Pr. Rob Paul reviews Liber Hymnorum
“Liber Hymnorum is yet another example of Mr. Matthew Carver’s ability and propensity to deliver to our generation the great, lost treasures of the Evangelical Lutheran Church’s past. Mr. Carver and Emmanuel Press have done the churches and schools of the Church a great service by editing and publishing such a fine volume of hymns.
“The Liber consists of a significant introduction, two sections of hymns, and significant indices for hymn enthusiasts and scholars alike. The introduction details not only the contents and thought behind the volume, but also provides significant information about the hymns and hymn books of the early Lutheran Church. Each hymn comes from the Lutheran books of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Here readers are introduced to the names of Lucas Lossius and Matthäus Ludecus, among others. Liber Hymnorum promises to provide not only a wealth of resources for the scholar of Lutheran hymnody and Latin hymnody, but also a useful volume for the classical schools, choirs, teachers, and pastors of our Church.
“With regards to the hymnal itself, first, there are English hymns for use during the week, the Church Year, for feasts and festivals, and for general and seasonal use. Second, the same hymns are presented in their original Latin texts. The English portion of the hymnal provides the tunes of the hymns in modern music notation. This provides a level of accessibility to these hymns of the Church that has not existed before. Many hymns will be new; however, some popular favorites are represented in this volume (In Dulci Jubilo, “Lord Keep Us Steadfast in Your Word,” “Creator of the Stars of Night,” and “Savior of the Nations Come,” among others). The Liber also exposes the Church to the wide breadth of hymns written for specific times and occasions that have been hidden from the Church’s use for so long.
“In the Latin portion, these hymns are presented in Gregorian notation. Since the same hymns are presented in modern music notation earlier in the hymnal, these tones are now more accessible for the musically inclined. One thing that is lacking is an explanation of neumes – that is, Gregorian notation – or at least references that direct novices towards more material if they are interested. The Brotherhood Prayer Book is referenced in the introduction, and it contains such material. But for use in schools, if pastors and teachers wish to educate on Gregorian notation, a supplement to this hymnal is necessary.
“Finally, the indices provide novices and scholars alike with resources concerning the tones used throughout the hymnal. The indices also contain comprehensive lists of the authors, composers, and sources contained in the book.
“Liber Hymnorum looks to be a volume worthy of any classical Lutheran school, Latin student, music student, Lutheran pastor or musician, or even the avid layperson. What once was inaccessible to most is now available to many in a great and friendly format. The Liber is a useable hymnal with great potential. It is my hope that classical Lutheran schools, church youth and adult choirs, pastors and laity alike will take advantage of this resource in order to better understand and embrace the rich heritage Lutherans have in the Latin hymnody presented in Liber Hymnorum.”
-Rev. Robert W. Paul, Pastor and Headmaster, Immanuel Lutheran Church and School, Roswell, NM; Board Member of the Consortium for Classical Lutheran Education (CCLE)
*In our next post, Matthew Carver will answer the question, “What resources are there to help learn Gregorian chant?” Like us on Facebook or sign up for email updates on the right sidebar.
Pless endorses The Word Remains by Wilhelm Löhe
“Wilhelm Loehe (1808-1872) was one of the church fathers of the 19th century, to use the description of Hermann Sasse. His pastoral wisdom combined with a zeal for Lutheran missions marked Loehe’s life and work. In this collection, the voice of Pastor Loehe speaks across the years into our own time and place. Insightful, brief commentaries on the days and seasons of the church year along with pithy sayings on the Christian life will provide readers with much to kindle their hearts and minds for meditation and prayer. This is a devotional classic which will continue to edify and enlighten both pastors and laity.” -Prof John T. Pless
*Purchase The Word Remains along with Liber Hymnorum: The Latin Hymns of the Lutheran Church — and save 10% on both!
A quick note about purchasing Liber Hymnorum
Today we received word from our printer that Liber Hymnorum is ready! We’re heading to Ohio tomorrow to pick up the books so that we can have them available at the “Lutheranism and the Classics” conference in Fort Wayne. This has really been down to the wire, but we are thrilled that we can debut Liber Hymnorum with author Matthew Carver in person. The book will be released on this website on Friday, September 30. If you want to know when the page is live, like us on Facebook or sign up for email updates on the right sidebar.
How would Liber Hymnorum be used devotionally?
“Liber Hymnorum is arranged according to the church year, with the ‘de tempore’ (times and seasons) in the front and ‘de sancto’ (saints and festivals) in the back of each section. This makes use in home or church fairly simple and straightforward. Christians, through these hymns, find expression for their own spiritual sentiments in response to God’s gifts each hour and day and reflect on the themes of the season or feast, tying in with what happens at church. The prayer service hymns (hymns of the daily office, or Liturgy of the Hours) especially can and should be used by Christians at home as well as in those churches where Matins and Vespers are offered. A regular course and use of these ancient hymns anchors the mind and heart to the hours, days, seasons, and all time as God arranges it.
“The melodies are given in standard notation (resembling the stemless chants found in our modern hymnals) as well as the original Gregorian notation. For those able to read Gregorian notation (a worthy endeavor; not as hard as it looks!), the Latin hymns are completely underlaid, so there is no guesswork in which syllable goes on which note, leaving the mind freer to contemplate the spiritual depths of the text (or at least, to grasp the basic meaning of the Latin!).”
–Matthew Carver: author, editor, and translator
More details about Liber Hymnorum
We are still finalizing the release date for Liber Hymnorum, but we do have a few more details to share. It is a hardcover book, 342 pages, 6″ x 9″, selling for $35.00.
Over the course of the next week, we plan to provide excerpts, more of the interview with author Matthew Carver, and additional endorsements. Today, we offer you his answer to our question regarding the translation and settings:
“The translation came about mainly in two ways. First, since most of the ancient hymns for the prayer services were unchanged when Lutherans incorporated them into their hymnals, I took a similar approach and used the familiar translations we have of those hymns, written by some of the great poets and translators of the 19th and 20th century, such as Edward Caswall, J. D. Chambers, and J. M. Neale. Above all, I tried, where possible, to use those translations which are familiar to Lutherans (and Christians generally) through books such as the English Hymnal and The Brotherhood Prayer Book. At the same time, some of the collection represents an alteration or accommodation to pure Lutheran doctrine. For these, I started with the familiar translations and tweaked those parts which the Lutherans had tweaked, which were not many, to be fair, since the majority of the most ancient hymns appointed for use in the church are doctrinally pure. Additionally, there are several Reformation-period hymns written in Latin by the learned poets and teachers of the day, such as Philip Melanchthon. These were composed to ancient meters and set to ancient melodies (the only new melody here is that for the Latin version of Luther’s “Erhalt uns Herr bei deinem Wort”). And while some of these have been translated into German and from German into English, they have not, before now, been translated directly into English verse to be sung to the same melody. These Reformation-period hymns are thus presented here for the first time for church and devotional use.”
Coming Soon! Liber Hymnorum: The Latin Hymns of the Lutheran Church
Wherever you fall on the spectrum of Latin — a scholar, a teacher or student of classical education, or a novice — you will find Liber Hymnorum: The Latin Hymns of the Lutheran Church to be an absolute treasure. Liber Hymnorum is two hymnals in one, the first half being English, the second Latin, exactly mirroring the first half in contents and numbering.
As author, editor, and translator Matthew Carver explains: “This book is a collection of hymns taken exclusively from Lutheran hymnals and chant-books of the Reformation and post-Reformation era. Specifically, it contains the old medieval Latin hymns which Lutheran churches in various parts of Germany still sang at morning and evening prayer (especially in urban areas with Latin schools) with the original Gregorian chant melodies that they used, here with Gregorian melodies with the Latin, and modern notation with the English. It also includes some other ancient hymns sung at the beginning of the Divine Service as well as some Latin carols. Basically, anything I found in old Lutheran hymnals that was (a) in Latin, (b) set to music, and (c) designated to be sung in church, I included.
“Each half is arranged in the form of a church hymnal such as might be used for morning and evening prayers, with the hymns keyed to different times of day (evening, night, early morning, mid-morning, noon, afternoon), the days of the week, the seasons of the church year (Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, etc.), and Christian festivals of apostles and saints, some more generalized, some for specific saints. After this come the ancient Divine Service hymns for Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Vigil, and Easter Sunday. These are further augmented by Benedicamus hymns (for the end of the prayer services) and the medieval Latin carols, many of which are familiar to us.”
Over the course of the next week, we will be posting excerpts from an interview with Mr. Carver, addressing such questions as to the translation and settings, how and by whom the hymnal can be used, and why Liber Hymnorum is so unique. To stay informed, like us on Facebook or sign up for (occasional) email updates on the right sidebar.
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“Matthew Carver has once again done an enormous service for the Church by providing for us his Latin-English Hymnal. This work gathers into one the many Latin hymns that shaped our spiritual forebears as they sought to read and understand and proclaim the Sacred Scriptures in the light of the Church’s historic Christological hermeneutic. Now for English speakers, these classic hymns from the early and medieval church that survived well past the Reformation and helped shape the piety of our great dogmaticians and vernacular hymnwriters can be enjoyed in our own tongue and can help shape our own piety.” -Pr. William Weedon, Chaplain, LCMS Director of Worship
“It is refreshing to find, in one volume, respectable translations (many by Neale already familiar) of Latin hymns I have been chanting all my long life. One applauds this labor of love.” -Fr. Pat Reardon, Touchstone Magazine
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Matthew Carver was born in Long Beach, California, and attended California State University, Long Beach, earning bachelor’s degrees in Classical Civilization and German Studies. He also studied studio arts, receiving his MFA in painting and drawing from San Francisco Art Institute in 2005. His published works include The Great Works of God, Walther’s Hymnal, The Christian Year of Grace (2014) (trans.), and the Saints Catherine & Maurice Daily Lectionary.
A Review of The Word Remains — Pr. Todd Peperkorn
Pr. Todd Peperkorn has posted a review of our new book, The Word Remains by Wilhelm Löhe, on his blog. Here’s an excerpt, but be sure to visit his website and read the entire thing:
“In this little volume the reader will find that nearly every sentence drips with Gospel infused wisdom. I found myself wanting to highlight every page, until I realized that the whole book is worthy of that kind of careful attention….My best suggestion for this work is to buy and read it straight through, so you have a sense of the whole. But then sit back and let the words linger for a time. Take a couple pages a day and drink them in. Don’t be in a hurry. The words will be there and aren’t going anywhere.”
-Todd Peperkorn in his review: A Hopeful Book by an Old Lutheran
Now Available: The Word Remains by Wilhelm Löhe
We are pleased to offer you The Word Remains: Selected Writings on the Church Year and the Christian Life by Wilhelm Löhe. Originally published under the title of Sein Zeugnis, Sein Leben, this collection of excerpts from Löhe’s extensive writing is now available for the first time in English. Read a more complete description, have a look at the Table of Contents, and find purchase information here.
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“Prayer is as necessary for the soul as breathing is for the body. It is…the breath of the soul. When a body stops breathing, it is dead; a soul that does not pray is also dead. But I desire that all your souls live; therefore, it is also my desire that you breathe, that is, pray.” (p. 46)
“Nothing determines eternity but faith — not works nor suffering, not knowledge nor feelings. It is only faith that gives peace and quietness, strength and steadfastness, clarity and harmony of the soul! Running about is worthless. Whoever counts on works, feelings, or knowledge, as if they should make him holy, is lost.” (p. 44)
“It is dawning over the graves, and the cemeteries are fields in which undying hope is blooming. May we stand firm in this, may the Spirit of the Lord seal it in us when we die; and when the ground yields beneath our feet, then may we be certain of this, that we will rise again like our Lord and that, just like the criminal who was crucified next to Jesus, our souls will live with Him in paradise until the day of resurrection. May the Prince of Life in His grace grant us such faith than conquers death.” (p. 68)
“It is a hidden glory in the Christian life to practice faithfulness in little things, that is, in one’s vocation; yet it is more difficult and more glorious than martyrdom. Martyrdom is aided by an agitated time, an emotional disposition, and it is often quickly won; it only takes a brief moment. But being faithful in little things involves bearing patiently the quiet tedium of a monotonous, elapsing life to the praise of the Lord.” (p. 81)
“Therefore, take comfort: it is not all over for those who have fallen asleep in the Lord! They are merely sleeping. He who by His own death-sleep in the grave sanctified our graves as mere bedrooms stands even now at the deathbed, calling, ‘Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden!’ And when He lays them in the dust of death, He says, ‘I will give you rest!’ and ‘Here you will find rest.’ And if death is sleep, then each of the dead have the hope of resurrection.” (p. 64-65)
“Whoever belongs to the Lord confesses; he confesses before friend and foe alike. He is not ashamed of the Gospel but freely admits that he belongs to the Church, whether he be praised or ridiculed, whether he reap sorrow or joy, profit or loss.” (p. 75)
Regarding our Christmas cards…
Earlier this year, the United States Postal Service made some big changes in their shipping prices. The rates for Priority Mail increased considerably, and discounts that are really important to small businesses like ours were eliminated. So it was time for us to restructure how we sell our Christmas cards. Because of these recent postage changes, we are now selling our cards in sets of 15 and 40. The benefit of this is that you can now choose which design and how many of each card you’d like. A quick Google search of comparable Christmas cards shows that our prices are still among the lowest, which means that you can get unique, high-quality, Christ-centered cards for a very good price. Find more details on our Christmas cards page.
*Update 8/6: the discontinued cards are now sold out.
The other piece of news is that one of our discontinued designs is now 35% off. Last year, we introduced an updated Nativity card with a new background, but we still have about 200 of the original design remaining. The artwork (pictured left) is featured on a white background while the inside greeting proclaims, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” If you’d like to purchase these discontinued cards, they are available in sets of 15 cards ($14.95) and 40 cards ($32.50). These prices include shipping. Contact us to place your order, and we’ll send you an invoice for payment via Paypal. These are available on a first come, first served basis!
Six Chief Parts Banner
![Banner[3]](https://emmanuelpress.us/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Banner3.jpg)
Some very talented members of Calvary Lutheran Church in Elgin, Illnois, have turned our Six Chief Parts artwork into a confirmation banner for their church. Thank you for sharing the pictures with us! It looks beautiful and is packed full of theological symbolism.