Without any fuss today I give you two hymns to listen on this Holy Saturday. The first, “Give Me Jesus,” is an American spiritual which is now a great favorite of church and general choirs around the world. The hymn’s origins are uncertain, but it was first published by Jacob Knapp, a Baptist minister, in 1841, and was broadly adopted and adapted for choral use during the second half of the 19th century, particularly among African American congregations, whose influence is powerful in the versions which are most popular today. Our version is sung by The American Boys’ Choir from St. Olaf’s.
The second hymn, sung by Tennessee Ernie Ford, is “The Old Rugged Cross.” The hymn was written by George Bennard and was first performed in his home church, Pokagon Methodist, in 1913. Our recording is from an early episode of Ford’s popular television program, which Mr. Ford always ended with a hymn. He sang it again as the last of a roundup of hymns which he performed as the finale to the final episode of his show, in 1961. Then, he called it “perhaps the most-loved hymn of all time.”
A blessed Easter to you all from the Esolen family.
Word & Song by Anthony Esolen is an online magazine devoted to reclaiming the good, the beautiful, and the true. We publish six essays each week, on words, classic hymns, poems, films, and popular songs, as well a weekly podcast for paid subscribers, Poetry Aloud or Anthony Esolen Speaks. Paid subscribers also receive audio-enhanced posts and access to our full archive and to comments and discussions. To support this project, please join us as a free or paid subscriber. We value all of our subscribers, and we thank you for reading Word and Song!
https://certumindeo.wordpress.com/2023/04/08/limbo-a-poem-by-sr-mary-ada-christs-decent-into-hell/ And, Team Esolen, forgive me! I can't remember if you have done this Limbo poem. I love it.
Fernando Ortega does a version of Give Me Jesus that is poignant, humble, and heartfelt....the St Olaf version is a whole nother kind of wonderful! (Mrs. Purbaugh, 7th-grade grammar teacher, please forgive me for what I did in that sentence.)🙂
Christ is risen! Glory to God.