Text and score
| The God of Abraham Praise | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Hymn |
| Written | 1770 |
| Text | Daniel ben Judah, paraphrased by Thomas Olivers |
| Based on | Exodus3:6 |
| Meter | 6.6.8.4 D |
| Melody | "Leoni" by Myer Lyon |
The God of Abraham Praise is a Christian adaptation of the well known Jewish hymn "Yigdal", loosely translated and Christianised by the evangelist Thomas Olivers after a visit to the Great Synagogue of London in 1770. [1] [2] It was first published in 1772. [3] The title of the hymn was based on a verse in the Book of Exodus: "I am the God of thy Father, the God of Abraham". [4]
Olivers worked with John Wesley during the time that "The God of Abraham Praise" was written. During the time, he often met with members of London's Jewish community. In 1772, Olivers was attending The Great Synagogue in London and heard Cantor Myer Lyon sing "Yigdal" in Hebrew during a service. Olivers then paraphrased and translated "Yigdal" into English and gave the hymn more of a Christian focus. [5] He then asked Lyon if he could use the Jewish melody for the new hymn. Lyon gave him the music and Olivers named this hymn tune "Leoni" after Lyon. [5] When he showed the new hymn to a friend, he annotated each line with scriptural references from The Bible. [4]
"The God of Abraham Praise" was first published as a leaflet titled "A Hymn to the God of Abraham" in 1772. It was later published nationwide by Wesley in the Methodist hymnal "Sacred Harmony". The hymn later made it to the United States after being published in Joshua Leavitt's "The Christian Lyre". [5] The hymn was composed by Olivers with thirteen verses however later reprints of the hymn omit a number of them [4] with the majority of hymn books using four verses. [5]
In the early 20th century in the United States, "The God of Abraham Praise" was often confused with "Praise To the Living God", another translation of "Yigdal" by Max Landsberg and Newton Mann. Several Presbyterian, Baptist and UCC hymnals misattributed "The God of Abraham Praise" to them instead of Olivers due to William Gannett recasting the work to change the title from "Praise to the Living God" to "The God of Abraham Praise". A number of versions of Methodist hymnals also made the same error until the 1980s. [6]
The Judeo-Christian context of "The God of Abraham Praise" has caused the hymn to be used in interfaith services between Jews and Christians. [7] It has been referred to as "the hymn born in a synagogue". [8]
A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word hymn derives from Greek ὕμνος (hymnos), which means "a song of praise". A writer of hymns is known as a hymnist. The singing or composition of hymns is called hymnody. Collections of hymns are known as hymnals or hymn books. Hymns may or may not include instrumental accompaniment.
A doxology is a short hymn of praises to God in various forms of Christian worship, often added to the end of canticles, psalms, and hymns. The tradition derives from a similar practice in the Jewish synagogue, where some version of the Kaddish serves to terminate each section of the service.
A hymnal or hymnary is a collection of hymns, usually in the form of a book, called a hymnbook. They are used in congregational singing. A hymnal may contain only hymn texts ; written melodies are extra, and more recently harmony parts have also been provided.
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Yigdal is a Jewish hymn which in various rituals shares with Adon 'Olam the place of honor at the opening of the morning and the close of the evening service. It is based on the 13 principles of faith formulated by Maimonides. This was not the only metrical presentment of the Creeds, but it has outlived all others, whether in Hebrew or in the vernacular. A translation can be found in any bilingual siddur.
The Great Synagogue of London was, for centuries, the centre of Ashkenazi synagogue and Jewish life in London. Built north of Aldgate in the 17th century, it was destroyed during World War II, in the Blitz.
A hymn tune is the melody of a musical composition to which a hymn text is sung. Musically speaking, a hymn is generally understood to have four-part harmony, a fast harmonic rhythm, with or without refrain or chorus.
Myer Lyon, better known by his stage name Michael Leoni, was a hazzan at the Great Synagogue of London who achieved fame as a tenor opera singer in London and Dublin, and as the mentor of the singer John Braham.
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Thomas Olivers (1725–1799) was a Methodist preacher and hymn-writer from Tregynon, Montgomeryshire, Wales. He was also author of the Arminian Magazine from 1775 to 1789, when he was dropped from the position by John Wesley for numerous printing errors.
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