#213 "The First Noel"

This is one of my favorite Christmas songs.  My first husband, Mike Ramsey, had a hearing loss and he always thought the words were "Oh, well, oh well" instead of "Noel, noel".  I always get a smile on my face or a tear in my eye when I sing this song at Christmas.

#212 "Far, Far Away on Judea's Plains"

This hymn is a uniquely LDS Christmas hymn.  I've always liked it because it was similar to "Glory to God" from Handel's Messiah.  I am glad we have this song in our hymnbook.  It's nice to use as a choir number with the women singing a duet on verse one (SA) and then having the entire choir sing SATB for the chorus.  It is also effective to sing the first "Peace on earth, goodwill to men" softly and then sing the last two phrases a little louder.

#211 "While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks"

I like the tune of Hymn #283 ("The Glorious Gospel Light Has Shone") to pair with the words of this hymn.    (In fact, the tune name of hymn #283 is "Bethlehem"!)  I would like to have a choir sing the words with the tune "Bethlehem" as a special musical number.

#210 "With Wondering Awe"

This is a nice hymn for the choir to use as a special musical number.  The verses can be sung as solos or duets, and then the last line, "Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna to his name!" could be sung SATB with the entire choir. 

#209 "Hark! the Herald Angels Sing"

I've always liked this Christmas hymn.  It is easy to sing and play.  T.T. Noble has a free accompaniment to this hymn that would work well with a choir or congregation.

#208 "O Little Town of Bethlehem"

I am ashamed to say that this Christmas hymn wasn't one of my favorites until recently.  President Thomas S. Monson gave a talk at a First Presidency Christmas Devotional a few years ago and he quoted the third verse in such a way that I realized the great message of this hymn.

How silently,how silently

The wondrous gift is giv'n!

So God imparts to human hearts

The blessings of his heav'n.

No ear may hear his coming;

But in this world of sin,

Where meek souls will receive him, still

The dear Christ enters in.

I think the one little word, gift, is what made the difference.  I think before really paying attention to its message, I thought this hymn was referring to giving gifts (plural) at Christmas.  Now I see that the word gift (singular) refers to the Christ Child.  With that one attention to detail, this has become one of my favorite Christmas hymns.

Hymns of Worship, vol. 3 by Larice Music Corp. has a nice arrangement of this hymn.  T.T. Noble has a free hymn accompaniment to this hymn, too.

The words of this hymn can be sung to the tune of Hymn #15 "I Saw a Mighty Angel Fly".  I've tried it and it works very well!

#207 "It Came upon the Midnight Clear"

I know I keep writing that many of these Christmas hymns are my favorite, but today's song is actually one that I've sung all of my life but I don't consider it a favorite.  However, this morning I was reading about two additional verses written by the author that I thought apply to today's world:

"Yet with the woes of sin and strife

The world has suffered long;

Beneath the angel strain have rolled

Two thousand years of wrong;

And man, at war with man, hears not

The love song which they bring:

O hush the noise, ye men of strife,

And hear the angels sing!"   

I think our world needs to "hush the noise" and "hear the angels sing"!  

#206 "Away in a Manger"

This tune is different than the one I grew up singing, but I like it even better.  The book Hymns of Worship, vol. 3 by Larice Music Corp. has a nice arrangement that works for a ward or stake choir.  Children seem to like this hymn because of the text in verse three that reads: "Be near me, Lord Jesus; I ask thee to stay close by me forever, and love me, I pray.  Bless all the dear children in they tender care, And fit us for heaven to live with thee there."  This song should be sung every Christmas season!

#205 "Once in Royal David's City"

This hymn was new to the 1985 edition of the LDS hymnbook, and it was new to me, too.  I really like it and am glad it is in the hymnal.  It sits right next to "Away in a Manger" and both are in the key of F.  I think the two songs could be made into an effective medley by "mashing" the two songs together.

#204 "Silent Night"

A classic Christmas carol!  I love the story behind this hymn and how it was first written on Christmas Eve (1818) because the organ of the Catholic Church in Oberndoft, Austria was broken and they needed a hymn that could be played on guitar.  This is a hymn that we use every Christmas season for choir or congregation.

#203 "Angels We Have Heard on High"

This is another great Christmas hymn!  I am so glad it was included in the 1985 hymnal.  I remember singing this in choir at Alhambra High School and loving it!
T.T. Noble has a free accompaniment to this hymn that would be great to use with a choir or congregation.

#202 "Oh, Come, All Ye Faithful"

This is another wonderful Christmas song.  I remember our Aunt Lynn Greenwood (Uncle Ted's wife) playing the piano (at their home) and asking Denise and me to sing this song.  I sang alto--as best I could--and Denise sang the melody line.  Aunt Lynn said we did a beautiful job.  I think that was the first time anyone had asked my sister and me to sing together.
I love the harmonies of this hymn and how the sound builds on the "Oh, come, let us adore him" part.
T.T. Noble has a free accompaniment to this hymn that would be nice to use.

#201 "Joy to the World"

Christmas in July!  It's July 19th and I've come to the Christmas section of the LDS Hymnbook.  Maybe that will make me feel cooler these next couple of weeks!
"Joy to the World" is one of my favorite Christmas hymns.  I've sung it all of my life.  It wasn't until I was older that I learned the music was written by George F. Handel and Lowell Mason.  You can see the similarities in the first line of "Joy to the World" and "Lift Up Your Heads" (from Handel's Messiah).  There is also a similarity to "And Saints and angels sing..." and the accompaniment to the tenor aria "Comfort Ye My People".  (I stole these two ideas from Karen Lynn Davidson's book "Our Latter-Day Hymns: The Stories and the Messages".)
This hymn was one of the first songs that I was able to pick out on the piano at church--just the melody line.  I must have been about 11 years old when I tried it.  I played it in the key of C, but the one in our hymnal is in the key of D.  I can now easily play the entire song as written!

#200 "Christ the Lord Is Risen Today"

This has got to be the "#1 Easter Hymn" in all Christian churches.  I can't image an Easter Sunday without singing this hymn.  My favorite memory of this hymn is singing at the Easter Sunrise Service at the Hollywood Bowl with the Southern California Mormon Choir (1975-77).  There was this cross-shaped group of seats on the stage that a choir of young children sat in.  It was elevated in such a way as to be at an angle so that the top seats were higher than the bottom seats.  Each child was wearing a piece of black cloth over their white choir robe.  When the words "Christ the Lord is risen today" were sung, the choir singers quickly pulled off the black cloth to reveal their white robe underneath.  The effect was wonderful!  There was a "living cross" on stage off all-white angels singing.  The audience always loved it. 
T.T. Noble has a free organ accompaniment arrangement in one of his books. 
I will never let an Easter Sunday go by without singing this hymn!

#199 "He Is Risen!"

I can't imagine Easter Sunday without this hymn (or "Christ the Lord Is Risen Today") being sung as part of the Easter service.  I've sung this hymn every Easter Sunday since I was old enough to hold a hymnbook.  I love the message of the text and the music.  Either the congregation or the choir will continue to use this hymn every Easter Sunday if I am in charge of choosing the hymns.

#198 "That Easter Morn"

This song was a great addition to the limited number of Easter hymns in the 1950 LDS Hymnal.  I like the three different endings to each verse.  Our ward choir has performed this song at many Easter services.
"Hymnal Plus, Vol. 6" has a way to make this hymn even more special with 10 measures of added introduction, 10 measures of interlude between verses one and two, and 10 measures of postlude.  I haven't used that arrangement yet, but I have a note in my personal hymnbook to remind me about it.

#197 "O Savior, Thou Who Wearest a Crown"

I first heard this Easter hymn as "O Sacred Head Now Wounded" when I sang in the Phelan Ward Choir.  I remember that the tenors had some really high notes to hit.  In this revised edition, the key has been lowered so that it is easier for the congregation to sing.  The new text was written by Karen Lynn Davidson for the 1985 hymnal and she said that her words are fitting for the sacrament as well as for an Easter service. 
T.T. Noble has a free accompaniment for this hymn tune that would be a nice addition for a ward choir to use.  I like to play this song at the slower tempo of 60, as suggested in the hymnal.

#196 "Jesus, Once of Humble Birth"

I like the way this hymn is set up with a "Once..., Now..." sequence.  I like to schedule this as a sacrament hymn for the Sunday closest to Christmas because it mentions Jesus' birth.  We use it a lot more often than that, but it is one that we will sing around Christmas, too.
In an older hymnal, there were dynamic markings that are no longer in the 1985 edition.  They were marked as follows:
Measures 1-4 piano (soft)
Measures 5-8 forte (loud)
Measures 9-12 piano (soft)
Measures 13-16 forte (loud)
Measures 17-20 piano (soft)

#195 "How Great and the Wisdom and the Love"

I like to make sure that when we sing this hymn that we sing all of the verses because of the message in verses five and six.   We use this hymn frequently in our sacrament meeting. 

#194 "There Is a Green Hill Far Away"

This is another great sacrament hymn.  In Karen Lynn Davidson's book, I found out that the line that reads, "Without a city wall", means "outside the city wall".  I like the tune and words of this sacrament hymn.  We schedule it quite often in our ward.

#193 "I Stand All Amazed"

I know I keep writing that the past few days of sacrament hymns are some of my favorite, but Hymn #193, "I Stand All Amazed", is really my all-time favorite sacrament hymn.  The message of verse two "...to rescue a soul so rebellious and proud as mine..." really applies to me.  I love the version in the 1950 hymnal because of the men's voices singing, "Wonderful!"  I still hear that version in my mind when we sing.  Our Oak Hills Ward Choir sang the old version as a special musical number at Easter this year and it was very effective.

#192 "He Died! The Great Redeemer Died"

This hymn is one that I've always liked.  It has been used for sacrament meeting and as a special choir number at Easter.  I like the harmonies and the text.  We use it often in our ward.

#191 "Behold the Great Redeemer Die"

This is another one of my favorite hymns to sing for the sacrament.  Even though it was in the choir section of the 1950 hymnal, we still sang it in the old Monterey Park Ward where I was raised.  The harmonies and text are both wonderful!  We've used this as a choir number on Easter and sang all six verses.  We schedule this one often in my ward.

#190 "In Memory of the Crucified"

This is one of my favorite sacrament hymns to sing.  I like the alto line.  I like the message of the text.  It is one that we use often in our ward.

#189 "O Thou, Before the World Began"

This hymn was included in the choir section of the 1950 hymnal, but was added to the congregational section for the 1985 hymnbook.  This hymn was new to me.  I like the message because it teaches that Jesus Christ was foreordained to by our Savior.  The music was a little difficult because of the accidentals.

#188 "Thy Will, O Lord, Be Done"

I found an interesting note in Karen Lynn Davidson's book, Our Latter-Day Hymns, about this hymn.  The composer of the tune had written the music for Hymn #135 "My Redeemer Lives", but another tune was chosen instead of his for the 1985 hymnal.  His tune was paired with the words of "Thy Will, O Lord, Be Done".  It's nice to know that I could have the choir use the tune of #188 with the words of #135 as a special choir number.
I've used this hymn as a choir number for Easter because it is not well-known to the congregation.  The tune is unusual, but I still like it.  It was a little tricky to play because of the accidentals, but with a little work I should be able to play it smoothly.

#187 "God Loved Us, So He Sent His Son"

This is one of my favorite sacrament hymns.  I love the alto part on this song--it was one of the first songs on which I learned to sing alto. 
This is a tricky song to lead because the prep beat is on count one.  I like to use a rebound when I lead this hymn.
For organ, I use the preset #3 and it sounds lovely.  We always sing all five verses to make the hymn's message complete.

#186 "Again We Meet Around the Board"

This hymn was included in the choir section of the 1950 hymnal and is now in the congregation section of the 1985 hymnbook.  This hymn is only slightly familiar to me.  I've never used in a sacrament meeting due to its unfamiliarity for most congregations.  It would be nice to sing once the congregation learned the music.

#185 "Reverently and Meekly Now"

I remember learning this hymn in the old Monterey Park Ward and liking it.  In the 1985 hymnal, it has a lowered key and the instrumental portion was deleted.  I kind of liked the old arrangement because it seemed more dramatic. 
The text is quite interesting because it is as if the Savior is saying/singing the words.  It is all in the first person.  Some people have a hard time with the words "with my blood that dripped like rain" but we all need to remember that the crucifixion was not pretty--it was very bloody.
I haven't scheduled this as a sacrament hymn, but only because it is a little difficult to sing and there are a couple of tricky notes in it.  I think the congregation would like it, once they were familiar with it.

#184 "Upon the Cross of Calvary"

This sacrament hymn would be perfect for an Easter hymn, too.  Each of the three verses begins with "Upon the cross...".  I have a note in my personal hymnal for the following organ registrations:
8' Principal; 8' Flute; 4' Spitz Flute.
This hymn is easy to play and sing.  We use it frequently in our sacrament meeting services.

#183 "In Remembrance of Thy Suffering"

This hymn was listed in the choir section of the 1950 hymnal.  Now it has joined the ranks of the congregational hymns.  The triplets make it a little tricky to sing and play, but I like the challenge it brings.  We rarely sing this in sacrament meeting, but I think it would be nice to schedule it so the congregation can begin to love it, too!