Monday, January 14, 2008

History of the Hymns

‘I Come With Joy’
Words: Brian Wren (1936 –) Music: from The Southern Harmony (1835)

The author of the text, Brian Wren, is one of today's leading hymn writers especially known for his concern for issues of justice, both in language and in action.
Concerning ‘I Come with Joy to Meet My Lord’ Wren said:
Its purpose was…to start with an individualistic "I come with joy" and end with a sense of being bound together with everyone else. This was a deliberate progression because I wanted to move away from what I think is an overemphasis on the individual in traditional communion hymns. I have also composed a canonic setting for stanza 5, which can be used either at the conclusion of singing or as a choral response to the benediction (in which case, use the optional ending). The canon is itself a bit of text painting, the two parts being "together bound," yet both going "our separate ways."
—"An Interview with Brian Wren" in The Hymn, vol. 32, January 1981
On August 31, 1991, Brian Wren was united in marriage with Susan Heafield, an ordained minister in the United Methodist Church, and is involved in music education. (Almost sounds like Pastor Molly’s background, doesn’t it?)

Meanwhile…1968…40 years ago…in the United States…

President: Lyndon B. Johnson…V.P.: Hubert H. Humphrey
Milk: 30¢/quart, Bread: 22¢/loaf, Gas: 34¢/gallon, Stamps: 6¢/each
On TV: Mission Impossible, Dragnet, Star Trek, The Carol Burnett Show, Laugh-In
Top Songs: ‘Hey Jude’ & ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ (Beatles)
The “Tet-offensive” began during The Vietnam War
Republican challenger Richard Nixon defeated V.P. Hubert Humphrey for President
The spy ship USS Pueblo and its 83-man crew seized in Sea of Japan by North Korea
Martin Luther King, Jr. & Robert F. Kennedy were assassinated
‘Hair’ opened at The Biltmore Theater in New York City for 1,750 performances
Governor Nelson Rockefeller broke ground for SUNY at Buffalo’s Amherst Campus
The 1st Annual ‘Grape Festival’ was held in Silver Creek, NY
The Sheridan Methodist Church was renamed The Sheridan United Methodist Church

Ref. HymnHistories Cyberhymnal WebEdelic DMarie TanBible Wikipedia BuffaloHistory.com

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