Hymn History-All Natures Works His Praise Declare
July 15, 2011
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Hymn History
All Natures Works His Praise Declare
All natures works His praise declare,
To whom they all belong;
There is a voice in every star,
In every breeze a song.
Sweet music fills the world abroad
With strains of love and power;
The stormy sea sings praise to God,
The thunder and the shower.
To God the tribes of ocean cry,
And birds upon the wing;
To God the powers that dwell on high
Their tuneful tribute bring.
Like them, let man the throne surround,
With them loud chorus raise,
While instruments of loftier sound
Assist his feeble praise
Great God, to Thee we consecrate
Our voices and our skill;
We bid the pealing organ wait
To speak alone Thy will.
Lord, while the music round us floats,
May earthborn passions die;
O grant its rich and swelling notes
May lift our souls on high!
Henry Ware Jr.
(1794-1843)
Henry Ware Jr. wrote this hymn in 1822 when his Boston church purchased a brand new organ and was holding a dedication service. Knowing that Ware enjoyed writing hymns made him the logical choice for the job, not to mention he was an ordained minister in the Unitarian faith.
Wares goal in this hymn was to not give any glory to the organ, but only to emphasize its purpose: to help Christians in their praise to God. Some believe that Ware may have used Psalm 150 for inspiration as that passage talks about several musical instruments and how they each are used to offer praise.
In addition to his preaching and hymn writing, Ware also served as a professor at Harvard Divinity School from 1829 to 1842. He published many hymnals in his time and enjoyed writing throughout his life.
