We Gather Together | |
---|---|
![]() Wilt heden nu treden, pagina 145 | |
Native name | Wilt heden nu treden |
Occasion | Thanksgiving |
Text | Adrianus Valerius |
Language | Dutch |
"We Gather Together" is a Christian hymn of Dutch origin written in 1597 by Adrianus Valerius as "Wilt heden nu treden" to celebrate the Dutch victory over Spanish forces in the Battle of Turnhout. It was originally set to a Dutch folk tune. In the United States, it is popularly associated with Thanksgiving Day and is often sung at family meals and at religious services on that day.
At the time the hymn was written, the Dutch were engaged in a war of national liberation against the Catholic King Philip II of Spain. "Wilt heden nu treden," "We gather together" resonated because under the Spanish King, Dutch Protestants were forbidden to gather for worship. The hymn first appeared in print in a 1626 collection of Dutch folk and patriotic songs, Neder-landtsche Gedenck-Clanck by Adriaen Valerius.
In anglophone hymnology, the tune is known as "Kremser", from Eduard Kremser's 1877 score arrangement and lyric translation of Wilt Heden Nu Treden into Latin and German. The modern English text was written by Theodore Baker in 1894.
According to the Hymn Society in the United States and Canada, "We Gather Together's" first appearance in an American hymnal was in 1903.[ citation needed ] It had retained popularity among the Dutch, and when the Dutch Reformed Church in North America decided in 1937 to abandon the policy that they had brought with them to the New World in the 17th century of singing only psalms and add hymns to the church service, "We Gather Together" was chosen as the first hymn in the first hymnal. [1]
A different translation under the first line We Praise Thee, O God, Our Redeemer, Creator was translated by J.B.C. Cory (1882-1963). [2]
The hymn steadily gained popularity, especially in services of Thanksgiving on such occasions as town and college centennial celebrations. According to Carl Daw, executive director of the Hymn Society, the "big break" came in 1935 when it was included in the national hymnal of the Methodist-Episcopal Church. [1]
According to Michael Hawn, professor of sacred music at Southern Methodist University's Perkins School of Theology, "by World War I, we started to see ourselves in this hymn," and the popularity increased during World War II, when "the wicked oppressing" were understood to include Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. [1]
This hymn is often sung at American churches the Sunday before Thanksgiving.
This hymn was sung at the Opening of the Funeral Mass for Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. The West Wing episode "Shibboleth" (season 2, episode 8 "Shibboleth") alluded to the hymn, and it was played in the episode's final scene (performed by the Cedarmont Kids.) [3]
The hymn is also usually sung by the Quartermaine family on the American soap opera General Hospital's annual Thanksgiving episode.
Note that the English lyrics do not translate the Dutch. The Dutch third stanza is in the republishing 1871 only in the footnote on page 41, not in the sheet, because it was not good enough. Therefore, it is not in all lyrics.
Valerius, 1626 [4]
Dutch original
Wilt heden Nu treden Voor God den Heere;
Hem boven Al loven,, Van herten seer,,
End’ maken groot syns lieven naemens eere,
Die daer nu onsen vyand slaet ter neer.
Ter eeren,, ons Heeren,, Wilt al u dagen,
Dit wonder,, bysonder,, gedencken toch.
Maeckt u o mensch! voor God steets wel te dragen,
Doet yder recht, en wacht u voor bedrog.
D’arg-losen,, den boosen,, om yet te vinden,
Loopt driesschen, En briesschen gelyck een Leeu,
Soeckende wie hy wreedelyck verslinden,
Of geven mocht een doodelycke preeu.
Bid, waket,, End’ maket, Dat g’in bekoring,
End’ ’tquade,, Met schade,, Toch niet en valt.
U vroomheyt brengt de vyand tot verstoring,
Alwaer syn ryck noch eens soo sterck bewalt.
Theodore Baker, 1894
Verse 1:
We gather together to ask the Lord's blessing;
He chastens and hastens His will to make known.
The wicked oppressing now cease from distressing.
Sing praises to His Name; He forgets not His own.
Verse: 2
Beside us to guide us, our God with us joining,
Ordaining, maintaining His kingdom divine;
So from the beginning the fight we were winning;
Thou, Lord, were at our side, all glory be Thine!
Verse 3:
We all do extol Thee, Thou Leader triumphant,
And pray that Thou still our Defender will be.
Let Thy congregation escape tribulation;
Thy Name be ever praised! O Lord, make us free!
Paul Sjolund, 1984 [5]
additional verse added in "Festival Hymn of Thanksgiving" arrg.
Verse 4:
With voices United, our praises we offer,
To thee in thanksgiving, glad anthems we raise.
Thy strong arm will guide us,
For thou art beside us,
to Father, Son, and Spirit, forever be praised!
—
Julia Bulkley Cady (1882–1963), 1902 [6]
We praise thee, O God, our Redeemer, Creator,
In grateful devotion our tribute we bring.
We lay it before thee, we kneel and adore thee,
We bless thy holy name, glad praises we sing.
We worship thee, God of our fathers, we bless thee;
[... complete 3 stanza]
Herman Brueckner (1866–1942), 1918? [7]
Translation of Joseph Weyl, 1877
Catholic Version:
We gather together to sing the Lord’s praises
To worship the Father through Jesus, His Son.
In this celebration
All sing with jubilation.
We are His holy people whose freedom He won.
We greet our Lord present within this assembly
To hear His good news announced clearly to all.
Our priest is presiding
In Christ we are abiding
As we invoke God’s blessing and answer His call
Jehovah's Witnesses Version
We gather to worship Jehovah, the righteous,
Who verily sitteth in Judgment severe;
The good by the evil shall not overpowered,
The Lord will prevent it, our prayer He will hear.
Amid the great conflict He ever stood by us,
[... complete 3 stanza] (There are also mixed versions with Baker)
As Sung in the Congregational Church in Connecticut in the 1950s:
Verse 3
We all do extol thee our leader in Battle And pray that thou still our defender wilt be. Let thy congregation escape tribulation. Thy name be ever praised, and thy people be free.
"For All the Saints" was written as a processional hymn by William Walsham How, who was ultimately the Anglican Bishop of Wakefield. The hymn was first printed in Hymns for Saints' Days, and Other Hymns, by Earl Nelson, 1864.
A Collection of Sacred Hymns, for the Church of the Latter Day Saints. was the first hymnal of the Latter Day Saint movement. It was published in 1835 by the Church of the Latter Day Saints.
Cwm Rhondda is a popular hymn tune written by John Hughes (1873–1932) in 1907. The name is taken from the Welsh name for the Rhondda Valley.
A grace is a short prayer or thankful phrase said before or after eating. The term most commonly refers to Christian traditions. Some traditions hold that grace and thanksgiving imparts a blessing which sanctifies the meal. In English, reciting such a prayer is sometimes referred to as "saying grace". The term comes from the Ecclesiastical Latin phrase gratiarum actio, "act of thanks." Theologically, the act of saying grace is derived from the Bible, in which Jesus and Saint Paul pray before meals. The practice reflects the belief that humans should thank God who is believed to be the origin of everything.
"Just as I Am" is a Christian hymn, written by Charlotte Elliott in 1835, first appearing in the Christian Remembrancer, of which Elliott became the editor in 1836. The final verse is taken from Elliott's Hours of Sorrow Cheered and Comforted (1836).
A Christian child's prayer is Christian prayer recited primarily by children that is typically short, rhyming, or has a memorable tune. It is usually said before bedtime, to give thanks for a meal, or as a nursery rhyme. Many of these prayers are either quotes from the Bible, or set traditional texts.
Adrianus Valerius, also known as Adriaen Valerius, was a Dutch poet and composer, known mostly for his poems dealing with peasant and burgher life and those dealing with the Dutch War of Independence, assembled in his great work Neder-landtsche gedenck-clanck.
"Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" is a Christian hymn written by the pastor and hymnodist Robert Robinson, who penned the words in the year 1758 at the age of 22.
"For the Beauty of the Earth" is a Christian hymn by Folliott S. Pierpoint (1835-1917).
Psalm 108 is the 108th psalm in the Book of Psalms. It is a hymn psalm, beginning in English in the King James Version: "O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory". In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint version of the bible, and in the Latin Vulgate, this psalm is Psalm 107. In Latin, it is known as "Paratum cor meum Deus". It is attributed to David.
"Come, Ye Thankful People, Come" is an English Christian harvest festival hymn written in 1844 by Henry Alford. It is most often sung to the tune St. George's Windsor by George Job Elvey.
"The Hymn of Joy" is a poem written by Henry van Dyke in 1907 in being a Vocal Version of the famous "Ode to Joy" melody of the final movement of Ludwig van Beethoven's final symphony, Symphony No. 9.
Psalm 65 is the 65th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Sion: and unto thee shall the vow be performed". In the slightly different numbering system of the Greek Septuagint version of the Bible and the Latin Vulgate, this psalm is Psalm 64. In Latin, it is known as "Te decet hymnus Deus in Sion et tibi reddetur votum in Hierusalem".
"Come Thou Almighty King" is a Christian hymn of unknown authorship, which is attributed to Charles Wesley by Victorian and Edwardian hymnologists, but whose authorship is predominantly stated as "anonymous" in modern hymnals.
"All Glory, Laud and Honour" is an English translation by the Anglican clergyman John Mason Neale of the Latin hymn "Gloria, laus et honor", which was written by Theodulf of Orléans in 820. It is a Palm Sunday hymn, based on Matthew 21:1–11 and the occasion of Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
"Crown Him with Many Crowns" is an 1851 hymn with lyrics written by Matthew Bridges and Godfrey Thring and sung to the tune 'Diademata' by Sir George Job Elvey. The hymn appears in many hymnals.
"Bring Flowers of the Rarest" is a Marian hymn written by Mary E. Walsh. It was published as the "Crowning Hymn" in the Wreath of Mary 1871/1883 and later in St. Basil's Hymnal (1889). The hymn is frequently sung during a May Crowning service, one of several May devotions to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
"Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr" is an early Lutheran hymn, with text and melody attributed to Nikolaus Decius. With the reformers intending church service in German, it was intended as a German version of the Gloria part of the Latin mass, used in almost every service. Decius wrote three stanzas, probably in 1523, while a fourth was added, probably by Joachim Slüter.
Attende, Domine is a Christian liturgical chant for the season of Lent, referred to in English as the Lent Prose matching Rorate caeli which is known as the Advent prose. The themes of this hymn are the sinfulness of man and the mercy of God, a theological concept emphasised during Lent.