Te Deum paraphrase

The "Te deum" text is a glorious statement of faith with rich, vivid poetic content. It is however not in a regular meter, such as a hymn text. In 1774 however, Ignaz Franz paraphrased the words into metrical format, suitable then for pairing with a hymn tune. The tune "Grosser Gott, wir loben dir" was paired with the text in Katholische Gesang-Buch in Vienna, Austria; the composer is not named. The choir will be using this hymn text and tune at worship this week, to complement their presentation of Rutter's "Te Deum." The text (four stanzas only) and tune appear in the Presbyterian Hymnal (1989) at #460. Below (reproduced from the CyberHymnal) is the complete hymn text. You can instantly see the correlation to the original "Te Deum" text found below.

Holy God, we praise Thy Name;
Lord of all, we bow before Thee!
All on earth Thy scepter claim,
All in Heaven above adore Thee;
Infinite Thy vast domain,
Everlasting is Thy reign.

Hark! the loud celestial hymn
Angel choirs above are raising,
Cherubim and seraphim,
In unceasing chorus praising;
Fill the heavens with sweet accord:
Holy, holy, holy, Lord.

Lo! the apostolic train
Join the sacred Name to hallow;
Prophets swell the loud refrain,
And the white robed martyrs follow;
And from morn to set of sun,
Through the Church the song goes on.

Holy Father, Holy Son,
Holy Spirit, Three we name Thee;
While in essence only One,
Undivided God we claim Thee;
And adoring bend the knee,
While we own the mystery.

Thou art King of glory, Christ:
Son of God, yet born of Mary;
For us sinners sacrificed,
And to death a tributary:
First to break the bars of death,
Thou has opened Heaven to faith.

From Thy high celestial home,
Judge of all, again returning,
We believe that Thou shalt come
In the dreaded doomsday morning;
When Thy voice shall shake the earth,
And the startled dead come forth.

Therefore do we pray Thee, Lord:
Help Thy servants whom, redeeming
By Thy precious blood out-poured,
Thou hast saved from Satan’s scheming.
Give to them eternal rest
In the glory of the blest.

Spare Thy people, Lord, we pray,
By a thousand snares surrounded:
Keep us without sin today,
Never let us be confounded.
Lo, I put my trust in Thee;
Never, Lord, abandon me.

Rutter: Te Deum on 9/23

The Chancel Choir will sing John Rutter's "Te Deum" for 11 AM worship on the 23rd of September. Rutter's setting, written for use in English-speaking churches, uses the English translation of the text. The original Latin carries a certain beauty, such that it is worth reading on its own right. Here is a favorable review of the work, and other music on the CD Rutter has completed of this work.

Wikipedia says the following about this ancient hymn: "The Te Deum is an early Christian hymn of praise. Though its authorship is traditionally ascribed to Saints Ambrose and Augustine, on the occasion of the latter's baptism by the former in AD 387, contemporary scholars doubt this attribution, many assigning it to Nicetas, bishop of Remesiana in the late 4th to early 5th centuries. The hymn follows the outline of the Apostles' Creed, mixing a poetic vision of the heavenly liturgy with its declaration of faith. Naming God immediately, the hymn proceeds to name all those who praise and venerate God, from the hierarchy of heavenly creatures to those Christian faithful already in heaven to the Church spread throughout the world. The hymn then returns to its credal formula, naming Christ and recalling his birth, suffering, and glorification. At this point the hymn turns to the subjects declaiming the praise, both the Church in general and the singer in particular, asking for mercy on past sins, protection from future sin, and the hoped-for reunification with the elect."

Here is the original Latin text:
Te Deum laudámus: te Dóminum confitémur. Te ætérnum Patrem, omnis terra venerátur. Tibi omnes ángeli, tibi cæliet univérsæ potestátes: tibi chérubim et séraphimincessábili voce proclámant: Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus, Dóminus Deus Sábaoth. Pleni sunt cæli et terra maiestátis glóriæ tuæ. Te gloriósus apostolòrum chorus, te prophetárum laudábilis númerus, te mártyrum candidátus laudat exércitus. Te per orbem terrárum sancta confitétur Ecclésia, Patrem imménsæ maiestátis; venerándum tuum verumet únicum Fílium; Sanctum quoque Paráclitum Spíritum. Tu rex glóriæ, Christe. Tu Patris sempitérnus es Filius. Tu, ad liberándum susceptúrus hóminem, non horrúisti Virginis úterum. Tu, devícto mortis acúleo, aperuísti credéntibus regna cælórum. Tu ad déxteram Dei sedes, in glória Patris. Iudex créderis esse ventúrus. Te ergo quǽsumus, tuis fámulis súbveni, quos pretióso sánguine redemísti. Ætérna fac cum sanctis tuisin glória numerári. Salvum fac pópulum tuum, Dómine, et bénedic hereditáti tuæ. Et rege eos, et extólle illosusque in ætérnum. Per síngulos dies benedícimus te; et laudámus nomen tuumin sǽculum, et in sǽculum sǽculi. Dignáre, Dómine, die isto sine peccáto nos custodíre. Miserére nostri, Dómine, miserére nostri. Fiat misericórdia tua, Dómine, super nos, quemádmodum sperávimus in te. In te, Dómine, sperávi: non confúndar in ætérnum.

And in English:
We praise thee, O God: we acknowledge thee to be the Lord. All the earth doth worship thee, the Father everlasting. To thee all Angels cry aloud, the Heavens, and all the Powers therein. To thee Cherubim and Seraphim continually do cry, Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of Sabaoth; Heaven and earth are full of the Majesty of thy glory. The glorious company of the Apostles
praise thee. The goodly fellowship of the Prophets praise thee. The noble army of Martyrs praise thee. The holy Church throughout all the world doth acknowledge thee; the Father of an infinite Majesty; thine honourable, true and only Son; also the Holy Ghost the Comforter. Thou art the King of Glory, O Christ. Thou art the everlasting Son of the Father. When thou tookest upon thee to deliver man thou didst not abhor the Virgin's womb. When thou hadst overcome the sharpness of death thou didst open the Kingdom of Heaven to all believers. Thou sittest at the right hand of God in the glory of the Father. We believe that thou shalt come to be our Judge. We therefore pray thee, help thy servants whom thou hast redeemed with thy precious blood. Make them to be numbered with thy Saints in glory everlasting. O Lord, save thy people and bless thine heritage. Govern them and lift them up for ever. Day by day we magnify thee; and we worship thy Name ever world without end. Vouchsafe, O Lord to keep us this day without sin. O Lord, have mercy upon us have mercy upon us. O Lord, let thy mercy lighten upon us as our trust is in thee. O Lord, in thee have I trusted let me never be confounded.

The Chancel Choir hopes that you will enjoy hearing this glorious text, in a fine musical setting by John Rutter in worship on the 23rd.