One of the greatest pieces of music ever written, and
the greatest melody of all time, was written by a deaf
German composer in 1824. Since its premiere, Ludwig
van Beethoven’s Ode to Joy has been a favorite of
audiences for its exuberance, its heroism, its triumph,
and—well, might as well use the word, its joy! Such
a great piece of music was certainly worthy of being
sung in church, and it was only a matter of time before
someone got the idea to write a hymn to the tune.
That so...(+)
One of the greatest pieces of music ever written, and
the greatest melody of all time, was written by a deaf
German composer in 1824. Since its premiere, Ludwig
van Beethoven’s Ode to Joy has been a favorite of
audiences for its exuberance, its heroism, its triumph,
and—well, might as well use the word, its joy! Such
a great piece of music was certainly worthy of being
sung in church, and it was only a matter of time before
someone got the idea to write a hymn to the tune.
That someone (well, there may have been more than one,
but the most successful in this area) was Henry van
Dyke, a Presbyterian minister in New York. His famous
words, “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee,” were first
published in 1911. Van Dyke was inspired to write the
hymn while guest preaching at Williams College in
Williamstown Massachusetts—he said the Berkshire
Mountains put him in the mood. Of his purpose in
writing it, van Dyke said:
“These verses are simple expressions of common
Christian feelings and desires in this present
time—hymns of today that may be sung together by
people who know the thought of the age, and are not
afraid that any truth of science will destroy religion,
or any revolution on earth overthrow the kingdom of
heaven. Therefore this is a hymn of trust and joy and
hope.”
Needless to say, the hymn was an unqualified success
which usually makes it into hymnals—though somehow,
it got left out of Soul-Stirring Hymns of the Faith.
Great Hymns of the Faith includes it.
This arrangement is not one of the beginner ones which
so many fledgling musicians (myself included) have
performed in their first concert. It is also not
entirely in Beethoven’s style—Beethoven himself
proved what Beethoven could do when he wrote the Ninth
Symphony. Instead, this is my version of it—written
hopefully with God’s help. I tried to make it grand
and really bring out the joy, much like Beethoven
did—only, all you need to perform this version is a
piano. I hope that one day, this arrangement brings
joy to your church, somewhere out there. Enjoy!
SHEET MUSIC