O wondrous type! O vision fair

The season of Lent is upon us!

The Gospel for the last Sunday before Lent presents us with the dramatic scene of Jesus being transfigured upon the mount.

We actually get to observe the transfiguration twice during the church year - on the Sunday before Ash Wednesday and upon its "proper" day, August 6th.

This hymn gives us a nice feel for the moment. The tune is a well-known one, and is presented here in a very "straight-forward" manner. I must have been feeling either "sleepy" or "overly majestic" when I did this yesterday, as the tempo is on the "broad" side... ;-)

The name of the tune is "Wareham". The ENTIRE hymn is played as an intro.

PLEASE READ ABOUT OUR LENTEN HYMN-OF-THE-DAY PROJECT, as detailed in "The Barde"! Better yet, don't just read about it, BE PART OF IT! :-)

O wondrous type! O vision fair
Of glory that the Church may share,
Which Christ upon, the mountain shows,
Where brighter than the sun he glows!

With Moses and Elijah nigh
The incarnate Lord holds converse high;
And from the cloud, the Holy One
Bears record to the only Son.

With shining face and bright array,
Christ deigns to manifest today
What glory shall be theirs above
Who joy in God with perfect love.

And faithful hearts are raised on high
By this great vision's mystery;
For which in joyful strains we raise
The voice of prayer, the hymn of praise.

O Father, with the eternal Son,
And Holy Spirit, ever One,
Vouchsafe to bring us by Thy grace
To see thy glory face to face. Amen.

Words, Latin, 15th cent.; Tr. John Mason Neale, 1854, alt.
Music, William Knapp, 1738