Christmas Alliance 1.9: Thou Who Wast Rich Beyond all Splendor

This is a Christmas Alliance post.

One of the strongest songs of the Christmas season, worth considering in Advent, approaching Easter or at any other time of the year as well, is Frank Houghton’s “Thou Who Wast Rich Beyond All Splendour”–truly one of the most powerful lyric expressions of the birth, life and ministry of Christ sung at Christmas, and well-mated to the equally beautiful traditional French tune, usually named ODEUR (or FRAGRENCE) in hymnology texts, the song is “sweet-smelling” indeed to a heart burdened with quotidian cares.

Here’s the text of the first verse, only (Google the song for someone else’s listing–the thing’s still in copyright, so I’ll not feature more than excerpts that Fair use should allow) and a recording of that verse by an unknown (to me) church choir. Don’t let yourself be distracted by the archaic language; just hear the words.

Thou who wast rich beyond all splendour,
All for love’s sake becamest poor;
Thrones for a manger didst surrender,
Sapphire-paved courts for stable floor.
Thou who wast rich beyond all splendour,
All for love’s sake becamest poor.

[audio: http://thirdworldcounty.us//audio/Thou_Who_Wast_Rich_Beyond_All_Splendor_clip.mp3]

mp3 file

Chip Stam has this to say of this hymn:

Serving as Editorial Secretary for the China Inland Mission, Frank Houghton made a trip to China in 1934 to see first-hand the progress of the work. This hymn was written at a particularly difficult time in the history of the missions to China. Missionaries had been captured by the communist Red Army and released in poor health after over a year of suffering. Others had been captured never to be heard from again. In 1934 the young missionaries John and Betty Stam (my great aunt and uncle) were captured in Anhwei and beheaded . The news of these sorrows had reached the mission’s headquarters in Shanghai. Though this was a very dangerous time for both the Chinese Christians and the foreign missionaries, Frank Houghton decided he needed to begin a tour through the country to visit various missionary outposts. While traveling over the mountains of Szechwan, the powerful and comforting words of 2 Corinthians 8:9, “though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor,” were transformed into this beautiful Christmas hymn.

Yeh, a brief cavil: the “old warhorse” choir director would like an hour with that choir amending the singers’ vowells and some consonants as well, in a coupla places. Train out some of the “scooping” of pitches and other minor faults, etc. But I still come back to the recording of this someone handed (sent me in a file) me several years ago every Christmas season… and more than a few times throughout the year, as well.

So, I’m not really “down” on the choir’s performance as much as I just wish I had the4 opportunity to tweak it up a notch. It’s just me. 🙂

Trackposted to Conservative Cat, Outside the Beltway, Adam’s Blog, third world county, The Renaissance Blogger, Planck’s Constant, Blue Star Chronicles, and The Random Yak, with help from Linkfest Haven Deluxe.