107. Go to dark Gethsemane
James Montgomery, 1771-1854
A song of the sufferings and death of Christ.
Gethsemane, the Judgment Hall, and Calvary are successively brought to mind and at each stage there is found in the example of Christ a lesson for his disciples to learn.
The fourth verse in the original poem reads:
Early hasten to the tomb
Where they laid his breathless clay;
All is solitude and gloom;
Who hath taken him away?
Christ is risen! he meets our eyes:
Saviour, teach us so to rise.
For comments on James Montgomery see [Hymn 62].
MUSIC. GETHSEMANE is a dignified tune in the minor mode, well adapted to carry the words of this hymn. It was composed by Christopher Tye (c. 1508-72), a musician and minister in the Anglican Church, of whom a contemporary document says that he is “a doctor of music but not skilful at preaching.” He has been called the “father of the anthem,” having given it a model for others to follow.
For comments on W. H. Monk, who adapted the tune, see [Hymn 40].