HOTC #32: LSB 463, Christ the Lord Is Risen Today; Alleluia

Written By Ryan Frederick

The Resurrection of Christ, Anthony van Dyck, 1631-1632

We come to the end of the Easter season for 2023. This Wednesday will be our Ascension/Pentecost livestream, and we begin the transition (via Pentecost and Trinity Sunday) into the Time of the Church. So why not go back to the beginning of this season and take up yet another musical descendant of an ancient and classic text that celebrates the Resurrection?

The Text

This text also descends from the Victimae paschali laudes (LSB #460 reproduces it in translation), a 10th or early 11th Century chant from which LSB #459 comes down to us. We discussed this original text in more detail a few weeks ago.

The translation here is by Jane E. Leeson, of whom little is known, though this work probably comes from the late 1830s or early 1840s. Ms. Leeson was born in 1807 and died in 1882.

The translation is less strict here than in LSB #459 or LSB #460, and the influence of Victorian sensibilities can be felt. In many ways this text is a sort of halfway house between the strict translations of the two hymns mentioned and something like LSB #457, where the general outline of the original text remains, but Wesley’s (and others’) handiwork has really led to an entirely new creation. This text takes liberties with the text, but retains the overall form of the original.

Like LSB #457, this hymn has the repeated Alleluias at the close of each line, which appears to be a particular feature of these Victorian renditions (and makes it especially suited to the Welsh tune to which it is set).

The first verse is a fairly straightforward paraphrase of Wipo of Burgundy’s opening lines, proclaiming the Resurrection and calling Christians to quickly come to offer their praises.

The second verse also clearly comes from the opening lines of the original text, with “For the sheep the Lamb has bled, / Sinless in the sinner’s stead” clearly echoing Wipo’s “The Lamb the sheep has ransomed.” The closing line, “Now He lives, no more to die” contains clear echoes of both the Job text that forms the basis of LSB #461 and oof Paul in Romans 6:9. Christ has, indeed, seen to the death of death.

The third verse parallels the first, calling believers once again to praise the “…victim undefiled.” Substitutionary atonement is the order of the day in this verse: the sins of the world are taken away, and God is reconciled to sinful humanity in Christ.

The final verse returns to the theme of the first, calling us on this (that is Easter) holy day to celebrate. The “this” in this line implies use on Easter Sunday, though the LCMS utilizes this hymn as the Hymn of the Day for both Easter evening and Easter Monday.

A remarkable thread running through this entire text is the urgency with which the praise and worship are to be undertaken. Complacency has no place when the salvation of the world is the subject of our celebrations.

The Tune

This urgency is reflected and reinforced by the choice of tune. Welsh hymns have this bouncing, lilting quality (a product of the Welsh language, one suspects), with powerful, full, but relatively basic harmonies (anyone who’s heard a Welsh men’s chorus can attest to the power these close harmonies have). The movement upward by thirds (forming arpeggiated major chords in the first, second, and fourth lines) adds to this sense of joyful power. Each line is then concluded with a descending (except for the third line) “alleluluia” in simple counterpoint. The form is AABA, with the B section cast in the relative minor (D minor) and ending on the dominant seventh (C-E-G-Bb). Harmonically simple, but very effective, as, again, Welsh tunes tend to be.

The tune itself comes from a book with belonged to one Robert Williams, a Welshman with an aptitude for singing and taking musical dictation, despite his handicap. Williams had been born blind in 1782 in the town of Llanfairynghornwy (from whence the name of the tune derives), and worked as a basket weaver, though he was noted for singing hymns at various public events. He would pass on in 1818.

The tune was first published under the name BETHEL in 1837, but is dated July 14, 1817 in Williams’ original manuscript.

It is a popular Easter hymn, and as such has come under the pen of many modern church composers. A sampling of those works is, of course, produced below.

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Ryan Frederick
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HOTC #33: LSB 496, Holy Spirit Light Divine

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HOTC #31: LSB 491, Up through Endless Ranks of Angels