LDS Hymn #66

Hymn #66 - Rejoice, the Lord is King!

The Praising section of the hymnbook is one of my favorites, as my favorite way to praise my Heavenly Father and my Savior is with song. And these songs allow me to do so in great fervor and spirit and joy--with all of me in the one talent I am (for now) best at. This particular hymn is sung often--in Conferences, in regular Sunday meetings. Quite often, for which I am glad. It really stands out for the measures when the music is written in unison, unifying the singers together in two ways instead of just one. But when the parts split, they just drive the message home more. And then the chorus is perfect with the words "Lift up your heart! Lift up your voice!" as it slowly ascends. Even with its dotted rhythms and accidentals (luckily in the key of C!), this is one that I have enjoyed playing and don't have too much difficulty in playing. So for me, this song excels in its composition, text, spirit, musicality, ease of play, and feeling.

From the history book
Based on the scripture Philippians 4:4. The tune was written in 1894 for these words and was given the name JUBILATE, which means "rejoice" in Latin. She also points out how perfectly suited the tune is to the text. Other hymnals have another verse: "Rejoice in glorious hope! Our Lord the Judge shall come, And take his servants up To their eternal home." Many other denominations use a different tune called DARWALL, which is what the current LDS hymnal uses for Hymn #265 ("Arise O God and Shine"), with a word change in line two to match syllables and notes. DARWALL also has an upward movement which words for the words.

Nothing said about Charles Wesley, the lyricist. According to Wikipedia, he was an English leader of the Methodist movement who wrote more than 6,000 hymns. This is the 1st of 6 of his hymns that we have in our hymnal, though I already wrote about one of the Christmas ones, and one of the the "New Year's ones" which I haven't written about yet but which my ward choir is working on right now. He writes some good rejoicing music for singers!

Lyrics

1. 1. Rejoice, the Lord is King!
   Your Lord and King adore!
   Mortals, give thanks and sing
   And triumph evermore.
2. (Chorus)
   Lift up your heart! Lift up your voice!
   Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!
   Lift up your heart! Lift up your voice!
   Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!
3. 2. The Lord, the Savior, reigns,
   The God of truth and love.
   When he had purged our stains,
   He took his seat above.
4. 3. His kingdom cannot fail;
   He rules o'er earth and heav'n.
   The keys of death and hell
   To Christ the Lord are giv'n.
5. Text: Charles Wesley, 1707-1788
   Music: Horatio Parker, 1863-1919