Words: Liturgy of St. James, 4th Century;
Translated from Greek to English by Gerard Moultrie, 1864.
Music: "Picardy," French carol melody
MIDI / Noteworthy Composer
Meter: 8 7 8 7
1. Let all mortal flesh keep silence,
And with fear and trembling stand;
Ponder nothing earthly minded,
For with blessing in His hand,
Christ our God to earth descendeth,
Our full homage to demand.
2. King of kings, yet born of Mary,
As of old on earth He stood,
Lord of lords, in human vesture,
In the body and the blood;
He will give to all the faithful
His own self for heavenly food.
3. Rank on rank the host of heaven
Spreads its vanguard on the way,
As the Light of light descendeth
From the realms of endless day,
That the powers of hell may vanish
As the darkness clears away.
4. At His feet the six winged seraph,
Cherubim with sleepless eye,
Veil their faces to the presence,
As with ceaseless voice they cry:
Alleluia, Alleluia
Alleluia, Lord Most High!
We are accustomed to these words and music being matched together, as they have been since the English Hymnal of 1906, but each has their own ancient, independent origins. The music and text was first joined together by Ralph Vaughn Williams and is one of 27 hymns in The Hymnal 1982 arranged or composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958).
The "Cherubic Hymn" (text) is from the 4th century Liturgy of St. James and was chanted at the presentation of the bread and wine at the Offertory. It is still used in this fashion by Orthodox Christians in Jerusalem on the Sunday after Christmas.
The tune Picardy is a French carol, coming from an oral tradition and probably dating from the 17th century and is named after the region in France where it might have originated. The earliest written appearance of this melody was entitled "The Ballad of Jesus Christ" in the early 19th century and is also found in Chansons Populaires des Provinces de France (1860). This tune has a dual personality, depending on the tempo at which it is sung. When it is sung slowly it is powerful, somber and dignified. When it is sung at a faster tempo, the mood changes to fierceness.
Source: Martin Olson and Editor
Also Found In Arthur Henry Brown, ed., The Altar Hymnal. London: Griffith, Farrar, Okeden & Welsh, 1885, # 115, pp. 364-365.
"Confitemini Domino," H. J. Stark
