Seeking maritime hymns

Subject: Seeking maritime hymns
From: Haruo
Date: 02 Jul 12 - 02:39 PM

I'm planning a hymn-sing focusing on maritime themes for early next year, and am interested in finding material for it. We have, of course, the Navy Hymn and the Seamen's Hymn, and Crossing the Bar, and "Will Your Anchor Hold" and "My Anchor Holds", and "Haven of Rest", and the two "Sailor's Prayers"; what else? "The Old Ship of Zion", I suppose...

Subject: RE: Seeking maritime hymns
From: Jack Campin
Date: 02 Jul 12 - 03:09 PM

Hear Us O Lord From Heaven Thy Dwelling Place:

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/h/e/hearusol.htm

Subject: RE: Seeking maritime hymns
From: Sandy Mc Lean
Date: 02 Jul 12 - 03:12 PM

Well Mudcat's own iconic Kendall Morse sets the bar for me with this one. I am unsure of the correct title but will call it:
The Lights Along The Shore

Subject: RE: Seeking maritime hymns
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 02 Jul 12 - 03:16 PM

Jesus, savior pilot me

Written by a minister (or church musician) who ministered to seamen in New York City, 19th C.

Subject: RE: Seeking maritime hymns
From: GUEST,mg
Date: 02 Jul 12 - 03:29 PM

Beautiful old catholic one called Star of the Sea..shine on our pathway oh star ofthe sea. Lots of Catholic churches near the sea are called Star of the Sea. Also an old Sicilian or Portugeuse hymn or song became Catholic hymn but words are not maritime..Oh Sanctissima.

Does Lord above send down a dove with beak as sharp as razors count? mg

Subject: RE: Seeking maritime hymns
From: kendall
Date: 02 Jul 12 - 03:33 PM

Thanks, Sandy. This has always been my favorite.

Subject: RE: Seeking maritime hymns
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 02 Jul 12 - 06:13 PM

The various fishermen's choirs around the coast of Britain have their own repertoires of seamen's hymns. Try Googling Filey Fishermen's Choir.

Subject: RE: Seeking maritime hymns
From: Haruo
Date: 02 Jul 12 - 06:55 PM

Thanks, folks! Keep it up!

I also intend to include Father Mapple's psalm from Moby Dick, The ribs and terrors in the whale, but am looking for a good tune for it; am leaning towards CHESTER at the moment. JERUSALEM (Parry) seemed just a bit much, and while OLD 100TH works well, it's just too ordinary. Other suggestions welcome (it's an LM (8.8.8.8) text).

Subject: RE: Seeking maritime hymns
From: Haruo
Date: 02 Jul 12 - 07:03 PM

Yes, Mary, Tom Lewis's is one of the two "Sailor's Prayers" I referred to. Not a sentiment to be encouraged, but doubtless a prayer meant to the very marrow.

Subject: RE: Seeking maritime hymns
From: Jack Campin
Date: 02 Jul 12 - 07:12 PM

Haruo - one tune that comes to mind is "Ye Mariners All", from the Penguin Book of English Folksongs. There can't be many hymns in 5/4...

Subject: RE: Seeking maritime hymns
From: Haruo
Date: 02 Jul 12 - 07:40 PM

This is the other "Sailor's Prayer" I was referring to; I think Lewis is more congregationally apt if less ecclesially PC.

Subject: RE: Seeking maritime hymns
From: Haruo
Date: 02 Jul 12 - 07:48 PM

A couple of versions of the Lewis Prayer:
BOOM w/ Tom Lewis
Pyrates Royale

Subject: RE: Seeking maritime hymns
From: Charley Noble
Date: 02 Jul 12 - 07:50 PM

Haruo-

Here's a West Indies one that my sea music group Roll & Go just recorded, "Sail O Believers": click here for lyrics and MP3 Sample!

There are also links to notes on the song.

While you're at the same Roll & Go website you might also check out "Saturday Night at Sea."

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Seeking maritime hymns
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 03 Jul 12 - 01:55 AM

the beautiful hymn 'Now the Day is Over' has one reference:

Grant to little children
Visions bright of Thee;
Guard the sailors tossing
On the deep, blue sea.

It would make a moving final song.

Subject: RE: Seeking maritime hymns
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 03 Jul 12 - 10:28 AM

The Pilot.

Subject: RE: Seeking maritime hymns
From: GUEST,slomo
Date: 03 Jul 12 - 12:18 PM

I lead the Men of Staithes, which is in effect one of the fishermen's choirs mentioned by Steve earlier in the thread. We sing a lot of maritime hymns, including several of those mentioned above. I don't have time right now to look out the titles, but I'll come back later in the evening with a list. Incidentally, the beautiful hymn mentioned by Sandy earlier (also my favourite) has the title Let the Lower Lights be Burning in the Sankey hymnbook.

Subject: RE: Seeking maritime hymns
From: Haruo
Date: 03 Jul 12 - 01:14 PM

Thanks, slomo, looking forward to your list.

Subject: RE: Seeking maritime hymns
From: alex s
Date: 03 Jul 12 - 02:51 PM

I went to school in a small fishing village and we regularly sang "For those in peril on the sea" for all the dads, uncles and cousins out on the North Sea. It still makes me shiver to hear it to this day.

Subject: RE: Seeking maritime hymns
From: GUEST,slomo
Date: 03 Jul 12 - 04:54 PM

OK here we go

Jesus Saviour Pilot Me                
Peace, be Still!                
Who Will Man the Lifeboat?                
Sailing Home                
I Know Who Pilots Me                
Pilot Me                
Anchored at Last                
Brightly Beams                
Will Your Anchor Hold                
The Pilot's Psalm                
Pull for the Shore                
Beyond the Sea                
Jesus at Thy Command                
He Threw Out the Lifeline                
The Cornish Fishermen's Hymn                
Calm is the Sea                
The Haven of Rest                
Haven                
I Will Pilot Thee                
Send the Light                
I'll Stand by Until the Morning                
Oh Stand the Storm                
Safe Within the Vail                
Who Will Our Pilot Be?                
A Little Ship                
Homeward Bound

Subject: RE: Seeking maritime hymns
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 03 Jul 12 - 05:01 PM

I went to West Dock Avenue School in Hull opposite the Fish Dock and we sang 'Eternal Father' regularly as trawlers and hands were always being lost in the 50s. It sends a shiver through me also, but mainly through pride and thankfulness for all those who returned.

Subject: RE: Seeking maritime hymns
From: GUEST,slomo
Date: 03 Jul 12 - 05:09 PM

Sorry Haruo. My previous post finished abruptly when it shouldn't have done. It should have said at the bottom that we do a mixture of maritime hymns, songs and shanties, but we finish every performance with a rousing rendition of Sailing Home. Most of those hymns can be found in one or other of the various online hymnbooks. The Filey Fishermen's Choir do a lot more that we don't do, so if you need more get back to me and I'll get some from Filey. Good luck.

Subject: RE: Seeking maritime hymns
From: GUEST,henryp
Date: 03 Jul 12 - 05:51 PM

Row On; The text is in Gale Huntington's Songs The Whalemen Sang, from the logbook of the whaleship Three Brothers, Nantucket, 1846. English singer Tim Laycock gave it a tune.

Row on, row on, another day
May shine with brighter light
Ply, ply the oars and pull away
There's dawn beyond the night

Subject: RE: Seeking maritime hymns
From: Haruo
Date: 03 Jul 12 - 11:52 PM

Thanks all, and especially slomo, good list, but by all means if you can get more from Filey go for it, the more the merrier. After all, even if I can't use them all this time, a thread like this can be a useful resource for future queriers, moreso as folks add more content.

Haruo

Subject: RE: Seeking maritime hymns
From: Joe Offer
Date: 04 Jul 12 - 12:07 AM

Blessed Quietness is a good one, as is Whitby Fisherman, the song Bill Sables built from "Quietness."

-Joe-

Subject: RE: Seeking maritime hymns
From: GUEST,Psychomorris
Date: 04 Jul 12 - 06:25 AM

You could do no wrong by Jon Hislops 'Lifeboat Prayer' Jon Hislop lives in Cornwall and is an extremely good song writer. I think he has a web site.

Subject: RE: Seeking maritime hymns
From: Haruo
Date: 04 Jul 12 - 11:34 AM

I haven't listened to Bill's version of the tune (Whitby Fisherman) yet, but I'm wondering if he simply uses the refrain; this would possibly account in part for your (Joe's) description, "The tune ... is here (click) at the Cyber Hymnal, but it doesn't sound quite like Bill sings it. He sings it slower and more softly, and his rendition of the tune is a bit different." The original text is what we hymnal-editor types call "87.87 w/ Refrain", while Bill's text is "87.87 D w/ Refrain".

Looks very usable, I could see doing a couple verses of each intermingled, or both separately. Or just one or the other. The playlist is still completely open.

Subject: RE: Seeking maritime hymns
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 04 Jul 12 - 12:17 PM

"The Canadian Boat Song," Thomas Moore.
Jim Dixon posted the lyrics in thread 35398.

More than one Canadian Boat Song, but the Moore poem is closest to a hymn.
"We'll sing at St. Ann's our parting hymn."

As noted in the same thread, five pages of music were printed in The Odeon, 1837.
I will scan the music, if you would like a copy.

Subject: RE: Seeking maritime hymns
From: Haruo
Date: 04 Jul 12 - 12:22 PM

Sure! Email it here or post a link.

Subject: RE: Seeking maritime hymns
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 04 Jul 12 - 12:48 PM

I found the 1848 edition of "The Odeon" on line, with the same music, pp. 272-276, Canadian Boat Song.
An interesting collection, "Secular." Index on p. XL.

Saves me scanning.

Subject: RE: Seeking maritime hymns
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 04 Jul 12 - 01:04 PM

An interesting one, seems to have been in demand in 1820s-1840s as more than one printer issued it. Could not find a musical score.

"The Sailor's Hymn."
"Composed by two (three) sailors: Cast adrift on a Desert Island, in the South sea."

You sons of the main that sail over the flood,
Whose sins large as mountains have reached up to God,
Remember the short voyage of life will soon end,
So now brother sailors make Jesus your friend.

Etc.

Copies at the Bodleian.

Subject: RE: Seeking maritime hymns
From: mg
Date: 04 Jul 12 - 06:19 PM

Somewhat hymnlike by Phil Coulter
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_3lNWkOLZE a star of the sea song

And of course, the original Ave Maris Stella..which I have actually never heard sung, but supposedly St. Bridgid of Sweden was told that if people sang this together their prayers would be answered..I think especially in danger on the seas..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQir6-RcL1g&feature=related

No idea if this is the proper tune or not...mg

Subject: RE: Seeking maritime hymns
From: Haruo
Date: 04 Jul 12 - 06:39 PM

Thanks, Q and Mary.

I just put links to the PDFs of my past hymn-sings' overheads here. You can see that my approach is fairly eclectic, so that virtually anything that has been suggested would be within the realm of imaginable inclusivity. So "somewhat hymnlike" is probably close enough. And I'm as prone to "improper" tunes as to the "proper", though I tend to favor things that relatively untutored singers can join in on at first exposure. (Sometimes what people find "easy" or "hard" surprises me, for example in the Shepherd program even my accompanists, let alone the congregation, had real difficulty "getting" the tune. Maybe it was something to do with my notation?)

Haruo

Subject: RE: Seeking maritime hymns
From: Haruo
Date: 16 Jul 12 - 01:03 PM

Here are some suggestions that have come in from the United Methodist Music Facebook group:

Joyce Gaines: The Navy Hymn, "Eternal Father, Strong to Save," is a beautiful hymn and prayer. The music is by Rev. John B. Dykes with words by William Whiting. ... "The Good Old Gospel Ship" and "Peace, Be Still" (from the Cokesbury) also follow the theme. ...

Scott Spencer: "Blue Boat Home"

Taylor Watson Burton-Edwards: Here are several ways forward... Use our "Reverse Lectionary" to find the Church calendar dates when particular scriptures citing the theme you're looking for are used. The "Reverse Lectionary" is here:
Then, go to those dates or those weeks in our Lectionary Planning Helps (we've got everything posted for the past three years) and look at the hymn suggestions for that week. Our Lectionary Planning Helps page is here: When you get there, just look in the left column for the year you need (we have archives there as well!). Our Lectionary Hymns helps include a wide variety of official and unofficial UM hymn sources.
Or... use the texts you find there on textweek.com or other lectionary-related sites to find texts and tunes
Or... use the topic or the scripture references to look up songs in The Hymnary-- an online database of just about every hymnal published in the last 200 years, here:
United Methodist Book of Worship Scripture Readings Listed According to the Books of the Bible | GBO www.gbod.org General Board of Discipleship

Leland Bryant Ross Good idea. I hadn't thought of using the lectionary in reverse like that (I always consult it, at Vanderbilt, when planning special music for a Sunday service). Thanks, TWBE.

Taylor Watson Burton-Edwards: That's why we have the Reverse Lectionary available on our site! It makes the UM version of the lectionary more useful for non-lectionary worship planners as well. Spread the word that we have it!

Lee Roorda Schott: Jesus, Savior, Pilot Me. There's a contemporary version where you can actually feel the motion of the waves.

Lee Roorda Schott: I Will Make You Fishers of Men. I learned it that way in Sunday School. When I use that tune now, I change it to I Will Make You Fish for People, for reasons I hope are obvious.

Leland Bryant Ross: I understand the motivation for that change, Lee, but it doesn't follow the cadence well for me, at least the way I learned the tune.

Lee Roorda Schott: You just have to adjust a bit. :)

Jo Dene Romeijn-Stout: When the storms of Life are Raging, Stand By Me. Love Lifted Me. When the Waves Are Crashing (W&S 3144). We Sailed a Ship with a man named Jonah (to tune and in style of What do you do with a Drunken Sailor).

Leland Bryant Ross: Thanks, Jo Dene Romeijn-Stout, I hadn't seen that Jonah song before. It turns out to be by E J Bash, ©1964 ALC, for those who need to know. I once wrote a whole (what I called a) Comic Worship Oratorio on Jonah, "Jonah Was a Prophet (Minor)" which had a number of usable texts, will remind myself to use some as appropriate. Probably the best is to "The PhÅ"nician Merchant Tar" to the tune of "British Grenadiers", but unfortunately it's about faith in Ashtoreth, Baal and Moloch...

Pat Hawn: Lord, You Have Come To The Lakeshore.

Subject: RE: Seeking maritime hymns
From: CupOfTea
Date: 16 Jul 12 - 05:48 PM

A favorite of mine from the freshwater maritimes is Let the Lower Lights be Burning by Philip Bliss as it was inspired by a storm and the Cleveland harbor lighthouse in Lake Erie. The whole story, midi and sheet music are available on the Cyberhymnal site.


Brightly beams our Father's mercy from His lighthouse evermore,
But to us He gives the keeping of the lights along the shore.
Let the lower lights be burning! Send a gleam across the wave!
For to us He gives the keeping of the lights along the shore.
[or Some poor struggling, sinking sailor you may rescue, you may save.]

Dark the night of sin has settled, loud the angry billows roar;
Eager eyes are watching, longing, for the lights, along the shore.
Let the lower lights be burning! Send a gleam across the wave!
Eager eyes are watching, longing, for the lights, along the shore.

Trim your feeble lamp, my brother, some poor sailor tempest tossed,
Trying now to make the harbor, in the darkness may be lost.
Let the lower lights be burning! Send a gleam across the wave!
Trying now to make the harbor, some poor sailor may be lost.

Lee Murdock does a nice version of this song.

Joanne in Cleveland

Subject: RE: Seeking maritime hymns
From: GUEST,Julia L
Date: 16 Jul 12 - 10:29 PM

ROWING TO THE LIGHT
©1997 Julia Lane

Chorus:
We are rowing to the Light
We are rowing to the Light
With our joyful voices singing
We are rowing to the Light

Through the dark and driving rain
Through the hunger fear and pain
Though our arms be sore and weary
And we feel the wind's cold bite
We will put away the oars
When we reach that lovely shore
We are going, we are rowing to the Light

Let the strife and terror pass
For the darkness never lasts
And forever moving forward
We can make it through the night
With tomorrow on our minds
We leave sorrow far behind
We are going, we are rowing to the Light

We will open up our hearts
As each one does their part
Working lovingly together
We can surely win the fight
Let us cast away all doubt
Let us all triumphant shout
We are going, we are rowing to the Light

Subject: RE: Seeking maritime hymns
From: Haruo
Date: 17 Jul 12 - 11:50 AM

Thanks, you two. GUEST Julia L, do you have a place to point me to learn the music? There is only a single hit on Google, and that's embedded in a short story ("Dutch Doomsday" by Hank Rover), and it gives an alleluia you don't. Nothing on YouTube.

Subject: RE: Seeking maritime hymns
From: GUEST,pete from seven stars link
Date: 18 Jul 12 - 11:19 AM

graham kendrick recently wrote one for the sailors society.i see it on musicacademy site.pleasant though maybe not immediately striking.

Subject: RE: Seeking maritime hymns
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 18 Jul 12 - 07:40 PM

One Christmas Carol - "I saw three ships"

There are a good few in Moody and Sankey with a nautical theme, some of which haven't been mentioned. Here's a link to a televant Mudcat thread which has various links - Sankey and Moody

Subject: RE: Seeking maritime hymns
From: Haruo
Date: 18 Jul 12 - 11:40 PM

Actually, there's another (German) carol along similar lines, "There comes a ship a-laden" - and of course the 3 Kings (Magi) rode "Ships of the Desert", did they not?

Subject: RE: Seeking maritime hymns
From: GUEST,Uncle Jaque
Date: 19 Jul 12 - 11:47 PM

I have a pretty good collection of 19th Century music, including a little hymn book issued by the Portland (Maine) Seaman's Chapel in 1864.

My favorite is "Homeward Bound"
which is also found in an old end-binder of the period "Songs of Zion".

Here's another one you might be interested in:

"Parting Soul"

I have about 3 archival museum boxes full of this stuff. Pop on over some time and we can rummage through the collection - I'm sure there's something in there you can use!

Subject: Lyr Add: O! Boatman, Row Me O'er the Stream
From: Haruo
Date: 21 Jul 12 - 12:15 AM

I rather like this one I just ran across in the hymnary.org database.

O! Boatman, Row Me O'er the Stream
M. D. Sullivan

O! boatman, row me o'er the stream,
The cloud is rising near ;
And I must cross to yonder point,
Before the storm is here.
You cannot cross to yonder point,
The lightnings fiercely gleam ;
The wind is strong, no mortal arm
Can row across the stream.
The sun is set, the wind is strong,
The lightnings fiercely gleam,
And brave the heart, and strong the arm,
That rows across the stream.

O! boatman, row me o'er the stream,
The gale I fear it not ;
My gentle mother waits for me
Within our lowly cot.
Thy mother long shall watch for thee
In vain, thou daring child,
If thou shouldst tempt the rapid stream
Amid a storm so wild.
The sun is set, the wind is strong,
The lightnings fiercely gleam,
And brave the heart, and strong the arm
That rows across the stream.

O! boatman, row me o'er the stream,
And swift our boat shall glide ;
My Father holds the raging storm,
And calms the angry tide.
Then I will row thee o'er the stream
If God will be thy stay,
We 'll boldly ride before the storm ;
O! haste thee, child, away.
The sun is set, the tide is strong,
The lightnings fiercely gleam ;
We trust in Heaven, and boldly dare
The deep and rolling stream.

The Library of Congress has the original sheet music scanned here, and Hymnary.org has a hymnal instance scanned here.

Subject: RE: Seeking maritime hymns
From: Haruo
Date: 03 Oct 12 - 11:50 PM

I just found a (symbolic-)maritime-themed "Star of Bethlehem" song set to "Bonnie Doon" (aka CANDLER) in the 3rd ed. of An American Christmas Harp (p. 114):

1. When marshall'd on the nightly plains,
   The glitt'ring hosts bestud the sky,
   One star alone of all the train,
   Can fix the sinner's wand'ring eye.
   ||:Hark hark to God the chorus breaks,
   From ev'ry host, From ev'ry gem;
   But one alone the Savior speaks,
   It is the Star of Bethlehem.:||


2. Once on the raging seas I rode,
   The storm was loud, the night was dark,
   The ocean yawn'd and rudely blow'd,
   The wind that toss'd my found'ring bark.
   ||:Deep horror then my vitals froze;
   Death-struck, I ceased the tide to stem;
   When suddenly a star arose,
   It was the Star of Bethlehem.:||


3. It was my guide, my light, my all,
   It bade my dark forebodings cease;
   And through the storm and danger's thrall,
   It led me to the port of peace.
   ||:Now safely moored, my perils o'er,
   I'll sing first in night's diadem;
   Forever and forevermore,
   The Star, the Star of Bethlehem.:||