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Fr. Scott Bailey, C.Ss.R.'s avatar

While I love so many of the Easter hymns, this is my favorite.

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Kathleen Reeves's avatar

I love this hymn. Many thanks for choosing it.

Do you remember "Christ lag in Todesbanden.?" St Paul's lyrics, of course. But Bach's cantata

naturally. I didn't hear it this year, but highly recommend a wonderful recording with my adored Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau singing the solo part, It cannot be surpassed!

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Debra Esolen's avatar

I will look that up! Our son has been playing Christ lag in Todesbanden" it as a prelude during Easter.

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Jane Hodgins's avatar

Jesus Christ is risen! Alleluia! Happy Easter, Dr. Esolen! Two days ago we sang Come, Ye Faithful, Raise the Strain from the New English Hymnal at St. Thomas More, Toronto's Ordinariate parish. It is a magnificent hymn, which occasionally made me teary. Thank you for illuminating it.

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Debra Esolen's avatar

Happy Easter, Jane! Our Davey has been playing Christ lag in Todesbanden for a prelude and a lovely arrangement of "Thine Be the Glory" by his organ-master teacher for a postlude. You are fortunate in your parish for the music.

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Jane Hodgins's avatar

Fr. John has been retired from STM for over a year and we attend only one Sunday a month when I meet and greet parishioners as it's nowhere near the neighbourhood in which we live now. STM truly is blessed with its music from our Anglican patrimony in the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter. The Ordinariate's great gift to the Catholic Church is our reverent, elegant, liturgy and the often magnificent poetry of the hymns and the music they're set to from The New English Hymnal. Our great gift, of course, given to us by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, is having been invited into full Communion with the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.

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John O'Brien, Jr.'s avatar

He is risen, indeed!

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John O'Brien, Jr.'s avatar

Thanks, Dr. Esolen, for sharing your find of this marvelous hymn, as sung by two spirit-filled choirs. The hymns which you offer to us readers and listeners have the power to lift us, at least for a spell, from the cares and concerns of this mortal, earthbound leg of our journey, to focus on eternity with the One Who graces us with His own beauty, reflected in these hymns. One is left hungering for more.

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Debra Esolen's avatar

Thank you for that kind comment, John. Tony particularly loves this one. I try to find the best choral versions I can to share here (without a pay service). Hungering for more is exactly what the great old hymns leave us doing. I like the fact that the ministry of the writers of these beautiful works continues -- as long as we KEEP singing them!

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John O'Brien, Jr.'s avatar

Dr. Esolen, how does the English Hymnal of 1933 differ from that of 1906 and from the New English Hymnal, published in 1986 (I think)? What is your favorite hymnal?

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