On Eagle's Wings

Last updated

"On Eagle's Wings" is a devotional hymn composed by Michael Joncas. Its words are based on Psalm 91, [1] Book of Exodus 19, and Matthew 13. [2] Joncas wrote the piece in either 1976 [3] or 1979, [1] [4] after he and his friend, Douglas Hall, returned from a meal to learn that Hall's father had died of a heart attack. [5] It was recorded in 1979, with Hall as producer, published by North American Liturgy Resources and later purchased by New Dawn Music, a subsidiary of Oregon Catholic Press. It has become popular as a contemplative hymn at Catholic Masses as well as at Protestant services of worship.[ citation needed ]

Contents

It is now sung during services of many Christian denominations, including Pentecostal churches, and was performed at many of the funerals of victims of the September 11, 2001, attacks.[ citation needed ] It is often performed either at the beginning or the ending of a Roman Catholic funeral Mass. It has been performed at many internationally broadcast papal Masses, was selected as part of the 2007 funeral Mass for Luciano Pavarotti in Modena, Italy, also broadcast internationally.[ citation needed ]

Joe Biden referred to and recited the hymn in his presidential victory speech on November 7, 2020. He said the hymn was important to his family and his deceased son Beau, who died of brain cancer in 2015. [6] Joncas was "honored and humbled". [5]

Cover versions

In 1998, the tenor Michael Crawford released his album, On Eagle's Wings, on which Joncas' song is the first track. [7]

The Italian DJ Gigi D'Agostino recorded a dance cover version of this song for his 2004 album L'Amour Toujours II , [8] included also in the Benessere 1 compilation.

The Christian duo Shane & Shane recorded the song for their 2015 album Psalms II under the title "Psalm 91 (On Eagles' Wings)" covering the song based on Joncas' composition.

The Baroque pop singer Lana Del Rey recorded a cover version of "On Eagle's Wings" in 2020. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Requiem</span> Mass celebrated for the repose of deceased peoples souls

A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead or Mass of the dead, is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, using a particular form of the Roman Missal. It is usually celebrated in the context of a funeral.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Billings</span> American choral composer

William Billings was an American composer and is regarded as the first American choral composer and leading member of the First New England School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EWTN</span> Catholic television network

The Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) is an American basic cable television network which presents around-the-clock Catholic-themed programming. It is not only the largest Catholic television network in America, but reportedly "the world's largest religious media network", reaching 425 million people in 160 countries, with 11 networks. It was founded by Mother Angelica, in 1980 and began broadcasting on August 15, 1981, from a garage studio at the Our Lady of the Angels Monastery in Irondale, Alabama, which Mother Angelica founded in 1962. She hosted her own show, Mother Angelica Live, until health issues led to her retirement in September 2001. As of 2017, Michael P. Warsaw, who is a consultant to the Vatican's Dicastery for Communications, leads EWTN.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church music</span> Christian music written for performance in church

Church music is Christian music written for performance in church, or any musical setting of ecclesiastical liturgy, or music set to words expressing propositions of a sacred nature, such as a hymn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abide with Me</span> 1847 hymn by Henry Francis Lyte

"Abide with Me" is a Christian hymn by Scottish Anglican cleric Henry Francis Lyte. A prayer for God to stay with the speaker throughout life and in death, it was written by Lyte in 1847 as he was dying from tuberculosis. It is most often sung to the tune "Eventide" by the English organist William Henry Monk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Psalm 23</span> Biblical psalm

Psalm 23 is the 23rd psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "The Lord is my shepherd". In Latin, it is known by the incipit, "Dominus regit me". The Book of Psalms is part of the third section of the Hebrew Bible, and a book of the Christian Old Testament. In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate translations of the Bible, this psalm is Psalm 22.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Psalm 104</span>

Psalm 104 is the 104th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in Hebrew "ברכי נפשי" ; in English in the King James Version: "Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, thou art very great". In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate version of the Bible, this psalm is Psalm 103. In Latin, it is known as "Benedic anima mea Domino".

"I'll Walk with God" is a popular song written for the motion picture The Student Prince with music by Nicholas Brodzsky and lyrics by Paul Francis Webster published in 1954. The film's title character, who was played by actor Edmund Purdom with singing dubbed by tenor Mario Lanza, sings this song at the coffin of his grandfather, the king of Karlsburg. The song was released on The Student Prince soundtrack album issued by RCA Victor

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Psalm 91</span> Biblical psalm

Psalm 91 is the 91st psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." In Latin, it is known as 'Qui habitat". As a psalm of protection, it is commonly invoked in times of hardship. Though no author is mentioned in the Hebrew text of this psalm, Jewish tradition ascribes it to Moses, with David compiling it in his Book of Psalms. The Septuagint translation attributes it to David.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Bell (musician)</span> Musical artist

Steve Bell,C.M.,O.M., is a Canadian singer/songwriter and guitarist based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. He is among the best-known Christian musicians in Canada and is an accomplished songwriter and record producer. Before embarking on his solo career he was a long-time member of the group Elias, Schritt and Bell. In 1989, Bell founded the independent recording label Signpost Music along with Dave Zeglinski, long-time friend and co-producer. His first solo album, Comfort My People, was released on Signpost that same year. Bell now has twenty albums to his credit. Among his many awards are two Junos, several GMA Canada Covenant Awards and the 2012 Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christian burial</span> Religious funeral practice

A Christian burial is the burial of a deceased person with specifically Christian rites; typically, in consecrated ground. Until recent times Christians generally objected to cremation because it interfered with the concept of the resurrection of a corpse, and practiced inhumation almost exclusively. Today this opposition has all but vanished among Protestants and Catholics alike, and this is rapidly becoming more common, although Eastern Orthodox Churches still mostly forbid cremation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mass in the Catholic Church</span> Central liturgical ritual of the Catholic Church

The Mass is the central liturgical service of the Eucharist in the Catholic Church, in which bread and wine are consecrated and become the body and blood of Christ. As defined by the Church at the Council of Trent, in the Mass "the same Christ who offered himself once in a bloody manner on the altar of the cross, is present and offered in an unbloody manner". The Church describes the Mass as the "source and summit of the Christian life", and teaches that the Mass is a sacrifice, in which the sacramental bread and wine, through consecration by an ordained priest, become the sacrificial body, blood, soul, and divinity of Christ as the sacrifice on Calvary made truly present once again on the altar. The Catholic Church permits only baptised members in the state of grace to receive Christ in the Eucharist.

Jan Michael Joncas is a Catholic priest of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, liturgical theologian, and composer of contemporary Catholic music best known for his hymn "On Eagle's Wings".

Contemporary Catholic liturgical music encompasses a comprehensive variety of styles of music for Catholic liturgy that grew both before and after the reforms of the Second Vatican Council. The dominant style in English-speaking Canada and the United States began as Gregorian chant and folk hymns, superseded after the 1970s by a folk-based musical genre, generally acoustic and often slow in tempo, but that has evolved into a broad contemporary range of styles reflective of certain aspects of age, culture, and language. There is a marked difference between this style and those that were both common and valued in Catholic churches before Vatican II.

The year 1609 in music involved some significant events.

This is a timeline of music in the United States prior to 1819.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lana Del Rey</span> American singer and songwriter (born 1985)

Elizabeth Woolridge Grant, known professionally as Lana Del Rey, is an American singer and songwriter. Her music is noted for its cinematic quality and exploration of tragic romance, glamour, and melancholia, with frequent references to pop culture and 1950s–1970s Americana. Her vintage Hollywood glamour aesthetic is showcased in her music videos. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an MTV Video Music Award, three MTV Europe Music Awards, two Brit Awards, two Billboard Women in Music, and a Satellite Award, in addition to nominations for eleven Grammy Awards and a Golden Globe Award. Variety honored her at their Hitmakers Awards for being "one of the most influential singer-songwriters of the 21st century". In 2023, Rolling Stone placed Del Rey on their list of the "200 Greatest Singers of All Time", while their sister publication Rolling Stone UK named her as "The Greatest American Songwriter of the 21st century".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nun bitten wir den Heiligen Geist</span> Christian song by Martin Luther

"Nun bitten wir den Heiligen Geist" is the title of several hymns in German. The first is one of the oldest hymns in the German language: a 13th-century leise. Subsequent versions expanded upon the leise; the original hymn became the new version's first stanza, and it now used melodies derived from its medieval tune. The Protestant reformer Martin Luther expanded the leise in 1524, and different Catholic versions were published between 1537 and 1975.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beautiful Isle of Somewhere</span>

"Beautiful Isle of Somewhere" is a song with words by Jessie Brown Pounds and music by John Sylvester Fearis, written in 1897. The song gained huge popularity when it was used in William McKinley's funeral. It was subsequently a staple at funerals for decades, and there are dozens of recorded versions.

References

  1. 1 2 Dela Cruz, Darlene J.M. (December 30, 2013). "Response to 'On Eagle's Wings' over the years humbling for composer". Catholic Philly. Catholic News Service.
  2. Joncas, Michael. "On Eagle's Wings/En Sus Alas". Oregon Catholic Press.
  3. "Plaque serves as permanent reminder of origin of beloved hymn 'On Eagle's Wings'" . Omaha World-Herald. July 8, 2014.
  4. Dela Cruz, Darlene J.M. (September 13, 2013). "The composers of two much-loved hymns, performing on Oahu this month, explain how the songs came to be". Hawaii Catholic Herald.
  5. 1 2 Colleen Dulle (December 18, 2017). ""On Eagle's Wings": The simple origin of the song that makes the world cry". America The Jesuit Review. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  6. Subramanian, Courtney. "Biden's faith comes through in speech, quoting Catholic hymn and Bible verse". USA Today. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  7. Joyce, Mike (July 17, 1998). "Michael Crawford: "On Eagle's Wings"". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 17, 2022.[ dead link ]
    - Crawford, Michael. "On Eagle's Wings". YouTube. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
  8. "Gigi D'Agostino – L'Amour Toujours II". Discogs. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
  9. Neale, Matthew (November 8, 2020). "Lana Del Rey covers 'On Eagle's Wings' in tribute to Biden victory". NME. Retrieved May 7, 2022.

Further reading