Thursday, January 28, 2010

Thy Strong Word

Does anyone know of a nice recording of the hymn "Thy Strong Word" (LSB 578) by the now sainted Rev. Dr. Martin Franzmann?

It is a beloved hymn in my parish. We sang it last night at the Mass in observance of the commemoration of St. John Chrysostom (along with another profound Franzmann hymn, 586 - "Preach You the Word"). A catechumen in our parish is absolutely smitten with "Thy Strong Word" and is looking for a recording of it. It has always been one of my favorites - as are all the sermons, hymns, and poetry of Dr. Franzmann - one of the greatest wordsmiths and proclaimers of the Gospel in the history of the LCMS.

So if any of you know of a CD out there, please let me know! I would love to have a recording of it as well. YouTube did not have much to offer along the lines of what I'm looking for. So please help!

For other Franzmann texts, see the following hymns...

LSB (Lutheran Service Book):

473 - "Our Paschal Lamb That Sets Us Free"
569 - "In Adam We Have All Been One"
578 - "Thy Strong Word"
586 - "Preach You the Word"
834 - "O God, O Lord of Heaven and Earth".

In addition, there is a magnificent hymn that was in our previous hymnal, Lutheran Worship, that was not carried over into LSB, an admittedly difficult hymn, but rich and glorious nonetheless:

LW 346- "O Kingly Love" (You can find a beautifully rendered recording here).

And if you want to treat yourself to some of Franzmann's potent and poetic preaching that will resonate in your very heart and soul, you will want to pick this up post haste!

4 comments:

Rev. Shane R. Cota said...

There is a recording of "Thy Strong Word" on CD set put out by CPH. The set is entitled, "Hymns for All Saints: Adoration, Praise, Comfort." You can also download it on iTunes. Even just the one hymn, if you like.

The Exiled said...

You might want to check to see if any of our beloved Concordia's recorded it. I know that Concordia River Forest and Mequon's choirs have several CD's that they have done over the years. Check NPH as well.

Anonymous said...

As the director of the Schola Cabntorum of St. Peter the Apostle (formerly known as the Schola Cantourm of St. Peter's in the Loop, I thank you most kindly for your gracious words about our recording of the hymn "O Kingly Love" on the cd, "Music for the November Feasts." God bless you and your ministry!

Rev. Larry Beane said...

Dear Mr. Thompson:

What a privilege to have you post a comment on FH! It is that time of year again, and so I reminded readers at Gottesdienst Online about Music for the November Feasts here.