The Lord ascendeth up on high

Many churches no longer observe Ascension Day on the actual day (Thursday), so in places that don't/can't and even churches that do, the Sunday following (today), serves as an observance of the event. So, Ascensiontide Hymns are completely proper for this day.

One of my very favorite of all the hymns for the Ascension is "The Lord ascendeth up on high," the music being being by Johann Gottfried Scicht and the text by Alexander Russell.

Johann Gottfried Schicht (29 September 1753 – 16 February 1823) was a German composer and conductor. He was born in Reichenau, in the Electorate of Saxony, and studied from 1776 at the Leipzig Rechtswissenschaft. He was the conductor of the Gewandhausorchester from 1785 to 1810, and then the cantor of the Thomanerchor until 1823, when he died, aged 69, in Leipzig. (The church where J.S. Bach had served.)

His most important work is a great choirbook from 1819. Besides that, he wrote masses, motets, cantatas, a setting of the 100th Psalm, four Te deums, one piano concerto, sonatas and capriccio.

The text was written by Arthur Tozer Russell. He was born at Northampton, March 20, 1806. He entered S. John's College, Cambridge, in 1824, took the Hulsean Prize in 1825, and was afterwards elected to a scholarship. He was ordained Deacon in 1829, Priest in 1830, and the same year was appointed Vicar of Caxton. In 1852, he was preferred to the vicarage of Whaddon. In 1863, he removed to S. Thomas', Toxteth Park, near Liverpool, and in 1867, to Holy Trinity, Wellington, Salop. He is the editor and author of numerous publications, among them several volumes of hymns.

Years ago, I composed a motet based upon this melody. While it was no great thing, I recall liking the re-working of the harmony near the end, and I've tried to "recreate" this in the last verse, as least as near as I can recall it.

Amen" is liturgically incorrect, and is omitted in this performance.

The score is attached below, as well as a drawing of Johann Scicht .