Love Divine, All Loves Excelling / Blaenwern
SATB choral/organ score
PEL2107-Choir and Organ
A WORK FOR SATB CHOIR AND ORGAN
With the beloved text by Charles Wesley (1707-1788) on the theme of Christian perfection, "Love Divine, All Loves Excelling" (Blaenweren) is a setting of the William Penfro Rollands (1860-1937) hymn tune, 'Blaenwern'. This hymn tune was selected for the funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022. In Paul Halley's setting, written in the fall of 2022, this hymn tune, though less familiar to North Americans than the more commonly known 'Beecher' by Zundel or the Welsh tune 'Hyfrydol' by Prichard, takes on glorious movement in the choir parts with an intricate, shimmering organ part reminiscent of Halley's setting of "Jesu, the Very Thought of Thee", a favorite of the commission honoree.
Commissioned by First United Methodist Church in Shreveport, Louisiana in celebration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the music ministry of E. Ray Peebles, organist.
Notes
Commissioned by First United Methodist Church in Shreveport, Louisiana in celebration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the music ministry of E. Ray Peebles, organist.
Texts
Love Divine, All Loves Excelling
Words: Charles Wesley (1707-1788)
Music: William Penfro Rollands (1860-1937) 'Blaenwern', arr. Halley (1952-)
Love divine, all loves excelling,
Joy of heaven to earth come down;
Fix in us thy humble dwelling;
All thy faithful mercies crown!
Jesus, thou art all compassion,
Pure unbounded love thou art;
Visit us with Thy salvation,
Enter every trembling heart.
Breathe, O breathe thy loving Spirit
Into every troubled breast!
Let us all in thee inherit;
Let us find that second rest.
Take away our bent to sinning;
Alpha and Omega be;
End of faith, as its beginning,
Set our hearts at liberty.
Come, Almighty to deliver,
Let us all thy life receive;
Suddenly return, and never,
Nevermore thy temples leave.
Thee we would be always blessing,
Serve thee as thy hosts above,
Pray and praise thee without ceasing,
Glory in thy perfect love.
Finish, then, thy new creation;
Pure and spotless let us be;
Let us see thy great salvation
Perfectly restored in thee;
Changed from glory into glory,
Till in heaven we take our place,
Till we cast our crowns before thee,
Lost in wonder, love, and praise.
