Thanksgiving Day has an unusual position in the religious life of America: with its lore linked to the settlement in Massachusetts, it is basically a celebration of the country’s founding and Protestant heritage. And it’s nearly universally observed: the one high holy day of American Protestant communities. Even anti-liturgical fundamentalists who don’t believe in holy days can be expected to have a morning service on the fourth Thursday in November. Americanism vincit omnia.
The hymns of Thanksgiving Day just beg to be sung by a confident congregation. Here are two:
(Note: Some of the pages at the following links have embedded music files.)
We gather together
Come, ye thankful people, come
And now, your suggestions?
I managed to talk the music director out of “God Bless America” for closing, so instead we’re doing “America The Beautiful”. I forget the rest offhand, I’ll post ’em tomorrow before I leave for Phoenix for dinner.
What’s wrong with “God Bless America”? The tune?
The tendency to warble. “God Bless America” always makes people go all Kate Smith, which in most cases ends up all Ethel Merman. And that’s not pretty in a congregational setting!
A couple of Thanksgivings back the song after communion was “What a Wonderful World”.
God bless Kate Smith (and Irving Berlin, for that matter), but “God Bless America” is not a hymn. It is a pop song of the 1930s. Even a pop religious song is not sacred music for the liturgy.
Massachusetts? Don’t you mean Berkeley Plantation in VIRGINIA????
I’ll weigh in here on “God Bless America” (no guffaws from the peanut gallery re: how much I ate today.)
GBA is fine for what it is – a pop tune. And since it’s steeped in the mundane, it’s not very appropriate in a sacred setting unless you like your liturgy with a little swiss cheese.
It was very poignant at the end of “The Deer Hunter,” too.
I recall learning to play the tune of “We Gather Together” on the piano, but with the words being “The year 1620, the pilgrims came over. The good ship Mayflower brought them ‘cross the sea.” Any clue which lyrics are the originals?
The lyrics on the linked page date to the late 1800s, so I’d consider them the originals. Note that many missalettes modify the text considerably.
The lyric Michael quotes sounds like a version invented for schoolchildren who mustn’t be exposed to hymns. You’ll notice it’s not a hymn itself, but a didactic song.
“Bless the Feast” is a great song.
It’s in the GIA Gather hymnal.
one of my fave’s.