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For Americans, ironies abound in the combination of the tune Hanover and the text, O worship the King. The tune, published anonymously but attributed to William Croft (1678-1727), is named for the House of Hanover, the family of King George III - against whom the American colonies rebelled. And then there is the matter of that opening phrase in the text. Americans (and I am one) find references to 'kings' puzzling, and this is one place where the remainder of this superb hymn text might be well served by a different noun, at least on this side of the pond. Croft contributed several Psalm tune settings to collections that appeared in 1707 and 1708, which included Hanover, though without attribution. Robert Grant's text is a meditation on Psalm 104, "Bless the LORD, O my soul; O LORD how excellent is your greatness! You are clothed with majesty and splendor" (Book of Common Prayer, 1976). To stretch irony to the breaking point, there is no reference in Psalm 104 to a king. The text 'Ye servants of God, your master proclaim," was also published anonymously – by Charles Wesley in Hymns for Times of Trouble and Persecution (1744) – during a time of trouble and persecution for the fledgling Methodist movement. The original text ran seventeen verses. |
downloadsHanover 3.3.1
audio demohymnal verse
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