countertony.org.uk

1 December - Advent Prose, Verse 1

For me, a small silver lining to this grim year has been that I've been doing a lot of recording and mixing of music for St Andrew's Church, Chesterton. This means that I've built up more than the usual stash of music, including for this year's advent calendar.

Today's piece is a plainsong hymn whose chorus is based on the Latin text of Isaiah 45:8 As a hymn it is traditionally sung over the course Advent, one verse each Sunday. This first verse is usually sung on Advent Sunday (29th November, this year).

Drop down, O heavens, from above,
and let the skies pour down righteousness.

Be not wroth very sore, O Lord,
neither remember iniquity for ever:
thy holy city is a wilderness,
Sion is a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation:
our holy and our beautiful house,
where our fathers praised thee.

Drop down, O heavens, from above,
and let the skies pour down righteousness.