This video posted by Le Reveil De Montreal features fifty of the most beloved gospel hymns of all time. You can enjoy this video in its entirety by following this link here. Enjoy classics like How Great Thou Art, It is Well With My Soul, Blessed Assurance and many, many others.
History of Blessed Assurance
While it would be interesting to investigate the history behind each and every hymn in this video, time does not allow this. We can look at one, though, that being "Blessed Assurance." Composer Phoebe Knapp came up with the melody of the song and asked Fanny Crosby, "what does this tune say to you?" With that invitation, Crosby spouted out what is now one of the most beloved hymns of all time. From her soul came "Blessed assurance, Jesus
Even though there is only one scene in this novel that involves a church, hymn music is one of the most prominent themes in Cold Mountain. Even more surprisingly, Frazier’s usage of hymn music throughout the novel is very accurate. Hymn music during the Civil War was extremely important to the Christian churches as well as to society as a whole. Religious music was a wonderful representation of the values and culture of the times (Squire 237). It is through hymns during the Civil War that values and culture are passed down. The hymns of Monroe’s church caused Ada to grow...
Lutheran hymns were not just songs of worship, but were a method to spread their propaganda and hatred about the Roman Church. The more the people sung these hymns, the more they conformed to the views of the Lutheran Church. These hymns were intended to incite feelings of anger and outrage toward the Roman Church, as well as to compare the Roman Church with Satan.
..., but still pleads for God to "take me in" (ll. 41), and promises to "pay...in happiness" for mercy. Once again, the speaker demonstrates the same desires for physical treasures that he expresses in the first stanza as he asks God to "give mine eye / A peephole there to see bright glory's chases" (ll. 39-40). Even in the God's kingdom, the speaker reveals his humanity as he focuses on ornamentation which starkly contrasts with God's divinity as He has the ability to show love even for sinners.
In the great song of praise to God for his triumph over the Whore of Babylon[5] in chapter 19 of the New Testament Book of Revelation, the Greek word ἀλληλούϊα (allēluia), a transliteration of the same Hebrew word, appears four times, as an expression of praise rather than an exhortation to praise.[6] In English translations this is mostly rendered as "Hallelujah",[7] but as "Alleluia" in several translations,[8] while a few have "Praise the Lord",[9] "Praise God",[10] "Praise our God",[11] or "Thanks to our God".[12]
The choir opened with “I Sing the Greatness of Our God” by Fred Bock and words by Isaac Watts. This piece began with the organ playing the melody softly in triple meter. The choir came in on an off beat and sang a homorhythmic arch contour. The choir began softly and crescendoed quickly. After the introduction, the first verse was sung alternating between the men and women, they started out acapella. The choir came back together and sang the chorus of the song in unison and crescendoed with the organ until they were singing fortissimo. This piece had an overall allegro tempo and had a generally repetitive theme. It was apparent that
This piece is called As Vesta was Descending, composed by English composer Thomas Weelkes. He was best known for his madrigals and church music. The madrigals first started in Italy in 1520, it was at this time that Italian poetry became very popular. Madrigals were composed to illustrate the words through the use of word painting. Madrigals were a secular vocal work which included anywhere from 3-8 voices and they were usually sung a cappella. Work painting is defined as the musical pictorialization of words from the text as an expressive device. (http://www.superglossary.com/Glossary/Entertainment/Music/Word_Painting.html) Not much is known about the early stages of Weelke’s life but many of his madrigals have survived. Thomas Weelkes was the organist at Winchester College till he was fired for being intoxicated frequently then went on to be the organist at Chichester Cathedral. Weelkes was very well known for his impressive madrigals, anthems, and all the music that he composed for the Church of England. Weelkes’s madrigals are still used today in Christian services; the one being...
Today Christmas remains the most popular season to celebrate with carols. America has birthed her own collection of Christmas carols, although one will find these more modern 20th century carols to have much less of a connection with religion, if any at all, than the older European carols. A wide variety of carols form various geographic areas and eras continue to be sung by choirs and vocal ensembles, in churches, and for various forms of entertainment. There have even been instrumental arrangements and contemporary renditions of many of the older carols. Although in many ways the carol has been modernized, especially in the American culture, the beautiful simplicity and antiquity of the music, as well as the remarkable history and tradition they imply, cannot be ignored.
Music plays a very large role in religion and worship, inside and outside of the church. Within church, hymns and various spiritual songs are used as an emotional way to connect with God and each other. Spiritual music can also be used as a way for people to memorize scripture, particularly for younger children. Church music comes in many different forms, some have musical instruments, some use more modern music, some have choirs, some use tapes, and others just use the voices of the congregation. No matter what the form or style of music, it plays an integral role within churches. Outside of the church, people use spiritual music to express their love and devotion. Every genre of music has a Christian sector, even metal or alternative. The varying modern genres of Christian music tend to appeal to a younger crowd and allows them to find their own way and express individualism within Christianity.
Every religion embodies a plethora of recognized rituals that are significant to its teachings. Customs exclusive to each religion can include acts such as: attending a weekly mass, praying five times a day at specified hours, celebrating the transition from childhood to manhood, along with endless others. The similarity shared amongst all religious rituals is that the follower of faith must believe whole-heartedly in what he/she is doing or saying. Dhikr, or the remembrance of God, is a ritual based in Islam that does not receive the attention it deserves from mainstream Muslims, and is highly under appreciated for its value (Robson 238). Its myriad versions allow it to be very personal, whereas other rituals are more structured, which is
Crosby, Fanny, S. T. Kimbrough Jr., and Carlton R. Young. Blessed Assurance: Hymns Of Fanny J. Crosby. Singapore: Global Music and Media Productions, 2008. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials. Web. 25 Nov. 2014
As I reflect on spiritual disciplines it is easy for me to look at them and weed out the ones that I do not think apply to me and the ones that I am drawn towards. But as I press into God and ask him what he sees fit and what I need more of, the picture begins to looks different than what I thought I saw before. Since I am so obviously human, I would rather see my life through a different more accurate lens than one that is tainted and imperfect like those of my human eyes. When I look at my life spiritually it is easy for me to see the spiritual disciplines that just come naturally to me such as worship and service. Since I know that those are areas of my faith that I thrive in, I tend to gravitate towards those to try and satisfy my spiritual life but I leave other parts to suffer. I want to gain better understanding of my faith and ultimately cultivate a deeper relationship with the Father.
Music has been relevant in Christianity since its beginnings. Some of the first music was written in Latin and they were called Hymns. “Hymn is a song of praise” (Van Camp) and were sung only by catholic churches. When Martin Luther led the Protestant Reformation and helped create Protestant Christianity, he began translating hymns into German. All around Europe people were translating hymns into different languages. These translations were brought over by European settlers coming to America and were used frequently in both Catholic and Protestant churches.
Instrumental music in worship can be used to tell the story of God’s love. Typically worship
Then the missionaries burst into song. It was one of those gay and rollicking tunes of evangelism which had the ...
For any Christian, one of the most important questions a person can ever answer is, “How does a Believer know that they are for sure a Christian?” All Believers needs to have the assurance of their salvation. Finding the answer to this question brings confidence and contentment to the Believer’s life. Sadly, many people live their lives never really having an answer to this question. However, the Word of God is the starting point to find this assurance.