Hymn Reflection: Let All Creation Bless the Lord
Tunes: COFFEY, MIT FREUDEN ZART
Meter: 8.7.8.7.8.8.7.
Introduction
The call for all creation to praise and bless the Lord is eternal, a theme both ancient and modern. Psalm 148 exhorts all heights, all beings, and all nature to sing worship unto the Creator: “Let them praise the name of the Lord! For he commanded and they were created.” [1] In the thirteenth-century hymn “All Creatures of Our God and King,” the poetic words of Francis of Assisi richly echo these same scriptural themes: “Let all things their Creator bless, and worship him in humbleness, O praise him, Alleluia!” [2] In the twentieth century, Episcopal priest and hymn writer Carl P. Daw, Jr. (b. 1944) penned a three-stanza creation hymn that skillfully gives voice to this recurring admonition to praise entitled “Let All Creation Bless the Lord.” In 1997, Fr. Daw’s friend and colleague Alice Parker (b. 1925) composed an elegant hymn tune in classic style that effectively captures the ethos of the text.
Carl P. Daw, Jr.
Born the son of a Baptist pastor in Louisville, Kentucky, Carl Daw spent most of his early life in Tennessee and began his musical training in the public schools in and around Nashville. Daw holds graduate degrees in English from the University of Virginia (MA, Ph.D. 1970). In 1981, Daw earned a degree in divinity from the University of the South and was ordained a priest in the Episcopal Church. [3]
During his time in seminary, Daw’s background in English literature earned him a position with the Standing Commission on Church Music, the committee charged with preparing the Episcopal hymnbook, The Hymnal 1982. [4] Amidst his extensive editing work, Daw also contributed several hymn translations, metrical paraphrases of Scripture, and original hymns to the project, such as “Surely it is God Who Saves Me” and his most well-known hymn “Like the Murmur of the Dove’s Song.”
Carl Daw’s hymnological impact has achieved international breadth as well as denominational diversity. Having served as Executive Director of the Hymn Society from 1996 to 2009, Daw is published in “most denominational and ecumenical hymnals” in the United States and Canada. Additionally, Daw is well-represented in hymnals in Australia, England, and Scotland and his hymns have been translated into Spanish, Chinese, and Japanese. [5]
Background of the Hymn
“Let All Creation Bless the Lord” first appeared in Daw’s A Year of Grace (1990), a collection of sixty-six hymns written for the church year, complete with the author’s commentary on each text. The hymn is a metrical adaptation of a small portion of the canticle Benedicite Omnia Opera, also known as “A Song of Creation.” This canticle is used in the Divine Office, a meditative cycle of prayer and Scripture that marks the hours of each day, and in Anglican forms of worship such as Morning Prayer. [6] The portions of the text adapted by Daw display a strong connection to Psalm 148.
Psalm 148 : 1–10
Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
praise him in the heights!
2 Praise him, all his angels;
praise him, all his hosts!
3 Praise him, sun and moon,
praise him, all you shining stars!
4 Praise him, you highest heavens,
and you waters above the heavens!
5 Let them praise the name of the Lord! For he commanded and they were created.
6 And he established them forever and ever; he gave a decree, and it shall not pass away.
7 Praise the Lord from the earth,
you great sea creatures and all deeps,
8 fire and hail, snow and mist,
stormy wind fulfilling his word!
9 Mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars!
10 Beasts and all livestock,
creeping things and flying birds!
Carl Daw originally wrote “Let All Creation Bless the Lord” to be paired with the German tune MIT FREUDEN ZART, “one of the great hymn tunes of the Reformation.” [7] This reflection, however, will explore the twentieth-century setting composed by Alice Parker.
The Hymn Text: Analysis
Stanza 1
Let all creation bless the Lord,
Till heav’n with praise is ringing.
Sun, moon, and stars peal out a chord,
Stir up the angels’ singing.
Sing, wind and rain! Sing, snow and sleet!
Make music, day, night, cold, and heat:
Exalt the God who made you.
The hymn begins with the declaration that all things made by the hand of God have the potential and ability to praise and exalt him. The text effectively personifies all of nature: the very planets and heavenly bodies send out a celestial chord of praise. Even the weather patterns found on earth — wind and rain, snow and sleet — are to find voice and sing, just as the Psalmist directs (148:8): “fire and hail, snow and mist, stormy wind fulfilling his word!” All things contained within time and space are to make music unto the Lord.
Stanza 2
All living things upon the earth,
Green fertile hills and mountains,
Sing to the God who gave you birth;
Be joyful, springs and fountains.
Lithe water life, bright airborne birds,
Wild roving beasts, tame flocks and herds:
Exalt the God who made you.
In stanza 2, the focus of the text moves in closer to view all living things upon the earth. Grass-covered hills and sparkling waters join together with the great chorus of God’s creatures that fill the sea, the air, and the land. Once again, the close connection to Psalm 148 (v. 9 & 10) is very clear: “Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars! Beasts and all livestock, creeping things and flying birds!”
Stanza 3
O men and women everywhere
Lift up a hymn of glory;
All you who know God’s steadfast care,
Tell out salvation’s story.
No tongue be mute: but sing your part,
With humble soul and thankful heart:
Exalt the God who made you.
In the final stanza, the hymnist employs heightened poetic language to celebrate the pinnacle of God’s creative artistry: men and women made in his image who are called to glorify God with humility and thankfulness for his saving acts through Christ.
The Hymn Tune: COFFEY and Corporate Worship
Alice Parker, a major figure in twentieth-century choral music with over 800 compositions to her credit, provides a graceful and joyous four-part setting of Carl Daw’s creation text. In the score, Parker notes that the hymn tune COFFEY is composed in the “classic” style, which she describes as “elegant, rather formal, very clean in sound, and above all, charming.” [8]
The tune’s rhythmic buoyancy creates a lightness and exuberance that effectively communicates the joyous nature of Daw’s text. Especially powerful is Parker’s repetition of the last line at the end of each stanza, “Exalt the God who made you.” An ascending, melodic perfect fourth on the word “Exalt” paints the meaning of the text — the very notes themselves rise and exalt!
The jubilant nature of this hymn setting offers a nearly limitless potential for use in corporate worship. Its accessible four part arrangement would make an excellent unaccompanied choral anthem, and its singable melody would also translate well into congregational singing. Its message could also be used to highlight good Christian stewardship of God’s creation.
Perhaps one of the best ways to further appreciate the intent of this hymn is to read the comments of the composer herself, taken from a recent email interview. [9]
HF: The classic hymn style of Coffey is exquisitely and perfectly suited to Fr. Daw’s beautiful text “Let all creation bless the Lord.” What drew you to this particular text?
AP: I have known Carl Daw for many years, and often turn to his poems for inspiration. I love the cheerful energy of this creation hymn — its roots in nature and its evocation of song. The ending just demanded a repetition of the last line.
HF: What is the background for the hymn tune name Coffey?
AP: This hymn was commissioned by his choir to celebrate the music ministry of Richard Coffey, a much-loved choral conductor in nearby Connecticut. The text seemed very appropriate for him — and he did, indeed, really appreciate this gift.
HF: What are the various ways you envision this hymn being used in corporate worship?
AP: I would think any joyful occasion. It makes a good opener and/or closer to a service. Or it could be response to a Scripture reading that asks for joy and praise.
This superb hymn contains a call to every Christian believer to offer God their own “hymn of glory” through their individual and corporate lives within the Church. And may we do so with a “humble soul and thankful heart.”
Notes
[1] Psalm 148:5; all Scriptures cited are from the English Standard Version.
[2] Stanza five, [LINK].
[3] J.R. Watson and Carlton Young, “Carl P. Daw, Jr.” The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology. Canterbury Press, accessed March 28, 2019,[LINK].
[4] Harry Eskew, “An Interview with Carl Daw,” The Hymn 40, no. 2 (April 1989): 24–29.
[5] Boston University Faculty Page, [LINK].
[6] J.R.Watson, “Let all creation bless the Lord.” The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology. Canterbury Press, accessed March 28, 2019,[LINK].
[7] MIT FREUDEN ZART was published in the Bohemian Brethren hymnal Kirchengesänge (1566). [LINK].
[8] Alice Parker, Melodious Accord Hymnal (New York: Melodious Accord, Inc., 2010), viii.
[9] Alice Parker via email, March 29, 2019.
