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Adelaide Anne Procter

1825 - 1864 Hymnal Number: d20 Author of "Ave Maria, bright and pure" in St. Basil's Hymnal ... 10th ed. Not to be confused with Adelaide A. Pollard. Adelaide Anne Proctor was born in London, in 1825. Her father, Brian W. Proctor, is well known by his literary nom de guerre of Barry Cornwall. In 1853, Miss Proctor became a contributor to Dickens' "Household Words." Her reputation as a poet was secured by the publication of her first volume of "Legends and Lyrics," in 1858. A second volume was added in 1860. She also published other compositions in poetry and prose. She died in 1864. She was a member of the Roman Catholic Church. --Annotations of the Hymnal, Charles Hutchins, M.A. 1872. =============== Procter, Adelaide Anne, daughter of Bryan Waller Procter (Barry Cornwall), was born in Bedford Square, London, Oct. 30, 1825. In 1851 she entered the Roman communion, and died in London, Feb. 2, 1864. Miss Procter displayed more than usual intellectual powers at an early age. In later years she was skilled in music and languages. Her poetical gifts have been widely appreciated. Her Legends and Lyrics, A Book of Verse, was published in 1858. Of this an enlarged edition was published in 1862. Her hymns in common use from these two editions are:— 1. I do not ask, 0 Lord, that life may be. Resignation. In her Legends, &c., 1862. It is one of the most widely used of Miss Procter's hymns. 2. I thank Thee, 0 my God, Who made. Thankfulness. In her Legends, &c., 1858, p. 207, in 6 stanzas of 6 lines. In several collections, including the Hymnal Companion, it begins in an altered form, "My God, I thank Thee, Who hast made;" and in others, "Our God, we thank Thee, Who hast made." Bishop Bickersteth in his note on this hymn in the Hymnal Companion, 1816, says, "This most beautiful hymn by A. A. Procter (1858), touches the chord of thankfulness in trial, as perhaps no other hymn does, and is thus most useful for the visitation of the sick." 3. One by one the sands are going [flowing]. The links of Life. In her Legends, &c., 1858, p. 20, in 8 stanzas of 4 lines. 4. Rise, for the day is passing. Redeem the Time. In her Legends, &c., 1858. Sometimes given as "Arise, for the day is passing," as in Holy Song, 1869. 5. Strive; yet I do not promise. Strive, Wait, Pray. In her Legends, &c., 1858, p. 103, in 3 stanzas of 8 lines. 6. The way is long and dreary. Life a Pilgrimage. In her Legends, &c., 1858, p. 136, in 3 stanzas of 8 lines and a refrain. 7. The shadows of the evening hours. Evening. In her Legends, &c., 1862. 8. We ask for peace, 0 Lord. Peace with God. In her Legends, &c., 1858, p. 214, in 4 stanzas of 9 lines. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Georgiana C. Fullerton

1812 - 1885 Hymnal Number: d110 Author of "Calm the wild sea, bid tempests cease" in St. Basil's Hymnal ... 10th ed. Fullerton, Lady Georgiana Charlotte, daughter of the first Earl Granville, was born Sept. 23, 1812, at Tixall Hall, Staffs., married 1833 A. G. Fullerton of Ballintoy Castle, Antrim; was received into the Church of Rome 1846; d. Jan. 19, 1885, at Bournemouth. She was well known as a novelist (Ellen Middleton, 1844, &c.) and a philanthropist. She contributed to the Holy Family Hymns, 1860, several translations, and the following Nos. 1-4 (all also in the Parochial Hymn Book, 1880):— 1. Christ's soldier, rise. Christian Warfare. 2. I'll never forsake thee, I never will be. Holy Roman Church. 3. In breathless silence kneel. Elevation of the Host. 4. Mary, mother! Shield us through life. Sailors. 5. O Heart of Jesus, Heart of God. Sacred Heart of Jesus. From her Gold-Digger and other Verses, 1872, p. 113, into Tozer's Catholic Hymns, 1898. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, New Supplement (1907)

Augusta T. Drane

1853 - 1894 Hymnal Number: d185 Author of "The clouds hang thick o'er Isr'l's camp" in St. Basil's Hymnal ... 10th ed. Drane, Augusta Theodosia (Mother Frances Raphael, O.S.D.); was b. in 1823 at Bromley, Middlesex, entered the Order of St. Dominic in 1853, became Mother Superior of the Dominican Nuns of the Third Order, and died April 29, 1894, at St. Dominic's Convent, Stone, Staffs. She published in 1876 Songs in the Night, enlarged edition 1887. The following hymns by her are in recent collections:— 1. O spouse of Christ, on whom. [St. Catherine of Siena.] In the Dominican Hymn Book, 1881, No. 217, and St. Dominic's Hymn Book, 1901. 2. The clouds hang thick o'er Israel's camp. [Holy Rosary.] St. Dominic's Hymn Book, 1885 and 1901, &c, A. E. Tozer's Catholic Hymns, 1887, and Catholic Church Hymnal, l905. 3. Thou who hero-like hast striven [St. Dominic.] In the Crown of Jesus, 1862, No. 153. Parochial Hymn Book, 1880, St. Dominic's Hymn Book, 1901, &c. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, New Supplement (1907)

Aloys Schloer

1805 - 1852 Hymnal Number: d198 Author of "While ages course along" in St. Basil's Hymnal ... 10th ed. Schlör, Aloys, D.D., was born at Vienna, June 17, 1805, and took the degree of D.D. at the University of Vienna in 1832. From May 10, 1842, to his death he was father confessor at the Theological Seminary (Spiritual des Priester-seminars) at Graz, Styria, Austria. He died at Graz, Nov. 2, 1852. His well-known hymn, "Dem Herzen Jesu singe " (p. 1628, ii.), was written in 1852. [Rev. James Mearns, M.A.] --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, New Supplement (1907)

Angelus Silesius

1624 - 1677 Person Name: Johann Scheffler Hymnal Number: d93 Author of "Comfort my poor soul distressed" in St. Basil's Hymnal ... 10th ed. Pen name of Johann Scheffler ======================================= Angelus Silesius, born in Selisia, in 1624, was the son of a Polish nobleman, and his true name was John Scheffler; but he adopted the name Angelus from a Spanish mystic of the 16th century--John ab Angelis--and added the name Silesius, because of his own country. He studied medicine, and obtained his degree of M.D. at Padua. While physician to the Duke Sylvius Nimrod--from 1649 to 1652--he had contention with the Lutheran clergy, and in 1653 entered the Romish Church. Subsequently he was physician to the Emperor Ferdinand III., but at length entered the priesthood and retired to the Jesuit monastery of S. Matthias, in Breslau, where he died in 1677. His hymns were mostly written before he joined the Romish Church, and were intended for private devotion; some, however, have been very acceptable for public use. "Several of them are among the deepest and most tender in the German language, and breathe a glowing love to the Saviour." --Annotations of the Hymnal, Charles Hutchins, M.A. 1872. ================================================= Scheffler, Johann (Angelus Silesius), was born in 1624 at Breslau in Silesia. His father, Stanislaus Scheffler, was a member of the Polish nobility, but had been forced to leave his fatherland on account of his adherence to Lutheranism, and had then settled in Breslau. The son was thus educated as a strict Lutheran. After passing through the St. Elisabeth's Gymnasium at Breslau, he matriculated at the University of Strassburg, on May 4, 1643, as a student of medicine. In the next year he went to Leyden, and in 1647 to Padua, where he graduated PH. D. and M.D. on July 9, 1648. Thereafter he returned to Silesia, and, on Nov. 3, 1649, was appointed private physician, at Oels, to Duke Sylvius Nimrod of Württemberg-Oels. The Duke was a staunch Lutheran, and his court preacher, Christoph Freitag, administered the ecclesiastical affairs of the district according to the strictest Lutheran churchly orthodoxy. Scheffler, who in Hollaud had become acquainted with the writings of Jakob Böhme, and had become a personal friend of Abraham von Frankenberg, the editor of Böhme's works, soon found that the spiritual atmosphere of Oels did not suit him. His own leanings at this time were distinctly to Mysticism and Separatism. He was at no pains to conceal his sentiments, and withdrew himself from public worship, from confession, and from the Holy Communion. When he wished to publish his poems, and submitted them for this purpose to Freitag, he was refused permission to print them on the ground of their mystical tendencies. He resigned his post in the end of 1652, and went to Breslau. Here he became acquainted with the Jesuits, who in that place were earnest students of the mystical works of Tauler (q.v.), and through them was introduced to the study of the mediaeval mystics of the Roman Catholic Church. On June 12, 1653, he was formally received into the Roman Catholic communion, and at his confirmation on that day at St. Matthias's Church in Breslau, he took the name of Angelus, probably after a Spanish mystic of the 16th cent, named John ab Angelis.* On March 24, 1654, the Emperor Ferdinand III. conferred on him the title of Imperial Court Physician, but this title was purely honorary, and Scheffler remained still at Breslau. On Feb. 27,1661, he entered the order of St. Francis; on May 21, 1661, was ordained priest at Neisse in Silesia, and in 1664 was appointed Rath and Hofmarschall to his friend Sebastian von Rostock, the newly created Prince Bishop of Breslau. After the Bishop's death in 1671 Scheffler retired to the monastery of St. Matthias in Breslau, where he died July 9, 1677, from a wasting sickness, during which he used this characteristic prayer, "Jesus and Christ, God and Man, Bridegroom and Brother, Peace and Joy, Sweetness and Pleasure, Refuge and Redemption, Heaven and Earth, Eternity and Time, Love and All, receive my soul." Of Scheffler, as a Convert and as a Controversialist, not much need be said. He certainly became more Roman than the Romans; and in his more than 50 controversial tractates, shows little of the sweetness and repose for which some have thought that he left the Lutheran church. In his Ecclesiologia, published at Glatz in 1677 [British Museum has the 2nd edition, published at Oberammergau and Kempten in 1735], he collected 39 of these treatises, of which e.g. No. 34 is entitled, "The Lutheran and Calvinistic Idol of the Understanding exhibited, laid bare, as well as the Likeness of the True God. In which also, at the same time, the attacks aud objections of adversaries are repelled. 1 Cor. viii. 4, Idolum nihil est, an idol is nothing." At an early age Scheffler had begun to write poems, and some of these occasional pieces were printed in 1641 and 1642. His most famous non-hymnological work is his Geistreiche Sinn- und Schlussreime, &c, published at Vienna in 1657, but better known by the title prefixed in the 2nd edition published at Glatz in 1675, viz. the Cherubinischer Wandersmann, [Both eds. in the British Museum]…. Scheffler's latest poetical work was the Sinnliche Beschreibung der vier letzten Dinge, zu heilsamen Schröken und Auffmunterung aller Menschen inn Druck gegeben. Mit der himmlischen Procession vermehrt, &c. Schweidnitz, 1675. [British Museum]… Scheffler's most important hymnological work is his Heilige Seelenlust, oder geistliche Hirten-Lieder, der in ihren Jesum verliebten Psyche, gesungen von Johann Angelo Silesio, und von Herrn Georgio Josepho mit aussbündig schönen Melodeyen geziert, &c. Of this the first edition appeared at Breslau, apparently in 1657, in three books, with Hymns 1-123, and a fourth—-separately paged—-book, with 32 hymns, apparently also at Breslau, 1657. In the 2nd ed., pub. at Breslau in 1668, the paging and numbering are consecutive; and a fifth book is added, with Hymns 166-205. [Both eds. in Royal Library, Breslau; 2nd ed. in British Museum] The first three books form a cycle of hymns, principally on the person and work of Our Lord, arranged according to the Christian Year, from Advent to Whitsuntide, and seem mostly to have been written before Scheffler left the Lutheran church. Those of the fourth book were probably written 1653 to 1656, and those of the fifth book between 1656 and 1668. In the first three books he is most clearly under the influence of his predecessors. That is, so far as the style and form are concerned, he was greatly influenced by the Pastorals of the Nürnberg Pegnitz Shepherds, and of Friedrich von Spee (q.v.) ; and in the substance of his poems—their longings for mystical union with Christ, and their clinging love to the Saviour—he was influenced on the one side by Böhme, and on the other by the earnest inner religious life which he had found in Holland. In his later hymns the tone is more manly, and the defects and excesses of his earlier style have, in great measure, disappeared. Scheffler's hymns were gladly received by the Lutheran Church as a welcome addition to the store of "Jesus Hymns," but many long passed current as anonymous; the I. A., for Johann Angelus, being often interpreted as Incerti Autoris, and vice versa. Through the Nürnberg Gesang-Buch, 1676; Freylinghausen's Gesang-Buch 1704 and 1714; Porst's Gesang-Buch, 1713; and Burg's Gesang-Buch, Breslau, 1746, a large number came into use among the Lutherans, more indeed than among the Roman Catholics. They were great favourites among the Moravians, after Zinzendorf had included 79 of them in his Christ-Catholisches Singe-und Bet-Büchlen, 1727 ; and, unfortunately, preciscly the worst were selected for imitation, so that Scheffler has the doubtful honour of being the model of tli8 spiritual-fleshly productions which disfigured the Moravian hymn-books between 1740 and 1755. Judging Scheffler's hymns as a whole one must give them a very high place in German hymnody. Only a small proportion of the hymns bear a distinctively Roman Catholic character. Of the rest, after setting on one side those in which Christ is set forth as the Bridegroom of the soul, with an excessive use of the imagery of Canticles; and those disfigured by the mannerisms of the Pastoral School, there remain a large number which are hymns of the first rank. These finer hymns are the work of a true poet, almost perfect in style and in beauty of rhythm, concise and profound; the fruits indeed it may be said of Mysticism, but of Mysticism chastened and kept in bounds by deep reverence and by a true and fervent love to the Saviour. Scheffler holds a high place in the first rank of German sacred poets, and is much the finest of the Post-Reformation Roman Catholic hymn-writers. A number of Scheffler's hymns are translations from the Latin…which have passed into English, are as follows. i. Ach Gott, was hat vor Herrlichkeit. God's Majesty. First published as No. 110 in Bk. iii., 1657, of his Heilige Seelenlust , in 6 st. of 8 1., entitled, "She [the soul] rejoices herself on the glory of Jesus." In the Herrnhut Gesang-Buch, 1735, No. 67. The translation in common use is:— Thy Majesty, how vast it is. This is a free translation of st. i.-iv. as part of No. 189 in the Moravian Hymn Book, 1789 (1886, No. 225). Another tr. is: "My God! how vast a Glory has," as No. 310 in the Moravian Hymn Book, pt. ii., 1743. ii. Der edle Schäfer, Gottes Sohn. The Good Shepherd . Translated as:— The true good Shepherd, God's own Son. This is a translation of st. i., v., by P. H. Molther, as No. 18 in the Moravian Hymn Book, 1789. In the 1826 and later eds. (1886, No. 22) it begins, "Christ the good Shepherd.” iii. Grosser König, dem ich diene. Love to God. First published as No. 161 in Bk. v., 1668, of his Heilige Seelenlust in 10 stanzas of 8 lines, entitled, "She presents to her Beloved her heart in diverse fashion as a morning gift." The translation in common use is:— Make my heart a garden fair. This is a tr. of st. viii., as st. ii. of No. 439 in the Moravian Hymn Book, 1789. Other trs. are: (1) "Lord, I come, Thy grace adoring," by J. D. Burns, 1869, p. 227. (2) "Almighty King, Eternal Sire," by G. Moultrie, in his Espousals of S. Dorothea, 1870, p. 69. iv. Jesus ist der schönste Nam'. Love to Christ. First published as No. 35 in Bk. i., 1657, of his Heilige Seelenlust in 9 stanzas of 6 lines, entitled, "She praises the excellency of the Name of Jesus." Tr. as:— Jesus is the highest name. This is a good tr. of st. i., ii., viii., ix., by A. T. Russell, as No. 69 in his Psalms & Hymns, 185. Another tr. is: "Jesus is the sweetest Name, Unto mortals," by J. C. Earle, in O. Shipley's Annus Sanctus, 1884, pt. ii. p. 43. v. Keine Schönheit hat die Welt. Love to Christ. A beautiful hymn on Christ in Nature. First published as No. 109 in Bk. iii., 1657, of his Heilige Seelenlust, in 16 stanzas of 4 lines, entitled, "She ponders His charmingness to the creatures." The trs. in common use are :— 1. Earth has nothing sweet or fair. This is a very good translation, omitting st. vi.—viii., x., xi., by Miss Cox in her Sacred Hymns from the German, 1841, p. 165 2. Nothing fair on earth I see. This is a somewhat free tr. of st. i.-v., ix., xii.-xiv., xvi., by Miss Winkworth in her Lyra Germanica, 1st Ser., 1855, p. 48; repeated, abridged and altered, in her Chorale Book for England, 1863, No. 158. Other translations are : (l) All the beauty we can find," as No. 457, in pt. i. of the Moravian Hymn Book 1754. (2) "Would you view the glorious face," in J. A. Latrobe's Psalms & Hymns ., 1841, No. 437. (3) "Whate'er of beauty I behold," by Lady E. Fortescue, 1843, p. 35. (4) " Earth has nothing bright for me," by Miss Manington, 1863, p. 168. (5) "The world with broadcast beauties sown," by E. Massie, 1867, p. 14. vi. Morgenstern der finstern Nacht. Love to Christ. First published as No. 26 in Bk. i., 1657, of his Heilige Seelenlust, in 6 st. of 5 1., entitled, "She wishes to have the little Jesus as the true Morning Star in the heaven of her heart." Another tr. is: "Morning Star in darksome night”, by Miss Winkworth, 1869, p. 250. vii. Nun nimm mein Herz, und alles was ich bin. Self-surrender to Christ. First published as No. 102 in Bk. iii., 1657, of his Heilige Seelenlust, in 4 stanzas of 6 lines, entitled, "She gives herself to her Bridegroom." The translation in common use is:— O take my heart, and whatsoe'er is mine. This is a tr. of st. i., iv., by F. W. Foster, as No. 267 in the Moravian Hymn Book, 1789. Another tr. is: "Now take my heart and all that is in me," by Miss Winkworth, 1858, p. 98. viii. Wollt ihr den Herren finden. Seeking of Christ. First published in Bk. iv., 1657, of his Heilige Seelenlust, entitled, "She gives notice where Jesus is to be found.” Translated as:— If you would find the Saviour. This is a free version, condensing st. iii., iv., as st. iii. in the Moravian Hymn Book, 1754, pt. i., No. 657. Included, greatly altered, and beginning, "Would you find the Saviour?" in J. A. Latrobe's Psalms & Hymns, 1841 and 1852. ix. Wo willt du hin, weils Abend ist. Evening. A beautiful hymn founded on the Narrative of Christ at Emmaus. The translation in common use is:— Where wilt Thou go! since night draws near. By A. Crull, in full, as No. 93 in the Ohio Lutheran Hymnal 1880. Another translation is: "Where wilt Thou go? the eve draws nigh," by Miss Manington; 1863, p. 154. Other hymns by Scheffler which have been rendered into English are:— x. Ach, sagt mir nicht von Gold und Schätzen. Love to Christ. The translations are (1) "Tell me no more of golden treasures," in the Supplement to German Psalmody, ed. 1765, p. 53; and Select Hymns from German Psalmody , Tranquebar, 1754, p. 84. (2) "0 tell me not of glitt'ring treasure," by Dr. H. Mills, 1845, p. 75. (3) "0 tell me not of gold and treasure," by Miss Burlingham, in the British Herald, August, 1865, p. 121, repeated as "Ah, tell me not," &c, in Reid's Praise Book, 1872. xi. Ach, was steh'st du auf der Au. Love to Christ. This form is tr. as "Jesus, end of my desires." xii. ‘Auf, auf, 0 Seel', auf, auf, zum Streit. Christian Warfare. The translations are (1) "Up! Christian man, and join the fight," by Miss Manington, 1863, p. 44. (2) "Up, Christian! gird thee to the strife," by Miss Burlingham, in the British Herald, July, 1865, p. 106. xiii, Dein' eigne Liebe zwinget mich. Love to Christ. Tr. as, "Thine own love doth me constrain," by J. Kelly, in the Family Treasury, 1878, p. 716. xiv. Die Sonne kommt heran. Morning. Translated as "The sun will soon appear," by J. Kelly, in the Family Trea¬sury, 1878, p. 716. xv. Ihr Engel, die das höchste Gut. Love to Christ. This form is tr. as, "Ye Seraphim, who prostrate fall," as No. 649 in pt. i. of the Moravian Hymn Book, 1754. xvi. Jesu, ew'ge Sonne. Love to Christ. Translated as "Christ the spring of endless joys," by J. Kelly, in the Family Treasury, 1878, p. 716. xvii. Kommt, meine Freund, und höret an. Eternal Life. Tr. as: "Come hither, friends, and hear me say," by J. Kelly, in the Family Treasury , 1879, p. 271. xviii. Meine Seele willt du ruh'n. Love to God. This form is tr. as "O my soul, desir'st thou rest." In the Supplement to German Psalmody, ed. 1765, p. 56. xix. Mein Lieb ist mir und ich bin ihm. Love to Christ. This is tr. as, "My Friend's to me, and I'm to Him," as No; 467 in pt. i. of the Moravian Hymn Book, 1754. xx. 0 du allerliebster Gott. Christ in Gethsemane. This form is tr. as "Jesus, O my Lord and God," by J. C. Earle, in O. Shipley's Annus Sanctus, 1884, p. 73. xxi. Schau', Braut, wie hängt dein Bräutigam. Passiontide. Tr. as, "O Bride! behold thy Bridegroom hangs," as No. 460 in pt. i. of the Moravian Hymn Book, 1754. xxii. Tritt hin, o Seel', und dank' dem Herrn. Thanksgiving. Tr. as "Come, O my soul, with thankful voice," by Dr. G. Walker, 1860, p. 70. xxiii. Weil ich schon seh' die gold'nen Wangen. Morning. The trs. are (1) "Because I see red tints adorning," by Miss Manington, 1863, p. 119. (2) "I see the golden light of morn," in the Family Treasury, 1877, p. 603. xxiv. Wie lieblich sind die Wohnungen. Eternal Life. Translated as "How lovely are the mansions fair," by J. Kelly, in the Family Treasury, 1879, p. 270. xxv. Zeuch mich nach dir, so laufen wir. Love to Christ. Translated as "Draw us to Thee, then will we flee," as No. 137 in pt. i. of the Moravian Hymn Book, 1754. It may be added that in some English books Scheffler appears as a composer of hymn-tunes. This is however a mistake, for the melodies in the Heilige Seelenlust are, as the title distinctly says, by Georg Joseph, a musician living at that time in Breslau. [Rev. James Mearns, M.A.] * In his later writings he styled himself Johann Angelus Silesius, adding this designation—the Silesian—in order to distinguish himself from the Lutheran theologian, Johann Angelus, of Darmstadt. --Excerpts from John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

F. G. Kohlbrenner

Hymnal Number: d3 Author of "Accept, Almighty Father, these [the] [this] gifts [gift] of bread and" in St. Basil's Hymnal ... 10th ed.

Notker

840 - 912 Person Name: Notker Balbulus Hymnal Number: d67 Author of "Hail, the holy day of days" in St. Basil's Hymnal ... 10th ed. Notker Balbulus, so called from his slight stuttering, was born in Switzerland about 840. Ekkehard V. in the 2nd Chapter of his Vita Sancti Notkeri (written about 1220), says he was born at Heiligau, now Elgg, in the Canton of Zurich; but Meyer von Knonau, seeing that his family were closely connected with Jonswil in the Canton of St. Gall, thinks that Notker was probably born at Jonswil. He entered the school of the famous Benedictine Abbey of St. Gall at an early age, and spent the rest of his life there. In due course he was admitted as one of the brethren of the monastery; in 890 is marked as librarian, and in 892 and 894 as guestmaster (hospitarius); his principal employment being in scholastic and literary work. He became eventually one of the foremost in the monastery at that its most flourishing period; but was never abbot there (Notker the Abbot of St. Gall, who died 975, was of a younger generation), and declined various offers of preferment elsewhere. He died at St. Gall, April 6, 912. In 1513 he was beatified by Pope Julius II., but does not seem to have been formally canonized, nor does an office in his honour appear to have been authorised for use except at St. Gall (Lebensbild des heiligen Notker von St. Gallen, by G. Meyer von Knonau, Zurich, 1877; Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie, xxiv. 35, &c). Ekkehard IV. (d. 1060), in his Casus Sancti Galli, chapter iii., thus lovingly characterises Notker (a translation would not express the conciseness of the original):— "Corpore, non animo, gracilis; voce, non spiritu, balbulus ; in divinis erectus, in adversis patiens, ad omnia mitis, in nostratium acer erat exactor disciplinis; ad repentina timidulus et inopinata, praeter daemones infestantes, erat; quibus quidem se audenter opponere solebat. In orando, legendo, dictando, creberrimus. Et ut omnis sanctitatis ejus in brevi complectar dotes, sancti Spiritus erat vasculum, quo suo tempore abundantius nullum." Notker was a favourite of the Emperor Charles the Fat, who paid him special attention during his visit to St. Gall, Dec. 4-6, 883. His claim to notice here is as the first important writer of sequences; and as indeed the practical inventor of this species of compositions. He seems to have begun writing sequences about 862, and in 885 collected them into a volume (the Liber Sequentiarum Notkeri, hereafter in this article entitled the L. S. N.), which he dedicated to Liutward, who was Bishop of Vercelli, and Chancellor (till 887) to Charles the Fat. In the dedicatory epistle prefixed (reprinted by Daniel, v. p. 5, from the St. Gall manuscript, No. 381) Notker gives an account of his first essays, of which the following is a summary:— ii. Origin of Notker’s Sequences. — In his youth he says he found great difficulty in remembering the cadences of the neumes [or musical notes which were set to the final a of the word Alleluia in the Gradua, between the Epistle and the Gospel. When one of the monks of the Abbey of Jumieges (near Rouen, destroyed by the Normans in 851), after wandering from place to place came to St. Gall (about 862), he brought with him his Antiphonary. There, to his delight, Notker found words set to these troublesome neumes, but the words seem to to have been merely strung together for mnemonic purposes. Incited by this example, Notker determined to try to compose something more worthy of the occasion, and wrote the sequence "Laudes Deo concinat" to one of these sets of neumes. He showed his work to his master Iso, [the first important teacher at St. Gall, where he was in residence 852-870 ; and, finally, as head of the outer school, which was meant for those who did not intend to become monks of St. Gall], who was delighted with it, but suggested various improvements, and especially that each syllable should go to one note. Following these instructions, Notker wrote a second sequence beginning "Psallat Ecclesia, mater illibata," and showed both to his other master Marcellus, [an Irishman, originally called Mongal, who had accompanied his uncle Marcus, an Irish Bishop, to Rome, and on their return journey settled at St. Gall, about 850. He was certainly there from 853 to 865. He was a good scholar, and, above all, an excellent musician. On the division of the monastic school, he became head of the inner school, which was meant for those who looked forward to becoming brethren of the monastery], who was greatly pleased with them, transcribed them on rolls, and gave them to the scholars to practice. (So the Dedicatory Epistle. Compare Dr. Neale's note in his Mediaeval Hymns, ed. 1863, p. 29, where he gives an interesting account of the origin of Sequences, though not a little of the information he gives regarding Notker seems to be derived from his own imagination.) iii. The Notkerian Sequences. Genuine and False.— From this account it might seem perfectly easy to determine which are the genuine sequences of Notker. But no autograph copy of the Liber Sequentiarum Notkeri. has survived, and although there are still extant at least eight mss. not later than the 11th century, all professing to furnish us with theL. S. N, yet on examination it is found that no two manuscripts exactly agree. From the fact that Notker was an accomplished musician, and is known to have composed the melodies as well as the words of sequences, one might hope to gain help. There is indeed an important MS. at St. Gall (No. 484) apparently written early in the 10th century, which contains the melodies without words; but there is nothing to show which of these are by Notker, and which are earlier. Nor does early tradition help us much. In the interlinear notes to his Rhythmi de Sancto Otmaro (St. Gall MS. 393, p. 153, both the text and notes being in Ekkehard's autograph), Ekkehard IV. speaks of Notker as having composed 50 sequences, but nowhere does he give a list of their first lines. The conjecture of Wilmanns is probably correct, viz., that Ekkehard took the St. Gall MS., No. 378, as his standard. It contains 55 sequences in the L. S. N. (Nos. 84, 114 had not been inserted when Ekkehard wrote), and deducting from this the sequences which in his Casus Sancti Galli Ekkehard definitely ascribes to others (Nos. 48, 95, 97, 106, 110, 111) there remain, in round numbers, 50. The most careful attempt to settle what are genuine and what are false is in an article by W. Wilmanns (Welche Sequenzen hat Notker verfasst? ) in Moriz Haupt's Zeitschrift fürdeutsches Alterthum, vol. xv., Berlin, 1872, pp. 267-294. With this may be compared P. Anselm Schubiger's Sängerschule St. Gallens, Einsiedeln, 1858; and K. Bartsch's Lateinische Sequenzen des Mittelalters, Rostock, 1868. The references in Daniel are confused and inexact…. vii. Conclusion.— Notker's Sequences are remarkable for their majesty and noble elevation of tone, their earnestness and their devoutness. They display a profound knowledge of Holy Scripture in its plainer and its more recondite interpretations, and a firm grasp and definite exposition of the eternal truths of the Christian Faith. The style is clear, and the language easily comprehensible, so that whether he is paraphrasing the Gospel for the day, or setting forth the leading ideas of the Church's festivals, or is engaged in vivid and sympathetic word-painting; he is at once pleasing and accurate. His sequences were speedily received with favour as a welcome change from sound to sense, and from the end of the 9th century to the middle of the 12th, they, together with sequences on the same model, were in universal use over Northern Europe. As they were written for the neumes of the Alleluia they were of course made to correspond thereto, and must be studied in connection with their melodies. The metrical rules governing their composition are intricate, suffice it to say here that they were written in rhythmical prose, somewhat in the form of the Hebrew Psalms, in irregular lines and without any attempt at rhyme. It is thus difficult to present a version in English which shall be at once exact and yet suited to modern congregational use. The only literal version which has attained any popularity in English is Dr Neale's translation of No. 56, "Cantemus cuncti", and he complains bitterly (Medaeval Hymns, ed. 1867, pp. viii., and 42) that hymnal compilers have ignored the ancient melody to which it was written, and that it has been “cramped, tortured, tamed down into a chant." Still the Notkerian sequences are worthy of greater attention than has been bestowed on them by English translators. If the endeavour to give a literal version is abandoned, they allow a wider choice of measures and greater freedom of rendering than the later rhyming Sequences. [Rev. James Mearns, M.A.] --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907) ================== Notker, Balbulus, p. 812, i. Two interesting monographs dealing with Notker and his time are Die Dichterschule St. Gallens und der Reichenau unter den Karolingern und Ottonen, by Paul von Winterfeld, in the Neue Jahrbucher für das Klassische Altertum, Leipzig, 1900, pp. 341-361; and the Geschichte der Schule von St. Gallen, by P. Gabriel Meier of Einsiedeln, in the Jahrbuch für Schweizerische Geschichte, Zürich, 1885 (vol. x., pp. 35-128). Paul von Winterfeld, before his early death, had been preparing a critical ed. of Notker's Sequences for the Poetae Latini Aevi Carolini; and a critical edition is promised in the Dreves-Blume Analecta Hymnica. [Rev. James Mearns, M.A.] --Excerpt from John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, New Supplement (1907)

Francois Fenelon

Hymnal Number: d30 Author of "Christians, who, of Jesus' sorrows" in St. Basil's Hymnal ... 10th ed.

John William Hewett

1824 - 1886 Person Name: John W. Hewett Hymnal Number: d67 Author of "Hail, the holy day of days" in St. Basil's Hymnal ... 10th ed. Hewett, John William, M.A., was born in 1824, and educated at Trinity College, Cambridge (B.A. 1849, M.A. 1852). From 1849 to 1852 he was a Fellow of St. Nicolas College, Shoreham; and subsequently he was Head Master of Bloxham Grammar School (1853-56), and Senior Classical Master in the North London College School (1874-78). He has also held curacies in London and the neighbourhood. He edited The Sealed Copy of the Prayer Book, 1848, and other works, and is the author of History and Description of Exeter Cathedral; and another of Ely. His original hymns and translations appeared in his Verses by a Country Curate 1859. From this work the following hymns have come into common use:— 1. In the Name of God the Father. Holy Communion. The 2nd stanza begins,"Lo in wondrous condescension," and the 3rd, "Here in figure represented." 2. Jesu, now Thy new-made soldier. After Holy Baptism. 3. What time the evening shadows fall. SS. Simon & Jude. 4. Withdraw from every human eye. St. Bartholomew. There are also two translations in Hymns Ancient & Modern, "Jesu, our Lenten fast to Thee," and "O Thou Who dost to man accord," q.v. His Verses contain several good hymns in addition to those named. In addition he contributed a few hymns (all signed by him) to the Lyra Messianica, 1864; and "Jesus, Thy presence we adore" (Communion) to The Eucharistic Hymnal, 1877. -- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology