Different hymns are featured in our church’s hymnal based on the seasons of the church year. Right now, we are tipping into the familiar ones from Advent: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel and Hark, the Glad Sound for example.
This week I discovered a new one: Creator of the Stars of Night. This tune is a plainsong and the lyrics are based on a 9th century Latin hymn. Do you know what a plainsong is? I didn’t.
A plainsong is a simple chant sung in Christian worship, like the more familiar Taizé or Gregorian chants. Many times these melodies are sung without instruments.
“Creator of the Stars of Night” was originally written as an evening hymn for Advent somewhere between the 7th and 9th centuries. The text remained relatively consistent for several hundred years and could be found in dozens of hymn books from Rome to England. This changed in the 17th century when Pope Urban VIII modified this and other hymns in the 1632 edition of the Roman Breviary.
What a long history this hymn has, but the message is clear: “Creator of the Stars of Night” is a hymn of prayer to our God – Creator, Redeemer, Judge, and Savior and ending with the words of the doxology. A treasure of a new hymn to discover!
Take the time to listen and pray this hymn. If you are reading this only in the email, please go the blog site to see the video. May the music and words bless you.
What new hymns have you discovered lately?
Thank you for this beautifully simple melody. Can it be found in Latin? I’ve been looking for the Latin text of the 7th century, Christ is made our sure foundation but without success.
Thank you for the suggestion to pray our hymns.
Thanks for your. comment,Jeanne. I am not sure at all about Latin renditions. I wonder if someone who majored in music would know resources for you to check that you and I are unaware of. Might be worth asking.
Oh, that’s lovely. So peaceful. I’m so glad you discovered it, Jean, and shared it with us!
Yes this hymn is very peaceful – a good way to enter Advent, isn’t it?
Oh, Jean, this is absolutely gorgeous! I love plain song, and this is no exception. I love thinking about how many hundreds of years this has been sung. Clouds of witnesses!
Blessed Advent, my friend!
I love this song too and just had to share it. Glad you liked it too, Martha!
thank you jean..very soul filling..always diff hymns and choruses goin on in the head…some because they are catchy tunes and some the words..but always comes back to “Jesus loves me”..peace
Isn’t it a wonderful practice to pray the hymns too?