Weird Song of the Week - Holy Weirdness

 

Holy Weirdness

Friday 28 May 2021

This week we will examine the genre of music known as the church hymn.  I speak of Christian hymns and hymns within the Western Christian tradition.  A lot of people today probably find traditional church hymns boring.  You have a melody repeated over and over for each verse, and the hymns themselves are generally bland in terms of musical novelty.  However, church hymns reveal some interesting things about human beings that may surprise you.

Church hymns begin with the Bible.  The book of Psalms contains 150 musical compositions for which the music has been lost.  I can only think of two Psalms for which I can confidently say that we have the melodies.  I have touched upon this in previous columns.  From there we move to Greek and Latin hymns which, at least in the West, were generally not understood by the average person.  The Roman Catholic Church strictly controlled what music should sound like and although some hymns were very beautiful, they began to stagnate by the time the Late Middle Ages was upon us.  Along came the Reformation and with that, hymns were written which contained lyrics in the language of the people.  For the first time in centuries, the people could sing hymns with lyrics they understood.

One hymn writer of the Reformation may surprise many people today.  He was none other than the father of the Western Reformation himself, Martin Luther.  Martin Luther was a prolific hymn writer.  His most famous hymn is A Mighty Fortress is Our God.  Martin Luther was German so the original title is Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott.  Here is this famous hymn in German.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E969xwHA91E

I like this clip because the tempo is closer to the jolly upbeat tempo Luther composed.  Over time, this song has become slow and majestic.  The current iterations of this hymn are still very beautiful, but the original was more like something you would sing in a pub, a place Luther loved to be.  Of course, you probably wouldn’t sing these specific lyrics in a pub but who knows, perhaps you might after a few pints.  Did Luther test out his compositions on pub patrons?

Here is a more majestic English version.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqczuaFQpVQ

Wow, 3,000 men singing can sound pretty good. 

Various currents in Protestantism began to restrict hymn writing until it found itself in need of some reform in the 18^th and early 19^th centuries.  Eventually, hymns evolved into traditional church hymns that some of us grew up with.  With the advent of modern music, traditional hymns were modernized, but they also lessened in importance because many churches brought in bands to play all sorts of music people liked, but which might not be suitable for congregational singing.  Despite this, the church hymn is still a big part of most church services and you can find scores of modern hymns and traditional hymns which are modernized.

But there is a problem.  Hymns are generally too high for the average person.  With modern hymns this can be explained by the fact that many modern hymns are not really written as hymns.  They are written more as standard musical compositions by people who naturally have a wider vocal range than the average person.  In short, musicians write compositions which suit their vocal range, but not necessarily the vocal range of the average person.

When I speak of vocal range, what I mean is the range of notes that can be sung comfortably by the average person for a sustained period.  Church services generally include a number of hymns which means people have to sing multiple songs.  If they are too high or too low, people become tired and uncomfortable and drop out.  The exception is any Welsh congregation which I have been privileged to sing with on a number of occasions.  Welsh people come out of the womb ready to sing and if the range of a hymn becomes uncomfortable, they simply sing harmony naturally.  Polynesian congregations are also naturally good at this.  Otherwise, people simply strain their vocal cords and stop singing. 

So what is the vocal range for the average person?  Imagine a piano and imagine the A below Middle C.  That is the low point.  People can sing below this note, but I am speaking of singing comfortably for a sustained period of time.  Now from that A go up one octave to the next A.  This is the A above middle C.  This A is very important in music.  It is known as A440.  The 440 refers to the frequency as in 440 Hz.  This is the standard note by which modern instruments are tuned.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-kRShXR6qA

This rather annoying clip simply plays A440.  We should have a contest to see who can listen to this the longest.  Anyway, this is A440.

Now back to vocal ranges.  From A440, go up a fifth to the D.  You should arrive at the D next to the C one octave higher than middle C.  This D is the top range of a comfortable vocal range for the average person.  If you are leading a worship service, it is best to ensure most singing happens between the A below middle C and the D next to the C one octave higher than middle C.  This may mean departing from the key of the sheet music your musicians have.  This does present opportunities for revenge though if you are a worship leader because you can introduce your musicians to the wonderful world of five sharps and five flats.  They will thank you.  😊  Of course, if you are an uncouth barbarian like me and play by ear mostly, I don’t care how many sharps or flats are in a key signature.

Having said all this, traditional church hymns are also pitched very high.  Why is this so?  When you consider that those composing these hymns in the 18^th and 19^th centuries composed their hymns specifically for congregations, why would they pitch their hymns so high?  The answer might amaze you.  It turns out that people who lived a couple of centuries ago were able to sing more comfortably in higher registers than we are today.  Thus, those hymns were written for congregations to sing comfortably.  Today, we are generally uncomfortable with the original pitch of many hymns.  Put simply, the average person cannot sing in higher registers as well as our ancestors could a couple of centuries ago.

So why is this?  Are we evolving?  No one really knows, but here is my theory.  A couple of centuries ago, there were no PA systems and microphones.  When you spoke, your voice had to carry more.  Think about it, when Abraham Lincoln delivered a speech, or when Jonathan Edwards preached, they had no PA system to assist them.  They needed to be heard by everyone.  In ancient times when crowds were huge, such as when a general addressed an army of 100,000 men, he would speak a few sentences, and then people at the edge of hearing range would then turn around and speak those words to others out of hearing range until everyone got the message.  But for churches or smaller audiences, preachers and speakers had to make sure everyone could hear them and higher pitched voices travel longer distances than lower pitched ones because the wave frequency is shorter.  The same was true for singers.  People therefore trained themselves to enhance their voice and I think had a wider vocal range as a result.  Since higher pitches carried more easily, it made sense to sing in higher registers and the human vocal cords were more used to doing this.

Today PA systems mean we don’t need to stretch our vocal cords and so we have lost much of our range.  When I took classes in preaching, one of the things I did was to train myself so I could speak to a large crowd without a microphone.  I am a little sad that many preachers today are slaves to their PA systems and, if I can get on my soap box for a moment, they are also slaves to their PowerPoint presentations.  These two factors prevent many preachers from, as I like to say, “bringing it.” When they preach.  I often feel like I’m in yet another corporate meeting with the PowerPoint slides and the drab monotone speaking.  No thanks. 

And so it is that we cannot sing traditional hymns in their original keys very well today.  People who go off sheet music need to find versions in lower keys.  Fortunately, these are plentiful.

The Weird Song of the Week this week is one of the most beloved hymns of all time.  It is Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God Almighty.  The lyrics were written by Anglican Vicar Reginald Heber (1783 – 1826). while the music was written by John Bacchus Dykes.  It was written at a time when the Anglican church banned what we consider to be traditional type hymns.  The Anglican church at the time felt hymns like this were not holy enough.  The song was written to celebrate Trinity Sunday, celebrated in the Western Church on the Sunday after Pentecost.  This year, Trinity Sunday falls on 30 May, which is this coming Sunday.  Now you know why I chose this topic for this week.  Here is a very nice version, complete with choir and trumpets.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SHDNs7Dt5M

Here are the lyrics for the first verse of the song.

Holy, holy, holy!

Lord God Almighty.

Early in the morning

Our song shall rise to thee.

 

Holy, holy, holy!

Merciful and mighty.

God in three persons

Blessed Trinity.

 

Now listen to this version performed by America’s most famous church choir, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qCmtUhiKcA

You might notice the lyrics are different.  In this version, the lyrics are as follows.

Holy, holy, holy!

Lord God Almighty.

Early in the morning

Our song shall rise to thee.

 

Holy, holy, holy!

Merciful and mighty.

God in thy glory

Through eternity.

 

The trinity disappeared!  What happened to the blessed Trinity?  To understand this mystery, we must go all the way back to the 4^th century.  The first really major controversy to rock the Christian church was a dispute over the doctrine of the Trinity.  Some Christians believed the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three coequal beings who are also one while being three.  Other Christians believed the Son and the Spirit are subordinate to the Father.  Controversy raged until the dispute was settled in 325 at the Council of Nicaea.  The Roman Empire under Constantine was on the verge of civil war over this and as the council dragged on, Constantine stepped in and chose a side.  He chose the Trinity and that was the end of it.  From then on, the Trinity became orthodox Christian doctrine and still remains so today for the majority of Christians.  The Nicene Creed was formulated by the council and this too, is a central pillar of Christianity to this day.  Here is the text of the Nicene Creed for those who are interested.

 

https://www.crcna.org/welcome/beliefs/creeds/nicene-creed

 

But not everyone was happy.  Throughout the centuries, small groups of Christians continued their antitrinitarian beliefs.  I should point out that both Judaism and Islam believed the doctrine of the Trinity was an abomination and still believe so today.  The doctrine of the Trinity was a major driving force behind Islam and remains a major reason why Islam holds orthodox Christianity as a heretical religion today.

But as the Trinity was orthodox, people who believed otherwise in Christendom had to be very careful lest they be killed.  One of the most famous antitrinitarians was none other than Sir Isaac Newton.  He hated the Trinity writing that it was the most hateful and abominable heresy of the Christian church.  He only expressed this belief in his private diary though because he wanted to avoid imprisonment and possible death.  In the Western church today, Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses are probably the most well-known antitrinitarian groups.  My church, the Seventh-day Adventist church began divided on this issue with many of its leaders holding antitrinitarian views.  The SDA church eventually adopted the Trinity as doctrine and in this regard, it fell in line with orthodoxy.

Which brings us back to our Weird Song.  Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God Almighty was so beloved by Christians everywhere that even though it was written to celebrate the Trinity, antitrinitarians wanted to sing this hymn as well so they came up with alternate lyrics in which the Trinity disappeared.  One Mormon version reads:  “Blessed Deity” in placed of “Blessed Trinity.” The Mormon rendition I included here, uses “Through eternity” instead.  Unitarians came up with their own alternative lyrics while early Seventh-day Adventist hymnals also made the Trinity disappear with their own set of alternative lyrics so as to avoid fighting among its members.  When the SDA church adopted the doctrine of the Trinity officially in 1955, it replaced alternate versions with the orthodox lyrics.

As if that were not weird enough, I am now going to venture into the realm of the truly bizarre.  The following story is a true story.  It happened to me in 1987 and I shall never forget it.  I will swear black and blue that the following story is true.  I’ll include a link to the theme from The Twilight Zone just to set the mood.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVSRm80WzZk

I was on a flight from California to Texas.  The flight was pretty full but there were two empty seats next to me.  It was an afternoon flight but I decided to take advantage of the situation and lie down.  I was the only one in my area lucky enough to afford this luxury in economy.  As we flew I had a spectacular dream.  I found myself in heaven surrounded by tens of thousands of angels and other creatures.  As I looked I saw a huge throne which appeared to be made out of one giant crystal and many colors shone brightly through the crystal though emerald seemed to be a prominent color.  The crystal somehow appeared solid, and not so solid at the same time.  The top of the crystal was flat and in the center, atop the crystal (described in the Bible as a sea of glass), was a massive throne.  On that throne sat a figure bathed in bright light who was surrounded by a dark cloud so that the light was somewhat obscured.  Nevertheless the brightness was nearly blinding.  Under the crystal were four creatures but I use that term only because the Bible does.  I could see where the book of Revelation (Revelation 4:1-11) got the descriptions but looking at them in my dream, I could not say definitively whether they were actually animals or creatures.

In addition to the angels there were robed figures with harps.  They were dressed in white robes and had crowns of gold upon their heads.  The entire throng sang the song Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God Almighty.  They were also kind enough to sing it in English so I could understand the words.  Occasionally, flashes of lightning and peels of thunder emanated from the throne and I was in a huge vaulted chamber which shone with golden light.

It was an amazing dream and one I will never forget.  As I watched in awe, wondering what would happen next, a stewardess shook me by the shoulder and roused me.  The plane had hit severe turbulence and I was asked to sit up and put on my seat belt.  I could still here Holy, Holy, Holy ringing in my head.  As we put on our seatbelts an announcement came over the speaker reminding everyone of crash positions because they differed depending on where you sat.  This scared a lot of people and I remember a few gasps.  Once I was buckled in, the stewardess, knowing I am legally blind, went through the crash position pertinent to my seat.  By now the plane was really shaking.

Once I buckled in I looked out the window to my right as it was the closest window (I sat in an aisle seat).  I was stunned by what I saw.  Remember this was an afternoon flight.  I saw hundreds of creatures flying next to the plane.  They were huge humanoid creatures that were white in color, but translucent.  They were white like summer clouds, but translucent.  They looked like white light that had been shaped into humanoid creatures so that I could see through them.  Their wings were spread and I heard them singing Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God Almighty.  They were humanoid, but they did not look like us.  They had elongated heads like something you would see on an ancient Assyrian wall.  Back in 1987 I was not really too aware of Assyrian depictions but in fairness, since I studied theology, I had been exposed to this and it is possible such depictions were in my subconscious.  When I say they were singing, I mean, the sound was directly in my head.  It reminded me of a soft gentle breeze but a breeze in which it was singing.  It was like the wind itself sang in a gentle whisper that went directly into my mind.  This was truly the most beautiful thing I had ever seen and heard.  It was as if all creation was singing.

This could not be happening!  I noted people around me were scared and there were some prayers, but no one seemed to see what I was seeing.  I concluded I might still be dreaming or suffering the lingering effects of the dream.  I pinched myself hard several times.  I made sure it hurt.  I looked out again because I could still hear the song in my mind.  The creatures were still there, beautiful as ever.  I looked out to my left which was on the other side of the cabin.  I saw the creatures there too.  They were so big even I could see them at that further distance. 

I did not know what to do so I decided to slap myself hard in the face several times.  If that did not ensure I was fully awake, nothing would.  Some people looked at me but I think they realized I was trying to make sure I was wide awake because they had seen me sleeping.  I also base this on what they said to me after this episode ended.  After I slapped myself, I looked out the window.  The creatures (were they angels) still flew and they still sang.  I knew now I was awake and I also knew we were going to be OK.  For whatever reason, this plane was not going to crash.  This spectacular sight continued for about 15 minutes until we came through the turbulence and the plane once again flew smoothly.  Once I accepted I was actually seeing what I thought I saw a profound peace came over me and I was completely relaxed.  This was noticed because after the turbulence ended, a couple of passengers actually asked me how I could seem so calm when just about everyone else was so frightened.

Now I was in a bind.  Should I tell them the truth?  Instead I reasoned we were flying to Texas and there might be a few Christians on board, so I simply said I believed that no matter what happened, I was in God’s hands so whatever God ordained, I was happy with.  They said: “I wish I had faith like that.” If they only knew the truth, they might well have called the stewardess over and asked that arrangements be made for men in white coats to be there upon our arrival to take me into custody.

When I have told this story to Christians they have generally been amazed.  Was I hallucinating or did I see angels?  But now we return to the Weird Song of the Week.  Christians who know the history of Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God Almighty pause, then ask often in a quavering voice: “What version of the lyrics were they singing?” After all, Christians have fought and died over the doctrine of the Trinity for more than 1700 years.  If, by chance, I did experience angels singing this song in heaven, and then the flying creatures singing this song by the plane, they would surely know whether the Trinity is a valid doctrine or not.  Since they could sing either the original trinitarian version, or some nontrinitarian alternative, which set of lyrics did the angels sing?  Could it be that 1700 years of controversy could be laid to rest by a weird guy on a plane?

And the answer is. . .

They sang nontrinitarian lyrics.  And for the record, the winning lyrics were: “God in thy glory, blessed purity.”