O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing UM 57
Our Hymn Selection today is by Charles Wesley,
“O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing.” Perhaps the most sung of about 6,000 hymn
he wrote. This recording was done by the congregation at the Shepherd’s Conference
at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California a few years ago to the tune
Azmon.
Welcome this is Parson Paul on the hymns. I am
a retired United Methodist pastor with a great love of church music in general and
the hymns in particular. I hope to help busy church professionals, church
musicians and just regular people in the pew to have a great appreciation and
understanding of the music of the church.
I believe the hymns speak into our lives as
well today as in the day when they were first written. Please feel free to
share this blog or podcast with others you think might enjoy and drop us a line
with suggestions or any comments. Be sure and check out the links and notes I
have placed at the end of this blog and in the show notes of the podcast for
full videos today’s hymn selection and others I found interesting.
Charles was the 18th child of Samuel and Susanna Wesley
born December 18, 1716 at the Epworth Rectory in England. Charles attended Westminster
School while living with his brother Samuel until about 1721 when he was
elected a King’s Scholar and received free room and board at the school. 1726
he was elected to attend Christ Church, Oxford graduating in 1729 then becoming
a college tutor. Charles along with his brother John founded the Oxford
Methodists, Holy Club. He graduated with a master’s degree in classical
languages and literature and joined his father and brother entering into
ministry with the Church of England 1735.
October 1735 along with his brother John he sailed to Savannah in
the Georgian Colony of the British Colonies in North America on the ship Simmonds
from Gravesend Kent. Charles went as chaplain to the garrison and colony at
Fort Frederica, St. Simon’s Island, but was rejected by the settlers. In August
1736 he returned to England. During the trip to the America’s Charles and his
brother John a tremendous storm shredded the main sail of the ship and flooded
its decks. Many of the British passengers were in fear of drowning, however on
board was also a group of German Moravians were singing and worshipping calmly
through squall.
On his return to England Charles was wrestling with his faith and
after being invited by friends attended a meeting of the Moravian society in
London. He experienced conversion on May 21, 1738 in Aldersgate Street in
London. Three days later his brother John joined him. The Wesley’s used many of
the ideas they learned from the Moravians in structuring what would be the
Methodist Classes and band structure.
Wesley’s experience at Aldersgate gave him renewed strength and
direction and he began to write the hymns for which he would become known. In 1739
he and brother John would join George Whitfield in open field preaching taking
the Word of God out to the masses. Charles retired from traveling due to ill
health in 1765.
In April 1749 Charles married Sarah Gwynne, together they had
three children that survived infancy Charles Jr, Sarah and Samuel. Samuel and
Charles Jr were musical prodigies. Samuel Sebastian Wesley would go to be
called the English Mozart and Charles Wesley Jr became personal organist to the
Royal Family.
Charles Wesley’s music would go on to have significant impact not
only on Methodism but on modern theology as a whole. He communicated several
doctrines: the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the sanctifying work of the Holy
Spirit, the depravity of mankind, and humanity’s personal accountability to
God.
His hymns are also noted as helping to interpret Scripture
producing metrical paraphrases of the Psalms. Although it was controversial
even within his own family he also contributed to the idea of Jesus in the
Psalms.
Charles died at the age of 80 in London and still considering
himself to be a member of the Church of England and was buried as such, being
carried to his grave by 6 clergy of the Church of England.
O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing is based on Psalm 35:28 being
written in 1739. The earliest form this poem was written on the 1st
anniversary of Wesley’s Aldersgate experience. In its original form it was 18
verses, the 7th verse began ‘O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing’. The
words were inspired by a Moravian scholar Peter Boehler that he brother John studied
under. Boehler words ‘Had I a thousand tongues I would praise Him with them
all’ was surely inspiration for the 7th verse. The hymn which is
usually shortened to 6 or 8 verses begins from what was that 7th
verse and has appeared in every Methodist Hymnal edition since that day.
In the US it is usually sung to the tune ‘Azmon’ written by Carl
Glaser 1828 and arranged by Lowell Mason in 1839. In England it is most often
sung to the tune ‘Lydia’ by Thomas Phillips or ‘Richmond’ by Thomas Haweis or
Thomas Jarman’s ‘Lyngham’.
Congregational singing
(Shepherds’ Conference) Grace Community Church - Sun Valley, California Text:
Charles Wesley | Tune: AZMON
O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing – Richmond
Congregation with choir and orchestra to the tune Lyngham
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