1680, and by others to the 13th century as one of the Latin poems of St. Bonaventura, Bishop of Albano, who was born at Bagnarea in Tuscany, A. D. 1221. He was a learned man, a Franciscan friar, one of the greatest teachers and writers of his church, and finally a cardinal. Certainly Roman Catholic in its origin, whoever was its author, it is a Christian hymn qualified in every way to be sung by the universal church. Adeste, fideles Laeti triumphantes, Venite, venite in Bethlehem; Natum videte Regem angelorum. CHORUS. Venite, adoremus, Venite, adoremus! Venite, adoremus Dominum. This has been translated by Rev. Frederick Oakeley (1808-1880) and by Rev. Edward Caswall (1814-1878) the version of the former being the one in more general use. The ancient hymn is much abridged in the hymnals, and even the translations have been altered and modernized in the three or four stanzas commonly sung. Caswall's version renders the first line "Come hither, ye faithful,” literally construing the Latin words. The following is substantially Oakeley's English of the "Adeste, fideles.' O come all ye faithful Joyful and triumphant, To Bethlehem hasten now with glad accord; Come and behold Him, CHORUS. O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, Sing choirs of angels, Sing in exultation Through Heaven's high arches be your praises poured; Now to our God be Glory in the highest! O come, let us adore Him! Yea, Lord, we bless Thee, Jesus, forever be Thy name adored! Now in flesh appearing; O come, let us adore Him! The hymn with its primitive music as chanted in the ancient churches, was known as "The Midnight Mass," and was the processional song of the religious orders on their way to the sanctuaries where they gathered in preparation for the Christmas morning service. The modern tune-or rather the tune in modern use-is the one everywhere familiar as the "Portuguese Hymn." (See page 205.) MILTON'S HYMN TO THE NATIVITY. It was the winter wild While the Heavenly Child All meanly wrapped in the rude manger lies. Had doffed her gaudy trim No war nor battle sound Was heard the world around. The idle spear and shield were high uphung. Unstained with hostile blood, The trumpets spake not to the armed throng, As if they knew their Sovereign Lord was by. This exalted song-the work of a boy of scarcely twenty-one-is a Greek ode in form, of two hun dred and sixteen lines in twenty-seven strophes. Some of its figures and fancies are more to the taste of the seventeenth century than to ours, but it is full of poetic and Christian sublimities, and its high periods will be heard in the Christmas hymnody of coming centuries, though it is not the fashion to sing it now. John Milton, son and grandson of John Miltons, was born in Breadstreet, London, Dec. 9, 1608, fitted for the University in St. Paul's school, and studied seven years at Cambridge. His parents intended him for the church, but he chose literature as a profession, travelled and made distinguished friendships in Italy, Switzerland and France, and when little past his majority was before the public as a poet, author of the Ode to the Nativity, of a Masque, and of many songs and elegies. In later years he entered political life under the stress of his Puritan sympathies, and served under Cromwell and his successor as Latin Secretary of State through the time of the Commonwealth. While in public duty he became blind, but in his retirement composed "Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained." Died in 1676. THE TUNE. In the old "Carmina Sacra" Carmina Sacra" a noble choral (without name except "No war nor battle sound") well interprets portions of the 4th and 5th stanzas of the great hymn, but replaces the |
