Welcome to Music of Angels

Music of Angels is a blog for sharing thoughts on inspirational music and will mostly focus on The Mormon Tabernacle Choir (other groups or performers may be covered as well). I have long thought of starting this blog because I find music much more meaningful if I understand the message of the lyrics and the music. I believe that music is the most powerful influence on earth and if we choose our music carefully then our lives will be greatly blessed and enriched. I hope as you read this blog, the meaning behind the title becomes clear.

I will be posting several types of posts but the majority of posts will be my thoughts a song's lyrics, what they mean to me, and how the music enhances the meaning of the lyrics. I'm not an expert in music theory nor have a background in singing.  However, music is meant to inspire everyone regardless of experience, so I hope that my insights will help you look heavenly for inspiration. I also look forward to allowing others the opportunity to share their thoughts and hope that readers will comment on each post.

My first post is about Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing. I have several songs planned for the next couple of months.  My goal is two posts a month, but I may try a few extra for the holidays.

Yes, I'm Mormon. If you want more information about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints please visit Mormon.org.  For more information on The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, their website is mormontabernaclechoir.org.

Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing

The words to "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" were written by Robert Robinson as a prayer-hymn meant for the conclusion of a sermon he wrote at the age of 23 in 1778. The words have been altered over time, and the version sung by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir is a shorten arrangement by Mack Wilberg.

If you are unfamiliar with this arrangement or would like to listen again, click here. 

The lyrics tell of the struggle to stay on a path that leads back to our Heavenly Father and the desire to dedicate one's life to God's will. This is my attempt to explain the lyrics and the music. 

1st Verse

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing, Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;Streams of mercy, never ceasing, Call for songs of loudest praise.Teach me some melodious sonnet, Sung by flaming tongues above.Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it, Mount of Thy redeeming love.

In the first verse, the Lord is acknowledged as the source of all our blessings.  The term “fount” reminds me of a water fountain, which reminds me of the Savior’s declaration to the women at the well in John 4:6,

But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

The words “streams of mercy” reinforces the fountain imagery.  

The joy felt by recognizing the Lord creates a desire to praise the Lord through song. Looking to heaven for inspiration Robinson wishes to be joined by angels (“flaming tongues”).

The term “mount” (used twice here) refers to Calvary and thus the Atonement. I also wonder if this term could refer to temples, or Mount Sinai where Mosses received the Lord’s Laws.

This verse is sung a Capella by the women of the choir in a very reflective mode. The orchestra then repeats several variations of the melody, giving the listener time to reflect on the words of the first verse.   

2nd Verse

Here I raise my Ebenezer; Hither by Thy great help I’ve come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure, Safely to arrive at home.

In 1 Samuel 7:3 Samuel is calling for the children of Israel to return unto the Lord by saying:

If ye do return unto the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the Lord, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.

Later in the same chapter, after Israel has rededicated their lives to the Lord, the Lord helps them win a battle against the Philistines. To honor the victory and to remind Israel of the Lord’s helping hand, “Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Eben-ezer, saying, Hitherto hath the Lord helped us.” (1 Samuel 7:12)

The act of raising your Ebenezer means you are (re)dedicating your life to the Lord and recognizing his helping hand in your life.

The second phrase, expresses a desire to return home to our Heavenly Father.

Chorus

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love;Here's my heart, O take and seal it; Seal it for Thy courts above.

This chorus is repeated after the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th verses.  It is a confession of a sinful disposition is prone to wonder from the Lord’s will.   However, it also expresses the desire for the Lord to take our hearts and seal for His courts above. The heart is the source of our desires. If we give our hearts to the Lord, we are aligning our desires with his will.

The second verse and chorus are sung a Capella by the men of the choir as a strong and firm declaration.

  

3rd Verse

Jesus sought me when a stranger, Wandering from the fold of God;He, to rescue me from danger, Interposed His precious blood.

The third verse reminds us that the Lord is always seeking for us to return to his fold no matter how far departed we are from his ways.   In the New Testament, Jesus Christ, establishes himself has the Good Shepherd.  In John 10: 11 He said, “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.”

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love;Here's my heart, O take and seal it; Seal it for Thy courts above.

The women and orchestra join the men for the 3^rd verse.

4th Verse

O to grace how great a debtor, Daily I'm constrained to be!Let Thy goodness, like a fetter, Bind my wandering heart to Thee:

Despite our desires, we remain sinners and therefore remain indebted to the Savior.  A “fetter” is an old English term meaning a chain or shackle placed on the feet.  If used as verb, it means to confine or restrain. Used the context of these words, it implies that the goodness of God should be power enough to bind our wandering hearts.    

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love;Here's my heart, O take and seal it; Seal it for Thy courts above.

After the music builds during a short introduction, the full choir sings the 4^th verse and chorus with strong conviction.

I find this arrangement by Mack Wilberg to be an inspired pattern on how we should (re)dedicate our lives to the Savior. We should first reflect on our blessing and our desires to be more like the Savior.  Then we should firmly declare our desires.  Finally we should have a strong conviction to bind our desires to the Lord’s.

What are your thoughts about this song and how it is sung by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir?  Please share your thoughts and feelings in the comments.