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Songs We Sing — “Creator of the Stars of Night”

Hello, Song Leaders!

“Creator of the Stars of Night” is a centuries old hymn we’ll be singing as a lamp lighting song during Advent.

We’ll be singing it in unison using call and echo.

You have two options.

Method #1:

This is the simplest approach.  You, the song leader, sing a line and invite the congregation to echo it back.

Song Leader: Creator of the stars of night,
Congregation: Creator of the stars of night,
Song Leader: Your people’s everlasting light
Congregation: Your people’s everlasting light
etc.

Method #2:

You could teach the congregation how to sing the entire first verse.

Creator of the stars of night,
your people’s everlasting light,
O Christ, Redeemer of us all,
we pray you hear us when we call.

Then, you sing verse two, solo, cuing them to repeat the first verse as you finish.  You continue this alternation between you as soloist, singing through the other verses, and the congregation refraining with verse one.

To give you a sense of the melody, listen to this recording, which is performed in Latin.

And here is the sheet music.  Creator of the Stars of Night

Because the type on the sheet music is small, it may help to copy these lyrics and print them out.

Creator of the stars of night
your people’s everlasting light,
O Christ, redeemer of us all
we pray you hear us when we call.

In sorrow that the ancient curse
should doom to death a universe
you came, O savior, to set free
your own in glorious liberty

When this old world drew on toward night
you came; but not in splendor bright
not as a monarch, but the child
of Mary, blameless mother mild

At your great name, O Jesus, now
all knees must bend, all hearts must bow
all things on earth with one accord
like those in heaven, shall call you lord,

Come in your holy might, we pray
redeem us for eternal day
defend us while we dwell below
from all assaults of our dread foe

To God, above and here below,
and in between in spirit’s flow,
praise, honor great and glory be
from age to age eternally

It’s a beautiful and meditative hymn, and one of the rare chances we get to sing plainchant together.

Posted in: Songs We Sing

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