Soul Shelter: celtic hymns for harp & voice by Christina Sonnemann
Celtic expressions of devotion to God are at once intimate and reverent; combining loving spontaneity with a powerful sense
of the sacred.
This hymnody is a testament to the profound spiritual lives of Celtic Christians, from the famous 8th century prayer, "Be
Thou My Vision", to the work of present-day hymn writers such as Keith Getty.
Here, the hymns are simply sung by a single voice and accompanied by the Celts' most beloved instrument, the harp, which has
been immortalized in Celtic song, art and legend (most particularly by the Celtic people of Ireland, Scotland and Wales, whose
music is collected here).
Hymns demonstrate continuity between our ancestors' spiritual struggles and our own, encouraging us to stand firm and gain
the reward of a deeper relationship with Christ.
It helps us to set our minds on the things above and to contemplate the beauty and boldness of art in Heaven's service.
May all your steps walk in Heaven’s endless light;
make your sole purpose Christ. - "Celtic Blessing"
soul shelter celtic-inspired hymnody from harpist singer Christina Sonnemann Baehr
God Almighty, Love eternal,
Father, Son and Holy Ghost
Trusting in Thy boundless mercy,
Songs of love to Thee we raise
Emyn y Drindod
1. Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing
John Wyeth (1770-1858)/Robert Robinson (1735-1790)
At 23, Robinson wrote this hymn in 1758 to conclude a sermon he preached. In 1813, the American printer Wyeth set the hymn
to this Celtic-derived American folk tune and published it in his Repository of Sacred Music, Part Second. In the second
stanza, there is a reference to 1 Samuel 7:12, in which the prophet Samuel places a stone called Ebenezer (Hebrew: "stone
of help") to commemorate
God's help.
2. Before the Throne of God
Vikki Cook/Charitie Bancroft (1841-1892)
Charitie Lees Bancroft was born in 1841 in Ireland, the daughter of the Rector of Drumragh in County Tyrone. She wrote this
hymn in 1863, which is sung here to the 1997 melody by songwriter Vikki Cook.
© 1997 Sovereign Grace Worship/ASCAP (adm in US & Canada by Integrity's Hosanna!
Music) All rights reserved. International copyright secured. Used by permission.
3. Be Thou My Vision
Traditional Irish melody/8th century Irish words
(Rop tú mo baile)
The words of this great hymn were a part of the Irish monastic tradition for centuries before it became one of the world's
most beloved sacred songs. In 1905, on the wave of the Irish Literary Revival it was translated into English by Mary Byrne,
an Irish researcher and educator, and versified in 1912 by Eleanor Hull, founder of the Irish Text Society. The melody is
called Slane and was named for Slane Hill where Saint Patrick defied the High King Lóegaire in 433 A.D. by lighting
candles to celebrate Easter Eve.
4. My Hope
Keith Getty/Richard Creighton
Irish composer Keith Getty is one of a new wave of songwriters drawing inspiration from the canon of Celtic hymns. He wrote
this modern classic for his influential album, New Irish Hymns
(2001).
© ThankYou Music
5. I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say
Traditional Irish melody/Horatius Bonar (1808-1889)
Bonar, a minister of the Church of Scotland, wrote more than six hundred hymns and is known as "the Prince of Scottish hymn
writers". This hymn is usually sung to an Anglicised version of the traditional Irish melody, Star of the County Down.
Here the melody is taken back to its very Celtic origins and accompanied by a bodhrán (Celtic goatskin drum) played in the
West Limerick style by Lawson Tully.
6. Highland Hymn
Traditional Scottish melody/ Dùghall Buchanan (1716-176-?)
A Highland poet and a self-educated preacher (known as "the John Bunyan of the Highlands"), Buchanan assisted in translating
the New Testament into Scottish Gaelic. The unique beauty of
Buchanan's poetry is considered to be untranslatable into English. This may be the first recording of this hymn, originally
Earbs' a Chriosduidh (Christian Confidence). In 1888 the hymn was set
to 'an ancient Gaelic air' in Songs and Hymns of the Scottish Highlands. It opens with this beautiful statement:
Lord, if Thou plantest me in Christ,
in bloom shall burst my withered tree,
Weighed down to earth its boughs shall be
With graces, as with fruits unpriced.
7. Jesus, Draw Me Ever Nearer
Margaret Becker & Keith Getty
A collaboration between Keith Getty and American singer-songwriter Margaret Becker. It acknowledges that we often labor through
storms, but dares to ask that the journey will bring a blessing worth every moment of hardship.
©2002 Modern M. Music (admin. by Music Services(SESAC)/Kingsway's ThankYou
Music (admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)(ASCAP) All rights reserved.
8. Like the Starlight (Your Song to Me)
Keith Getty, Kristyn Lennox
This is song was written by composer Keith Getty and his singer-songwriter wife, Kristyn; artists
who are dedicated to reviving the art of hymnody in the Christian Church.
© 2001 ThankYou Music
9. Emyn y Drindod (Hymn to the Trinity)
Traditional Welsh melody/Theodore Peirce Baehr & Christina Sonnemann
This modern doxology (hymn of praise to God) is set to the melody of the lovely Welsh lullaby, Suo Gan. The simple
progression of three chords used throughout the hymn reflects the Trinitarian focus of the lyrics.
10. I Cannot Tell
Traditional Irish melody/William Young Fullerton (1857-1932)
Many words have been associated with the traditional melody, Londonderry Air(most notably, Danny Boy). Baptist
preacher Fullerton, a native of Belfast, wrote these words in 1929.
11. Celtic Christmas Blessing
Keith Getty, Kristyn Lennox
In the best Celtic tradition, an Irish blessing to bring this collection to a close and send you on your way. Go mbeannaí
Dia duit (may God bless you).
© ThankYou Music (kwy) All rights reserved.
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All song arrangements ©2007 Christina Sonnemann.
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