Slide Show: 10 hymns with not so sacred musical roots

Hymn #12: Joyful Joyful We Adore Thee

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This hymn is set to the melody of the final movement of Ludwig van Beethoven's final symphony, "Symphony No. 9." The words sung during the final movement are taken from "Ode to Joy," a poem written by Friedrich Schiller which originally had no explicitly religious overtones AT ALL (insert outraged gasps here.)


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8 Comments

  1. Travis Losey

    “Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken” (#423) is set to the tune “God save Francis the Emperor” by Haydn, which has been the tune for the German and Austrian national anthems (including the “co-national anthem” of Nazi Germany).

    1. Coincidence?

      Once upon a November 11th Sabbath, this was the closing song at the university church.
      All us history majors in the back row were wondering if the organist who made the selection was aware…

  2. Dan

    That early Advent favorite, “How Sweet Are the Tidings” (#442), is set to “Bonnie Eliose, the Belle of the Mohawk Vale.” Eloise proved popular with both Yankees and Rebs during the Civil War!

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