Three Mary hymns

When we were children, our father used to make fun of the Roman Catholic folks’ veneration of Mary. I guess it was considered acceptable to make snarky comments because Dad considered veneration of Mary to be idolatry.

I think quite differently about Mary now. If we can be encouraged to emulate the “sweet singer of Israel” (David), identify with Jacob climbing a ladder and – for that matter – quote Calvin, Luther or Knox with approbation, then why not look to Mary, of whom the angel of the annunciation said, “Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you”?

‘The Train Done Gone’

I’ve included three hymns about Mary in my repertoire. The first is a simple call and response: “Mary Had a Baby, O Lord.” Personally, I like a rather raucous singing. Singers recall events about Mary and her Son, Jesus. The last line has always puzzled me, and many others as well: “People keep a-comin’, and the train done gone.” Some think the train refers to the underground railway; others think it is the ‘gospel train’ that you will miss if you are not ready. Think of Curtis Mayfield’s song: “People get ready / There’s a train a-coming. . . ”)

‘Mary Said Yes’

I first encountered “Mary Said Yes” when working on the committee that produced Lift Up Your Hearts. The tune is meditative and the accompaniment supportive of the profoundly simple melody. And the meaning? It’s pretty obvious: the hymn is a call for us to calmly submit to the call of God in whatever area of life or circumstances he calls us.

Being a piano person, I feel completely at ease with an understated piano accompaniment, but I can imagine violins or strings being a haunting accompaniment, too. A clear, soprano soloist could lead the singing, teaching the song if that is necessary.

‘God Today Hath Poor Folk Raised’

This song – set perhaps in an old English feasting hall – tells the Magnificat to the “Masters”, telling them to accept the teaching Mary proclaimed in her song: that “God today hath poor folk raised up and cast a-down the proud.” God hath ‘holpen’ us [helped us] says William Morris in this song, “Masters in This Hall.” Morris was a Christian communalist and pre-Raphaelite. If we are truly children of Mary’s Son who ‘hath holpen’ the weak, the sinner and the outcast, then Mary’s song is a clear call to imitate Christ, the hope of the hopeless.

My personal preference is to have this song sung in unison by a group of strong male voices standing in front of the worship space, ideally a capella, but otherwise accompanied by sharp, percussive piano or hard-strumming guitars. Flutes or recorders could assist, but I think the main leadership should be the male chorus.

1.  Masters in this Hall,
Hear ye news to-day
Brought from over sea,
And ever I you pray:

Chorus:
Nowell! Nowell! Nowell!
Nowell, sing we clear!
Holpen are all folk on earth,
Born is God’s son so dear:
Nowell! Nowell! Nowell!
Nowell, sing we loud!
God to-day hath poor folk raised
And cast a-down the proud.

2.  This is Christ the Lord,
    Masters be ye glad!
Christmas is come in,
    And no folk should be sad.