Month: October 2024

Let a Pious Prayer Be Said

Father Jeremiah Cummings, D.D. (1814-1866) wrote the words of this hymn. He was from a family of Northern Irish Protestants who came to the United States and settled in what is now Washington D.C. (ca. 1782). After his birth, his mother converted to Catholicism, and this led to an estrangement with her family. His father died when he was a young boy, and soon afterwards the family moved to New York City. Although they were penniless, he desired to study for the priesthood. Arrangements were made and he became a student of Bishop John Dubois (1764-1842), third bishop of the Diocese of New York and attended Bishop Dubois’s seminary in Nyack.

Through the good graces and the interest of Father J. P. McGerry of the New York Archdiocese, he was accepted at the College of the Propaganda, Rome, in 1834. Little is known about Father McGerry except for a curious entry found in Archives of the Pontifical College in Rome. Entry 21, page 371, gives a brief account of a handwritten letter by Father McGerry to Dr. Paul Cullen written on March 10, 1834 in which he asks for help in the case of a boy of 11 years who is anxious to become a priest but whose parents have not the means to pay the necessary fees. He writes,

I have a boy, the son of a very distinguished convert who is anxious he should study for the Church. The boy is eleven years old and very talented. The mother of the boy since her conversion has been by the gambling and sporting of her husband very much reduced in circumstances. All the family are converts but the husband. The oldest daughter entered a Nunnery at sixteen and is now a professed Sister in the Convent of the Visitation at George Town, District of Columbia. If you aid me to get a place in the Propaganda for the boy alluded to, Jeremiah Cummings, on reduced terms, you will do me a favor and a great good, I hope, to Religion. If not, let me know if there is a place for him, and what will be the lowest terms upon which he can be received.

Jeremiah Cummings successfully completed his studies and gained the degree of Doctor of Divinity. He was ordained on January 3, 1847 and returned to New York City. He was for a brief time assigned as a priest at the old St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

In 1848, Bishop John J. Hughes (1797-1864) the first Archbishop of the Archdiocese of New York, appointed him pastor of the new St. Stephen’s Parish where he oversaw the building of the church and school. Father Cummings had a great fondness for music, and soon took charge of the choir. Oftentimes as was the case, well-known singers from the Metropolitan Opera House joined the choir. Through his influence the choir gained the esteem of the people who came from all over the city to Sunday High Mass. St. Stephen’s Church became one of the largest Catholic parishes of the day with over 28,000 parishioners.

In addition to his priestly duties, Father Cummings found time to author a couple books including Italian Legends published in 1858, and Spiritual Progress published in 1865. He contributed articles to Appleton’s Encyclopedia and Brownson’s Quarterly Review.

He published a hymnal of his own compositions, SONGS FOR CATHOLIC SCHOOLS. Two editions were published, the first was published by J. O’Shea in 1860, and the second edition by J. & D. Sadlier in 1862. Father Cummings hymnal is significant in the annals of Catholic hymnals as being in his own words, the first of its kind, and until 1860, the only Catholic collection of original hymns by an American author. (Click on any image to enlarge)

In the 1860 July issue of the Brownson’s Quarterly Review which was mistakenly identified by J. Vincent Higginson as the 1863 Brownson’s Review in his History of American Catholic Hymnals Survey and Background, the editor gives an account evaluating the hymns as All the Songs, with one exception, are by Dr. Cummings, and though not all of equal merit, they all indicate poetry of a high order, and breathe the true spirit of Catholic faith and piety. The music by Signor Speranza is simple, yet rich , and we shall be much mistaken if several of his airs do not become naturalized and enter into the list of our national airs .

The editor’s remark that All the Songs, with one exception, are by Dr. Cummings, deserves mention because future publishers of English and American Catholic hymnals including DOM Ould’s Book of Hymns with Tunes, Dr. Terry’s Westminster Hymnal, the Holy Name Hymnal, the De La Salle Hymnal, and the American Catholic Hymnal would mistakenly identify the author of certain hymns as other than by Father Cummings.

This fact was brilliantly illustrated in a paper that appeared in the 1915 July issue of The Catholic Historical Review – A Forgotten American Hymnodist by Monsignor Hugh Thomas Henry (1862-1946). Three hymns were specifically mentioned in this paper:

Great God, whatever through Thy Church
O brightness of Eternal Light
Hail, Virgin of Virgins

The Hymnals

The hymn Let A Pious Prayer Be Said appeared in only a few Catholic hymnals. These are the CANTICA SACRA published in 1865 and 1880; the YOUTH’S MANUAL FOR CHURCH AND SCHOOL, 1885 and 1908 editions; HYMNS USED BY THE PUPILS OF THE SISTERS OF NOTRE DAME, 1921 and 1948 editions, SELECTED HYMNS ca. 1930s, and THE CATHOLIC CHAPEL HYMNAL, 1958. Sometimes the hymn is listed as Dirge or A Dirge and others by the first line of text.

The CANTICA SACRA, or Hymns for the Children of the Catholic Church, first appeared as a word only edition in 1865, and the texts was compiled by Bishop John B. Fitzpatrick of Boston. This was followed by the musical edition with all original tunes compiled by Father John H. Cornell of Boston College and published by Patrick Donahoe in 1865. The hymnal contains hymns by Father Cummings, Father Faber, Father Caswall, and some translated hymns by St. Alphonsus Ligouri.

A third edition of the CANTICA SACRA was then published by Thomas B. Noonan & Co., of Boston in 1880. In this edition, attributions are given to J. Frank Donahoe, organist at Holy Cross Cathedral, Boston and the Sisters of Notre Dame, for their musical arrangements. A few of the tune are of German origins for example Holy God, we praise thy name. The musical editions do not include the hymn Let a Pious Prayer Be Said, probably because it was listed as a miscellaneous hymn.

The YOUTH’S MANUAL FOR CHURCH AND SCHOOL is a small collection of hymns, prayers, and Catechism, first published in 1885 by J. L. Spalding, then again in 1908 by Thomas J. Flynn & Company of Boston. The hymn section of this hymnal, a word only collection, is often referred to as the Cantica Sacra and contains three parts.

The first part is captioned Hymns for the Children of the Catholic Church and is essentially a reprint of the hymns found in the CANTICA SACRA. The second part contains Miscellaneous Hymns, there are about twenty, which do not appear in the musical edition. The third part is captioned Hymns, there are thirty-eight and they are not numbered but indicate the music can be found in other collections. For example, the hymn Children of the Heavenly King, refers to Rohr’s Catholic Melodies, page 61.

HYMNS USED BY THE PUPIL’S OF THE SISTERS OF NOTRE DAME is significant because the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur who originally came from Belgium in 1840, were among the first of the religious order of nuns to established schools and academies in the United States beginning in Cincinnati, Ohio. These vest-pocket word-only hymn collections were published in 1920 and again in 1948 by The Angel Guardian Press. In the 1920 edition, the hymns are listed numerically. The 1948 edition, which is essentially a reprint of the 1920 edition, corrected the listing of hymns to be alphabetical and included the hymn number and page number.

A good number of the Sisters of Notre Dame wrote hymns for the school children and a demand for the hymns used by the Sisters grew as students graduated and moved to other parts of the country. Carrying these hymns in their hearts, the students passed them on to future generations. Eventually, publishers like W. C. Peter’s, the Oliver Ditson Company, and McLaughlin & Reilly published collections of these hymns in hymnbooks. Though many of the hymns by the sisters have fallen silent, a few still remain and are popular among Catholics today.

On an aside, among the other religious order of nuns who established schools and academies across the United States were the Sisters of Mercy arriving in 1843, and the Sisters of St. Joseph arriving around the same time.

SELECTED HYMNS is a small word-only book of hymns that was probably developed by the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Archdiocese of Boston according to hymnologist Peter Meggison producer of The Devotional Hymns Project. There is no date of publication or name of the editor, however, the hymns refer to existing hymnals of the day for the music such as St. Basil’s, the Chapel Hymnal S.N.D., the Standard Catholic Hymnal, Berge’s New Catholic Hymn Book, Father Curry’s Hymnal, the Sacred Heart Hymnal, and others.

Some of the hymns, list publishers or authors like R.S. Morrison Pub.: Presser Co., Phil.; A Sister of St. Joseph; Clarence E. Reed – White Smith Music Company; Mellyn and Horgan; Rev. M. O’Flaherty, and others simply as Manuscript. It has been an interesting challenge to try and date this little hymn book to say the least. Most of the hymnals referred to in this collection were published before or around the 1930s.

THE CATHOLIC CHAPEL HYMNAL is one of the most important contributions to Catholic hymnody published during the 20^th century. The contents of THE CATHOLIC CHAPEL HYMNAL were suggested and approved by 118 Catholic Chaplains in the Armed Forces during World War II. The Chaplains replied to a survey conducted by McLaughlin & Reilly Company, a premier Catholic music publishing company of the 20^th century period. The survey requested the titles of the hymns best known by service men and women that resulted in spontaneous congregational singing during chapel services. The first edition was published in 1944 with later editions in 1949, 1958 and 1968.

The hymn also appeared in a 1927 Hymn Pamphlet published by McLaughlin & Reilly, Co. It is the same melody but arranged for four voices by J. G. H. I could not find any information on this composer with the exception of his arrangements for Father Curry’s hymn Good Night, Sweet Jesus which include an SATB and a Tenor I-II – Bass I-II.

The Melodies

John M. Loretz, Jr. (1840-1912), organist at St. Peter’s Church, Brooklyn, New York composed the melody for this hymn, shown at the begining of this write-up, and as far as I can determine it is the only melody for this hymn. His initials J.M.L., are found throughout Father Cummings hymnbook. According to the Cyclopedia of Music and Musicians (1889) Vol. 2, page 484:

He was born in Mühlhausen, Alsace in 1840, and came to the United States as a child. In 1857, he went to Paris, France and studied at the Paris Conservatorie. He returned to the United States in 1860 and made his début as a pianist for the Brooklyn Philharmonic Society. He was a conductor at the Park Theatre in New York, and bandmaster in the United States Navy. Some of his works include The Pearl of Bagdad, an opera, given in the Brooklyn Lyceum in 1872; he composed several Symphonic overtures; Masses; Episcopal Church services, Sonatas, and other music for pianoforte.

The music found in THE CATHOLIC CHAPEL HYMNAL shown earlier in the hymnal section was arranged by Edward Grey. Edward Grey (Gray), Johann Hornung, Nino Borucchia, and G. Agostini are all pseudonyms for Father Joseph Toussaint Oliva Portelance, O.F.M. (aka Father Ange-Marie Portelance, O.F.M.)

Joseph Portalance was born on November 8, 1900 in Montreal, Canada. His baptismal name was Joseph Toussaint Oliva. His father’s name was Toussaint and his mother’s name was Geneva according to the Canada Census, 1901. He entered the novitiate on September 24, 1922 (St. Joseph Province) and took temporary vows on September 30, 1923, and his solemn vows on September 30, 1926. He entered the priesthood on June 29, 1947. His Franciscan name was Ange-Marie Portelance. Father Portelance also lived on the Friary in Brookline and was an employee of McLaughlin & Reilly. He compiled and edited THE CATHOLIC CHAPEL HYMNAL (1944 thru 1958), composed numerous motes, masses, and other music for the Catholic Church. Through 1946 – 1950, he was Professor of Music at St. Francis Collage Biddeford, Maine. From the University of New England Digital Commons, St. Francis College History Collection (1949-1950) I located the following excerpt:

During our four years, the benevolent Fr. Ange-Marie Portelance, a graduate of the Reale Academia Filarmonica Romana, has been in charge of the choir and Glee Club. A baritone himself, he teaches vocal art, piano and also directs the school orchestra.

In June 2021, I learned from the archivist for the Franciscan Order – Holy Spirit Province, that he was dismissed from the Order on May 16, 1956. The records give no reason for his dismissal and the Order does not stay in touch with members once they leave.

For a while it seemed that details on Father Portalance had come to an end and I had almost given up hope of ever finding anything more when I came across an obituary for Joseph T. Olivain. The details of this individual are to similar to those of Father Portelance to ignore them. I leave it to the reader to decide if it be the same person.

The hymn Let a Pious Prayer Be Said was used as a recessional hymn at funerals from the 1920s through 1940s as evidenced by these newspaper clippings from the Andover Townsman in Andover, Massachusetts, and The Boston Globe of Boston, Massachusetts.

Reflection

The verses of this hymn remind me of the teachings of the Catholic church about Purgatory (CCC 1030-32), and the importance of offering prayers for the dead, Let a pious prayer be said, especially the Eucharist sacrifice. We can also offer works of penance, almsgiving, and indulgences all on behalf of the dead, that their sufferings soon may cease, and thus purified, until cleansed, attain the beatific vision of God. Show them mercy, grant them rest, in the city of the blest.

As part of my reflection, I want to include an article I found in The Catholic Free Press Vol. 65, No. 44, for October 28, 2016. It was written by Sister Paula Kelleher, SSJ, who recalls this hymn while remembering her family and friends. It is beautiful reflection and worth a few minutes of your time to read.

This is a wonderful hymn to sing for the Feast of All Souls, for a funeral, or for any memorial or intention of the dead. May we always remember our departed loved ones in our prayers and may those in most need of God’s mercy be given pardon and granted everlasting life.

Thank you to Peter Meggison producer of The Devotional Hymns Project who granted permission to link to a new recording of this wonderful hymn by an ensemble of singers from the Boston area.

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O Queen of the Holy Rosary

Emily Mary Shapcote (née Steward) wrote the words to this hymn in 1882 and it first appeared in ST. DOMINIC’S HYMN-BOOK published in 1885 by Burns and Oates and was sold throughout England and America.

The history books have little to say about Emily, her early life, and her journey to Catholicism. She was born in Liverpool, England in 1828 and married the Rev. Edward Gifford Shapcote in 1856. He was a graduate of Corpus Christi College one of the constituent colleges of Cambridge University and the late curate of St. George’s-in-the-East. He was an English minister in the Church of England and a missionary in Africa. Emily joined the Catholic Church in 1866 and her husband joined a few years later in 1868.

Emily was a hymn writer with several hymns to her credit and is the author of several books including Legends of the Blessed Sacrament published in 1877; Among The Lilies published in 1881, and Mary: The Perfect Woman published in 1904. She co-authored a hymn collection with her sister and aunt – HYMNS FOR INFANT CHILDREN published in 1852 by Joseph Masters of London. Those marked E being by Emily Shapcote, those marked A by her aunt, Mary Steward, and those marked C by her sister, Eleanor Steward. A third edition with accompanying tunes was published in 1872, and was edited by the Rev. John B. Dykes, Vicar of St. Oswald’s in Durham, England.

In 1873, Emily translated the Latin prayer Salve Mundi Salutare (O Saviour of the world, I cry to Thee) A Rhythmical Prayer to the Sacred Members of Jesus Hanging upon the Cross. This prayer is attributed to St. Bernard and is still popular today. A detailed look into the origins of this prayer can be found at the Hymnology Archive.

Emily died in 1909 while residing in the city of Torquay. Torquay is a seaside resort town on the English Channel in Devon, South West England.

In addition to ST. DOMINIC’S HYMN-BOOK above the hymn Queen of the Holy Rosary appeared in the following Catholic hymnals: SUNDAY SCHOOL HYMN BOOK, 1887 thru 1935 compiled by the Sisters of Notre Dame; CATHOLIC HYMNS, 1898 compiled by Augustus Edmonds Tozer (1857-1910); THE BOOK OF HYMNS WITH TUNES, 1913 compiled by Dom Samuel G. Ould, O.S.B., (1864-1939); ST. BASIL’S HYMNAL, 1918 thru 1958 compiled by The Basilian Fathers; DIOCESAN HYMNAL, 1928 compiled by Cleveland, Ohio’s Archbishop Schrembs (1866-1945); CATHOLIC CHURCH HYMNAL, 1905 and 1933 compiled by Augustus Edmonds Tozer; AVE MARIA HYMNAL, 1936 compiled by Father Joseph J. Pierron (1875-1949); the ST. CECILIA HYMNAL, 1928 thru 1960 compiled by J. Alfred Schehl (1882-1959); HOLY NAME HYMNAL, 1947 compiled by Father James J. McLarney, O. P., (ca. 1900s-1969); and MEDIATOR DEI HYMNAL, 1955 compiled by J. Vincent Higginson (1896-1994) ( a.k.a. Cyr de Brant).

The Melodies

The first verse of the hymn began Queen of the Holy Rosary, the O being added to fit some of the melodies. Ten different melodies have been located for this hymn from Catholic hymnals listed above.

One of the first melodies to appear in American Catholic hymnals was composed by a Sister of Notre Dame de Namur from the Philadelphia Community and was published by the Oliver Ditson Company of Boston in 1887. During this time period the Oliver Ditson Company had become one of major music publishing houses and had offices in New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia. The identity of the Sister who composed the melody is unknown. This is not at all uncommon because in those days’ authorship was not given to the individual but to the whole community. This melody continued to appear in later publications of the SUNDAY SCHOOL HYMN BOOK, 1907 and 1935; also the ST. PAUL HYMNAL, 1915; HYMNS USED BY THE PUPILS OF THE SISTERS OF NOTRE DAME, 1921 and 1948; the LAUDATE CHOIR MANUAL, 1942.

A second melody appeared in CATHOLIC HYMNS compiled by Augustus Edmonds Tozer and published in 1898 by Cary & Co., in London and by the Frederick Harris Co., in Toronto, Canada. This collection of hymns is considered to be a musical edition of the ST. DOMINIC’S HYMN-BOOK noted above. Augustus Edmonds Tozer (1857-1910) was a convert to Catholicism and received his Doctorate from Oxford University and was named a Knight of St. Sylvester for his work in the reform movement in England. J. Hallett Sheppard (1835-1879) composed the melody, and little is known about this composer except that he died on January 11^th of consumption in 1879 at the age of forty-three. His daughter, Teresa Madeleine Hallett who was only six months of age died a month earlier on December 30^th.

A third melody appears in THE BOOK OF HYMNS WITH TUNES compiled by Dom Samuel Gregory Ould, O.S.B., (1864-1939) published in 1913 by Cary & Co., London and by the Edward Schuberth & Co., of New York. This is one of the most important Scottish hymn collections of the early twentieth century. Samuel Gregory Ould is a convert to Catholicism and joined the Church of Rome in 1879. He is best known for his CANTIONES SACRAE: MUSICAL SETTINGS OF THE ROMAN LITURGY published by Novello and Company of London, in 1899. William Sewell (1861-1942) composed the melody. He served as the organist of the Redemptorist Church of St. Mary’s, Clapham for twenty-five years and he composed a Mass setting for St. Philip Neri while he was in charge of music at Birmingham Oratory as well as other Mass settings. He was co-editor of THE BOOK OF HYMNS WITH TUNES in collaboration with Dom Gregory Ould. William was also a convert to Catholicism and joined the Church of Rome in 1885.

The fourth melody which has become traditional to the hymn is from the WIRTEMBERGISCHEN KATHOLISCHEN GESANGBUCH, 1784. The tune name is known as ELLACOMBE. The melody has been used for various hymns and appeared in American hymnals as early as 1872. However, the first American hymnal to use this tune for O Queen of the Holy Rosary was the ST. BASIL’S HYMNAL, 1918. The hymn continued to appear in later editions including the NEW ST. BASIL’S HYMNAL published 1958.

Archbishop Joseph Schrembs, D.D., of Cleveland, Ohio composed the fifth melody, and it was arranged by Msgr. Peter Griesbacher (1864-1933), the melody appeared in the DIOCESAN HYMNAL PART TWO – DEVOTIONAL HYMNS published by J. Fischer & Bro., of New York in 1928. Archbishop Schrembs was the fifth Bishop of Cleveland and served from 1921 to 1945. He was named Archbishop by Pope Pius XII on March 29, 1939. Very few musicians and parishioners remember Archbishop Schrembs important contribution to Catholic hymnody. Below is a brief synopsis of his contributions.

He was a musician and lover of sacred music and composed several hymns. He was instrumental in producing manuals of Gregorian Chant and Catholic editions of music text books for elementary schools. He also envisioned a plan for Church music reform that would begin with young children. He compiled two Diocesan Hymnals and the Eucharistic Hymnal between 1926 and 1935. The hymns embodied in the Eucharistic Hymnal were taken from The Diocesan Hymnal, Books One and Two. Archbishop Schrembs was the Protector of Priests’ Eucharistic League in the United States and Promoter of the Eucharistic Congress in 1935 when the Seventh Eucharistic Congress met in Cleveland.

The Rt. Rev. Msgr. Peter Griesbacher (P.G.) was responsible for a large number of the harmonization’s of the hymns found in the Diocesan Hymnal, Books One and Two. He was a German born music composer and ordained a priest in 1886. He edited a number of publications of Catholic church music and has composed numerous mass settings, a number of cantatas, various choral works, and organ manuals.

Victor Hammerel composed or arranged the sixth melody which is found in the CATHOLIC CHURCH HYMNAL compiled by Augustus Edmonds Tozer and published by J. Fischer & Bro., of New York and The Vincent Music Co., of London. The first printing of this collection was in 1905 and a second printing in 1933. Victor Hammerel was choirmaster for a time at the Church of the Blessed Sacrament and organist at St. John’s Church both within a few miles of each other in Providence, Rhode Island. He composed a number of mass settings, choral works, and hymn collections including HYMNS TO THE SACRED HEART AND HOLY NAME OF JESUS, 1898; DEVOTIONAL HYMNS TO OUR LADY, 1900; TWENTY-TWO CHRISTMAS AND EASTER CAROLS, 1900. This melody also appeared in the PAROCHIAL HYMNAL, 1951 compiled by Father Carlo Rossini for the hymn Queen of the Holy Rosary.

A seventh melody can be found in the AVE MARIA HYMNAL, 1936 compiled by Father Joseph J. Pierron and published by The Bruce Publishing Company with offices in New York, Milwaukee, and Chicago. The melody is attributed to Michael Haydn (1737-1806). The AVE MARIA HYMNAL saw several editions with the first edition published in 1929 and the last edition in 1941. The hymnal is a collection of English and older German melodies. Joseph Pierron was ordained a priest in 1905 and studied music in Europe for three years. He held assistant positions in various parishes and pastorship in several churches throughout the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. In November 1949, he went to Boys Town, Nebraska to serve as music director for Father Flanagan’s Boys’ Home. Father Pierron was editor of the Caecilia magazine in 1930, and composed several hymns, hymn collections, and authored several articles on music.

Hans Newsidler (ca. 1508-1590) composed the eighth melody. This melody is often attributed to Michael Praetorius (1571-1621); however, it is his harmonization of the melody that should be properly credited to him. The melody is identified as Ich Will Ein Neues Singen in editions of the SONGS OF SYON published in London by Schott & Co. This collection of Anglican hymns was compiled by the Rev. George R. Woodward, M.A., (1848-1934) and saw four editions between 1904 and 1923. The melody appeared in the ST. CECILIA HYMNAL compiled by Joseph Alfred Schehl (1882-1959) and published by the Frederick Pustet Co., Inc., with offices in New York and Cincinnati. The hymnal achieved five editions between 1928 and 1960, and was the Official Hymnal for the Schools of the Archdioceses of Cincinatti. Joseph Schehl was a famous composer, choirmaster, and musician from Cincinnati. He dedicated more than sixty years to his musical career and served as organist-choirmaster for forty-seven years at St. Lawrence Parish, Prince Hill, Cincinnati. He composed eight mass settings, various motets, and several volumes of organ music.

Stefano Constantino Yon (1876-1956) composed the ninth melody, and it is found in the HOLY NAME HYMNAL, 1947 compiled by Father James J. McLarney, O. P., and published by McLaughlin & Reilly Co., of Boston. The Holy Name Society consists of thousands of chapters in the United States and remains active in Catholic parishes even today. Constantino Yon or as he was sometimes referred S. Yon, or S. Constantino, was the organist and choirmaster of St. Vincent Ferrer’s Roman Catholic Church in New York, a position he held for almost forty years. He was a composer of hymns and other sacred music, and his choir would perform annually at the Christmas parties given by Cardinal Spellman for the children of New York’s Foundling Hospital. Constantino was a teacher of voice and piano and gave lessons at his home, in his studio in Carnegie Hall as well as the Academy of Mount St. Vincent and Elizabeth Seton School in Yonkers. Pietro A. Yon, the famous organist of St. Patrick’s Cathedral of New York and best known for his choral work Gesù Bambino (When blossoms flowered ‘mid the snows) was Constantino’s younger brother.

The source for the tenth melody may be the MAINZ GESANGBUCH of 1661 or 1870. It is from this collection of German songs that the melodies for To Jesus Christ Our Sovereign King and the Stabat Mater (At the Cross Her Station Keeping) are found. Another source is the CATHOLIC YOUTH’S HYMNAL compiled by Benjamin Hamma (1831-1911) and published by J. Fischer & Bro., of New York in 1891. Benjamin Hamma was a German composer and teacher with a number of hymns, choral pieces, and Mass settings to his credit. This melody is used in other Catholic hymnals for the hymns I’ll Sing a Hymn to Mary and I’ll Sing to Thee, O Mary. An examination of these arrangements did not reveal a composer’s name and it was found that only a few measures from each arrangement appear to be the same, suggesting a common melody which has been altered over time.

Reflection

There are two melodies that I learned while singing in St. Mary’s Choir (1977-2010), the traditional melody (Ellacombe) found in St. BASIL’S HYMNAL, 1918 and the melody found in the SUNDAY SCHOOL HYMN BOOK, 1907 by the Sisters of Notre Dame, captioned Our Lady of the Rosary. In the poetic imagery we can clearly see that our Pater’s and Ave’s recited with each bead we say are likened to roses in garlands, very poetic indeed since the beads of the rosary are strung together like a wreath. The help and grace we receive from praying the rosary are not to be trifled with or scoffed at, for the rosary has brought many souls to Christ.

As I was taught, each decade of the rosary is a journey in the sacred life of Jesus and every bead like a step toward Calvary. In singing this hymn, I have come to believe the author intended the words We gather to thine honor, buds white, and red and gold as symbols of the mysteries themselves. The Joyful mysteries are white roses, and Sorrowful mysteries are red roses, and the Glorious and Luminous mysteries gold roses.

It’s amazing to me that some of our best devotional hymns were written by converts to the Catholic Faith. At St. Mary’s when I sang in the choir, we would sing this hymn before Mass, at Offertory or as a second recessional. The Catholic Church celebrates the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary on October 7, let us sing this hymn once again during the month of October in honor of Our Lady of the Rosary and make it part of our parish repertoire.

A special thank you to Peter Meggison producer of the Devotional Hymns Project for allowing me to link to the choir of Blessed Sacrament Church in Providence, Rhode Island. Five of the melodies listed above are beautifully woven together producing a wonderful and truly uplifting recording.

Also, to Noel Jones, AAGO in granting permission to link to A Catholic Book of Hymns with 295 time-honored traditional Catholic hymns, including two arrangements of O Queen of the Holy Rosary. This is a wonderful collection of hymns with text approved, having the IMPRIMATUR from the Roman Catholic Church in the Diocese of Covington, Kentucky, which make them perfectly suited for Mass and devotions.

Listed below are computer generated sound files. The tempo is approximate but should provide the listener a good sense of what the hymn sounds like. All the hymns are in the public domain. Music directors, organist, and choirmasters, if you use any of these selections in your Sunday or weekly music programs and you make a recording, contact the author and I will feature your recording and choir in the What’s New section of the website.

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