Old 100th
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The tune ‘Old 100th’, is a melody from Pseaumes Octante Trois de David (1551), and is one of the best known melodies in all Christian musical traditions. The melody receives its name from the hymn All People that on Earth do Dwell by William Kethe, a paraphrasing of the 100th psalm of David, which is the most familiar hymn sung to this music. The tune is usually attributed to the French composer Loys Bourgeois (c.1510 – c.1560). The hymn was sung at the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 in a now-famous arrangement by the composer Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958).
The hymn Praise to God by Isaac Watts is a paraphrasing of Psalm 117, with a third verse by Thomas Ken, and is also sung to the tune of the Old 100th. These hymns are significant because the last verse of each is a doxology, a statement of praise to God, usually in the form of the Holy Trinity, a fundamental belief for most Christians. The doxologies based on the Old 100th are sung in Christian churches around the world.
Below is the traditional text as found in the popular Vaughan Williams arrangement.
All people that on earth do dwell,
Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice.
Him serve with fear, His praise forth tell;
Come ye before Him and rejoice.
The Lord, ye know, is God indeed;
Without our aid He did us make;
We are His folk, He doth us feed,
And for His sheep He doth us take.
O enter then His gates with praise;
Approach with joy His courts unto;
Praise, laud, and bless His Name always,
For it is seemly so to do.
For why? the Lord our God is good;
His mercy is for ever sure;
His truth at all times firmly stood,
And shall from age to age endure.
To Father, Son and Holy Ghost,
The God Whom Heav’n and earth adore,
From men and from the angel host
Be praise and glory evermore.
Amen.
See also
External mutimedia
- The Old Hundredth (Shape note method)