On A Different Note (tee hee): A Splendid Hymn by Joseph Addison, (1672-1719) and a Bit About Him; and my High School education.





Joseph Addison (1672- 1719) was an English poet, essayist, playwright and politician;  and a co-founder of the U.K. (once daily, but now monthly)  "Spectator".

He was the son of a Church of England Priest (but none of the websites name his mother).

Addison has been identified as a Deist, but it is probably better to identify him as a "Carolinian" High Church rationalist.  

Addison wrote a few hymns; one of which is well known to Anglicans in the  U.S.A.  It is his splendid  paraphrase of Psalm 19;   set to music from Haydn's  Creation Oratorio.

What a wonderful hymn to 'belt out"  with its splendid harmonies;  here sung by a massed choir in India.


https://youtu.be/I8cARtRBFco


 Here is another Addison  hymn with a fine tune: "When all Thy Mercies O my God"

It was my U.K. Grammar (High School) official hymn.  It is not too well known this  side of the Atlantic, but it has a tender spot in my memory and heart. 

Yes, we had quasi Anglican /quasi Christian worship at the beginning of each day in English/Welsh state schools back then.

I suspect that I liked/like the hymn because of the rich harmonies of the tune:  "Contemplation".

I pushed  my personal privileges a bit and with the gracious cooperation of Patrick Michaels  (the music director at St. James's Church Cambridge MA) we sang it on my final Sunday as Rector there.

Here it is as sung by choir members at Park Street  Church in Boston


https://youtu.be/-5aJlcS0wu0



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