2020.07.12
The Biblical canticles – Psalm-like texts from books other than the Book of Psalms – have long formed a part of Morning and Evening Prayer. At the Reformation the Church of England eliminated a series of canticles used in rotation at Morning Prayer in the Roman Rite, but the current Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church includes a wider selection of canticles than earlier Anglican Prayer Books. The Hymnal 1982 includes a number of metrical-strophic paraphrases of these canticles for singing to hymn-tunes, among which is Hymn 678/9, ‘Surely it is God who saves me’, a paraphrase of Isaiah 12.2–6, called the ‘First Song of Isaiah’ [bcp 86]. The second tune, ‘Thomas Merton’ [679], is straightforward, lively, and folk-like, with a low and limited range making it accessible to most singers. Melody and bass-line both exhibit a careful balance of stepwise and disjunct shapes, and the two parts often mirror one another in contrary motion, making for a well-crafted and satisfying piece of music. The tune is particularly well suited to use with piano, guitar, and other instruments.