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"Before the Marvel of This Night"
understand this text, you must imagine the angels in dialogue prior to "And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying . . ." This is something of a celestial choir rehearsal based on Luke 2:13 and 14. BEFORE THE MARVEL OF THIS NIGHT Before the marvel of this night Adoring, fold your wings and bow, Then tear the sky apart with light And with your news the world endow. Proclaim the birth of Christ and peace, That fear and death and sorrow cease: Sing peace, sing peace, sing gift of peace. Awake the sleeping world with song, This is the day the Lord has made. Assemble here, celestial throng, In royal splendor come arrayed. Give earth a glimpse of heav'nly bliss, A teasing taste of what they miss: Sing bliss, sing bliss, sing endless bliss. The love that we have always known, Our constant joy and endless light, Now to the loveless world be shown, Now break upon its deathly night. Into one song compress the love, That rules our universe above: Sing love, sing love, sing God is love. - Jaroslav J. Vajda from NOW THE JOYFUL CELEBRATION: HYMNS, CAROLS, AND SONGS. Morning Star Publishing Co., 1987. [Isn't it amazing how much we readers have added to the Christmas story in the last 2000 years? Do you realize that the account in Luke's gospel makes no mention of singing or of angel wings or of a star? At any rate, this Lutheran pastor/poet explains the song's perspective: "I decided to conjecture how the angel hosts may have prepared and rehearsed that first Christmas song with a handful of shepherds as their audience? Projecting my experience in choir singing and conducting to that divine chorus, I wrote the text for which Carl Schalk composed a new melody, since it was not intended for any existing meter."] Carl Schalk's fabulous choral setting of this text is one of my favorites: BEFORE THE MARVEL OF THIS NIGHT, Augsburg 11-2005. Merry Christmas! Have a great week, Chip Stam Director, Institute for Christian Worship School of Church Music and Worship Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Louisville, Kentucky www.carlstam.org www.sbts.edu |