24. Father, we praise Thee
Gregory the Great, 540-604
Tr. Percy Dearmer, 1867-1936
The original of this morning hymn is attributed to Gregory the Great, Pope Gregory I, a sincere man, devoted to missions and reforms within the church, and one of the greatest of the line of Popes. The date of his election to the papacy, A.D. 590, is usually given by church historians as the end of the period of the Ancient Church and the beginning of the period of the Middle Ages—a witness to the importance of Gregory. A man of unblemished character and statesmanlike wisdom, he had a noble vision and ambition for Christianity and took a keen interest in the ritual and music of the church. Though not original or scholarly, he was a voluminous writer and had much influence in his time. He sent out missionaries, such as Augustine to England, and labored incessantly to purify and strengthen the church, care for its poor, and bring Christianity to the heathen. Gregory was particularly interested in the music of the church; and the “Gregorian Chants,” many of them composed by him, became the basis of cathedral music for a thousand years. He did away with certain embellishments which had crept in through the influence of Ambrose, and inaugurated the use of the solemn, stately chants which bear his name.
The translation of this hymn is by Percy Dearmer, an English hymnologist and clergyman who became Canon of Westminster, London, in 1931. He edited Songs of Praise, adopted widely in England for use in churches and public schools.
MUSIC. CHRISTI SANCTORUM is a tune of uncertain origin taken from a book by Francois de la Feillée, entitled Methode du Plain Chant, published in 1782. The melody, easily within range of all voices, is well adapted for unison singing. It is most effective when sung somewhat slowly. Though the tune appears in a book of plainsong, the melody has rhythm and is measured, and has none of the characteristics of a plainsong.