LAUDATE DOMINUM
LAUDATE DOMINUM (Latin words for the opening phrase of Psalm 150) comes from the end of the anthem “Hear My Words, O Ye People” by C. Hubert H. Parry , an anthem he composed in 1894 for a festival of the Salisbury Diocesan Choral Association. Parry’s tune was set to Baker’s text in the 1916 SupplementofHymnsAncient and Modern, replacing an earlier LAUDATE DOMINUM by HenryJ. Gauntlett for Baker’s text. Parry’s tune is an inspired melody from a great tune writer who rarely came to church but who produced some of the best hymn tunes in the later Victorian era. Sing this noble tune with vigor and excitement; accompany it on the organ with a full registration and a touch of marcato. Sing stanza 1 in unison, stanzas 2 and 3 in parts (possibly one of them unaccompanied), and stanza 4 in unison again. For a real treat use Parry’s majestic alternate harmonization with a “walking bass” on the final stanza; that harmonization is found in The Hymnal 1982 (432) and requires a slower tempo (halfnote = 88). 632 REDEMPTION Liturgical Use: Any occasion of praise when Psalm 148 or 150 could also be used; a glorious (although long) doxology for harvest thanksgiving; a choral festival or similar praise service.
Stanza Arc
The narrative or theological arc traced by this tune's stanzas: God's creative Word descends in mercy, speaks through history, became incarnate in Christ, and now dwells within believers transforming humanity