Our God, Our Help in Ages Past
Words by Isaac Watts (1719), Music by William Croft (1708)
"Our God, Our Help in Ages Past" is a sacred hymn still sung at all festive occasions in England, considered one of the grandest in the English hymnody. It is a paraphrase of Psalm 90, a psalm of Moses, originally consisting of nine stanzas. Today, the hymn is usually limited to stanzas one, two, three, five and nine.
In 1738 John Wesley in his hymnal, Psalms and Hymns, changed the first line to the text from "Our God" to "O God." The hymn was originally part of The Psalms of David Imitated in the Language of the New Testament, published by Watts in 1719. In this book he paraphrased in Christian verse the entire psalter with the exception of twelve psalms which he felt were unsuited for Christian usage. This hymn ranks as one of the finest of Watts's more than 600 hymns.
Hymn Writer Isaac Watts
Isaac Watts (1674-1748), born on July 17, 1674 in Southampton, England, is often called the father of English hymnody. The eldest of nine children, his father was an educated deacon in a dissenting Congregational church. At the time of Isaac's birth, his father was in prison for his non-conformist beliefs.
Watts showed an unusual aptitude and literary genius as a boy. From 5 until 13 years old, he learned Latin, Greek, French, and Hebrew, and began to write quality verses. He had the habit of rhyming ordinary conversations that sometimes annoyed people around him. As a student of theology and philosophy, he wrote volumes which had powerful influence on English thinking during the late 17th and early 18th centuries.
One of his early concerns was the deplorable state in which congregational singing had degenerated in most English-speaking churches. Watts was seen as a radical churchgoer who was critical of the slow singing. One Sunday, after returning from a service, young Isaac was challenged by his father, "why don't you give us something better to sing?" Watts, then aged 18, accepted his father's challenge. The next Sunday he produced his first hymn, with enthusiastic response from the congregation. He wrote new hymn texts every Sunday for the next two years. In a book Hymns and Spiritual Songs, he published over 200 hymns.
Watts wrote some more than 600 hymns. Some favorite hymns he wrote, aside from this hymn, include "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross," "I Sing the Mighty Power of God" and the famous Christmas song "Joy to the World."
Composer William Croft
The music in this majestic hymn is known as "St. Anne," composed in 1708 by William Croft (1678-1727), a greatly trained church musician with a Doctorate in Music at Oxford University, was known as one of the finest English musicians during his time. He was the organist at the Church of St. Anne in Soho, London, during the reign of Queen Anne.
Tune Name "St. Anne"
"St. Anne" tune first appeared anonymously in the Supplement to the new Versions of the Psalms, 6th edition in 1708, originally intended to be used with Psalm 62 version. The tune gained recognition when it was set to Isaac Watts's text. For its musical worth, famous composers like Johann S. Bach (Fugue in E-Flat Major, known as "St. Anne's Fugue") and George F. Handel ("O Praise the Lord") borrowed it for their own words.
Words of "Our God, Our Help in Ages Past"
1. "Our God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home!
3. Before the hills in order stood,
Or earth received her frame,
From everlasting Thou art God,
To endless years the same.
5. Our God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Be thou our guide while life shall last,
And our eternal home."
Words and Music:
Source:
101 Hymn Stories by Kenneth W. Osbeck, Kregel Publications, Michigan, 1982
Our God, Our Help in Ages Past
|
Latest Articles