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Brown Claudia's avatar

So Beautiful!! The official singers are superb, but one is also very moved by the "silent" film of the audience members (mostly elderly female) who are singing their hearts out, many with tears in their eyes. I've heard the hymn before, but it is not overly familiar -- obviously a treasure for the Anglicans. (It's so easy to envy their splendid hymn tradition.)

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Debra Esolen's avatar

Claudia, that's one reason I chose this version. The singers in the audience! They were unable to help singing along. I saw a good number of older men singing, too. As for the Anglicans, I envy their hymn tradition and imitate it to the small extent open to me. This hymn (not in the 1940) is a real treasure.

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

Throughout my teens and early twenties I sang in the parish choir and we sang this anthem every Palm Sunday. It was a tradition that started well before I joined the choir. I don’t know if they have continued it. I also recall the first time I heard it in the 1936 movie “San Francisco” sung by Jeanette MacDonald.

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Debra Esolen's avatar

Now, Father! You have me looking for a movie I've never seen to hear Jeanette MacDonald sing this one song! Thank you!

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Katey Utterback's avatar

Very heart-stirring! I don’t think in all my years of being first a Protestant and then a Catholic that I have ever heard this rousing anthem. Thank-you!

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Fr. Roger Boucher's avatar

Yes. It has the ardor of a living faith. I heard it sung as a boy in the Methodist church next door. And our student choir director/organist/ (very accomplished) performed this, with choir, 4 years ago. If we had the critical mass in pews I would sing this at least three times during the Easter Season. Thank you for this selection.

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Debra Esolen's avatar

Father, the hymn was my choice for this week, and you will notice (sneaky me) that I found a version with "audience participation;" I so love clips with people sing from the audience. For Mass, this requires a choir or some strong male voices, I think. But perhaps (if the Lord permits) Davey can learn it as a prelude or postlude for a future day. <3

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Fr. Roger Boucher's avatar

This was a great version. I too like when people are joining in, sometimes a tear.

Yes. By all means, Davey will be good on this one especially. Advent and Easter season would be perfect for its use. ---The REUNION begins Saturday and I intend to accept the invitation to sit in. I wish you all were still here for it. We missed Davey and you all this past weekend......it was a 'low mass'......no music. Enjoy NS. Envy!

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Anthony Esolen's avatar

It's a tremendous anthem -- maybe for the recessional?

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Fr. Roger Boucher's avatar

Exactly!

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Marilyn Lundberg Melzian's avatar

I have sung this! Very stirring, I cried when I listened to it (for joy).

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Debra Esolen's avatar

It is a triumphant and joyous song!

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Gary Thrift's avatar

Powerful! Loved the audience participation.

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Debra Esolen's avatar

Gary, so did I. Couldn't resist using this version because of that.

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John O'Brien, Jr.'s avatar

Moving, phenomenal rendition of this paean to Christ and His Jerusalem, Old and New. Thanks for posting the version conducted by Andre Rieu, who is new to me. I see that he is an amazing violinist and conductor of choral and orchestral performances of many traditional hymns, including "Nearer My God to Thee" (https://youtu.be/7yRC1VJsCk8) and "Amazing Grace" (https://youtu.be/-GD-5mRyaJw?list=RD-GD-5mRyaJw).

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Debra Esolen's avatar

Andre Rieu was so fabulous, and every recording I have ever seen of him is splendid. Thank you for sharing the link.

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Amy De Rosa's avatar

Wow. Inspiring. And people in the audience knew the words!

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Debra Esolen's avatar

They did, and they SANG!

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Mark Maxfield's avatar

I never heard this song before......really like the lyrics, though the style of singing has never really appealed to me.......

My immediate thought, upon seeing the subject line in the email, was a different song, titled 'Jerusalem', a poem by William Blake put to the tune 'God Save The Queen (King)'............deals with a legend of Jesus having visited England with his uncle?, Joseph of Arimathea...

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Anthony Esolen's avatar

That comes from the Grail legends: Joseph of Arimathea was to have sailed to England with his son, the bishop Josephus, and converted King Mordrain ... The Arthur legends (Arthur is a Celtic name) seem to spring from the historical event, when Hengest and Horsa and their Saxon hordes invaded England and pushed the Roman / Celtic Christians into the mountains of Wales. The Welsh word for England is LLOEGR (think: Logres, in the Arthur stories), and their word for English is SAESNEG (that is, SAXON).

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Mark Maxfield's avatar

The question remains, though...

DID those feet, in ancient times, walk upon England's mountains.........(smile)

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