See the Conqueror mounts in triumph

with
ALLELUIA DULCE CARMEN
REX GLORIAE

I. Text: Origins

This hymn for Ascension was written while Christopher Wordsworth (1807–1885) was serving as parish priest of Stamford-in-the-Vale, Berkshire, England. It was part of a collection of hymns he wrote and assembled called The Holy Year, or Hymns for Sundays and Holydays (London: Rivingtons, 1862 | Fig. 1). In the preface, he explained how his aim in publishing hymns was to support the regular worship life of the church, especially the Church of England, and to be a reflection of what the church believes. (For more information on his approach, see “Hallelujah! Hallelujah! hearts to heaven.”) His hymn “See the Conqueror mounts in triumph” was written for Ascension Day, given in ten stanzas of four lines, without music.

Fig. 1. The Holy Year, or Hymns for Sundays and Holydays (London: Rivingtons, 1862).

Wordsworth introduced some changes in later editions. In the 3rd edition (1863), stanza 4, line 3, “tribe of Israel” was corrected to read “tribes of Israel.” In the 1865 printing, issued with and without tunes, he changed stanza 8, line 1 to begin with “Raise” rather than “Lift.” In the 5th edition (1868), stanza 3, line 4, he changed “He, our Enoch” to “Christ, our Enoch” and he divided the text into two parts of 5 stanzas each.

II. Text: Analysis

Wordsworth’s choice of meter, 15.15.15.15, just like his hymn “Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hearts to heaven and voices raise,” was explained to some degree in his preface:

It was an ancient rhythmical principle that the tetrameter trochaic of fifteen syllables should be specially employed on occasions where there is a sudden burst of feeling, after a patient waiting, or a continuous struggle. This metre never finds its place at the beginning, but is reserved for a later period in the drama, both tragic and comic, of the ancient stage. The long, rapid sweep of this noble metre, and the jubilant movement of the verse, render it very suitable for use on the great festivals of the Christian year, such as Easter and Ascension, when, after severe trial or quiet endurance, the church is suddenly cheered by a glorious vision which gladdens her heart and evokes a song of rapture from her lips.[1]

The main Scripture texts for the Ascension are Luke 24:50–53 and Acts 1:6–11. From the account in Luke, Wordsworth incorporated the gesture of Christ lifting his hands to bless the disciples, found in stanza 3. From the account in Acts, he used stanza 6 to reference the promise of the Holy Spirit, stanza 1 to reference riding on/with the cloud, and stanza 7 to reference the promise of Christ’s return.

In addition to the standard passages, Wordsworth injected his text with a host of other references. In the second stanza, the first two lines resemble Psalm 24:8–10 (“Who is the king of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle”). The third stanza begins a series of typological comparisons to Old Testament figures, the first being Enoch, who in Genesis 5:24 is said to have walked with God, then God took him. Next, in stanza 4, Christ is equated with Aaron, the high priest; this same comparison is made in Hebrews 5:1–5. In stanza 4, Jesus is also compared to Joshua, who drove out the kings of Canaan and led the tribes of Israel into their promised estate. Lastly, Wordsworth connected Jesus to Elijah, who left Elisha with a double portion of his spirit and was taken into heaven by a chariot of fire (2 Kings 2:9–12).

The fifth stanza points forward to the promise of eternity, where believers will share the same experience of being present with God. Scriptures such as 2 Peter 1:4 say, “he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature,” or John 14:3 says, “if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (ESV), not to mention the divine scenes described in Revelation, where Jesus is adored by angels.

The sixth stanza reminds worshipers of the gift of the Holy Spirit. It specifically recounts the story of the martyr Stephen, who, “full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God” (Acts 7:55, ESV).

The seventh stanza describes the way in which Jesus is interceding for his believers, first to prepare a heavenly home, as in John 14:2–3, second as pleading to the Father on our behalf, as in Romans 8:34, and third, as preparing to return again on the clouds, as in Revelation 19 or Matthew 26:64. The eighth stanza is a prayer for Christ to lift up our hearts while we wait (the sursum corda).

The ninth stanza speaks of being lifted from the grave, as in 1 Corinthians 15:52, of being renewed like the wings of an eagle, as in Isaiah 40:31, and of being caught up to meet him in the air, as in 1 Thessalonians 4:17. The final stanza is a trinitarian doxology.

Esteemed hymnologist John Julian found much to applaud in this text:

The original is one of Bishop Wordsworth’s finest compositions, and is the nearest approach in style and treatment to a Greek ode known to us in the English language. The amount of Holy Scripture compressed into these 40 lines is wonderful. Prophecy, types, historical facts, doctrinal teaching, ecstatic praise, all are here; and the result is one grand rush of holy song.[2]

Similarly, Lutheran pastor Todd A. Peperkorn summarized the hymn in this fashion:

Wordsworth weaves doxology, typology, prophecy, and doctrine together in a way that should serve as a model for modern hymnody. The style is similar in many respects to a Greek ode [see “The day of resurrection”], but this only heightens how Wordsworth uses the connection between the prophetic character of the Old Testament and its fulfillment in Christ.[3]

Sheila Doyle expressed possible hurdles to modern adoption of the hymn, writing, “Modern worshippers may feel some unease at the military imagery of the second stanza and the extent to which the whole hymn represents Heaven as a physical location ‘in the clouds.’” But if worshipers are uncomfortable with descriptions of “the Lord mighty in battle” (Ps. 24:8) and Christ “coming on the clouds of heaven” (Matt. 26:64), their concerns are not with the hymn, their concerns are related to their particular views of biblical interpretation.

III. Tunes

1. ALLELUIA DULCE CARMEN

In the 3rd edition of The Holy Year (1863 | Fig. 2), Wordsworth made a number of recommendations for tunes, in this order: BENEDICTION (also called ALLELUIA DULCE CARMEN) from Hymns Ancient & Modern (1861), which also appears as No. 18 in R.R. Chope’s Congregational Hymn and Tune Book (1857) and No. XXXII in Metrical Tunes for Congregational Use (ca. 1850); the same tune is called ST. WERBERGH in William Mercer’s Church Psalter and Hymn Book (1854), and in an unspecified Handbook, No. 74; it is called GLORIA PATRI in William Crotch’s Psalm Tunes (1836); it is called SALZBURG in the S.P.C.K. Tune Book (1857), and in A Manual of Psalmody (1860). Out of Wordsworth’s list, the only one different than the above in its various names is CHICHESTER, as in Mercer’s Church Psalter.

Given Wordsworth’s strong preference for BENEDICTION, he included it in his 1865 edition with tunes (Fig. 3), now numbered 57, where he used the name GLORIA PATRI, following the example of William Crotch’s Psalm Tunes (1836).

This tune has its origins in An Essay on the Church Plain Chant, Part Second (London: J.P. Coghlan, 1782 | Fig. 4) by Samuel Webbe (1740–1816), where it appeared as one of several melodies for the Latin text “Tantum ergo.” On this page, the designation “Another” points back to page 32, which is labeled “The Hymn at Benediction.” The same melody appeared in A Collection of Motetts or Antiphons (London: T. Jones, 1792 | Fig. 5), also by Webbe, set in four parts.

Fig. 4. An Essay on the Church Plain Chant, Part Second (London: J.P. Coghlan, 1782)
Fig. 5. A Collection of Motetts or Antiphons (London: T. Jones, 1792).

The introduction of the name ALLELUIA DULCE CARMEN (“Alleluia, sweet song”) came by way of its association with the hymn “Alleluia! Song of sweetness” by J.M. Neale, a translation of the 11th century Latin hymn “Alleluia dulce carmen.” In modern hymnals, this hymn tune sometimes goes by the name DULCE CARMEN, or TANTUM ERGO, or CORINTH, or SALZBURG. This tune is sometimes erroneously attributed to Michael Haydn (1737–1806).

2. REX GLORIAE

Wordsworth’s text is most commonly set to REX GLORIAE by Henry Smart (1813–1879), first printed in the Appendix to Hymns Ancient & Modern (London: William Clowes & Sons, 1868 | Fig. 6). At the time, Smart was organist of St. Pancras Church, London.

In Songs of Praise Discussed (1933), Archibald Jacob wrote, “This is a confident and vigorous tune, but like most of Smart’s melodies, rather unoriginal both in phrase and rhythm. It is, however, soundly constructed, and one of his best melodies.”[4]

by CHRIS FENNER
for Hymnology Archive
1 May 2020

Footnotes:

1. Christopher Wordsworth, The Holy Year, 3rd ed. (1863), pp. xliii-xliv: Archive.org

2. Todd A. Peperkorn, “See the Lord ascends in triumph,” Lutheran Service Book Companion, vol. 1 (St. Louis: Concordia, 2019), p. 416.

3. John Julian, “See the Conqueror mounts in triumph,” A Dictionary of Hymnology (London: J. Murray, 1892), p. 1038.

4. Archibald Jacob, “REX GLORIAE,” Songs of Praise Discussed (Oxford: University Press, 1933), p. 108.

Related Resources:

John Julian, “See the Conqueror mounts in triumph,” A Dictionary of Hymnology (London: J. Murray, 1892), p. 1038.

Percy Dearmer & Archibald Jacob, “See the Conqueror mounts in triumph,” Songs of Praise Discussed (Oxford: University Press, 1933), p. 108.

Robin A. Leaver, “DULCE CARMEN,” The Hymnal 1982 Companion, vol. 3B (NY: Church Hymnal Corp, 1994), p. 1035.

Bert Polman, “See the Conqueror mounts in triumph,” Psalter Hymnal Handbook (Grand Rapids: CRC, 1998), pp. 574–575.

Todd A. Peperkorn & Joseph Herl, “See the Lord ascends in triumph,” Lutheran Service Book Companion, vol. 1 (St. Louis: Concordia, 2019), pp. 416–418.

Sheila Doyle, “See the Conqueror mounts in triumph,” Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology:
http://www.hymnology.co.uk/s/see-the-conqueror-mounts-in-triumph

“See the Conqueror mounts in triumph,” Hymnary.org:
https://hymnary.org/text/see_the_conqueror_mounts_in_triumph