Quick Story About The Hymn All Glory, Laud, And Honour
All Glory, Laud, And Honour
“All Glory, Laud, and Honour” is one of the hymns that is dedicated to a particular season in Christianity. And without a doubt a particular day called Palm Sunday during the Lent and Easter season.
Specifically, the text of the hymn commemorates the occasion of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem riding on the borrowed donkey.
According to the scripture, a great crowd went out to meet him, laying palm branches on his path, and also shouting “Hosanna”.
The event marks the Palm Sunday that Christians observe during the Lent and Easter period. Also, the hymn “All Glory, Laud and Honour” is usually sung and used during Palm Sunday.
The singing of the hymn is usually accompanied by the waving of palm leaves to mark the triumphal entry of Christ into Jerusalem.
The Hymn Writer
The original text of the hymn “All Glory, Laud, and Honour” was penned down in Latin by a clergyman popularly known as Theodulf of Orléans. Theodulf (also Theodulph) was born to a noble family in Spain around 750 and 760AD.
He left Spain for the South-Western province of Gaul called Aquitaine for the sake of the Moorish control of the region. At Southern Gaul, Theodulf joined the monastery headed by abbot Benedict of Aniane. Also, he was educated in the South-Western province of Gaul in France.
Before 794 AD, Theodulf became a member of the court of Charles the Great, King of the Franks also called Charlemagne.
And he was next in rank to Alcuin of Northumbria who was the most dignified and well-educated person at that time. Theodulf dedicated his life to religious service that he was later noticed by Charles the Great who was always on the lookout for literary talent.
The king acknowledged Theodulf’s significance within his court. As a result, he was given authority to important commissions and engagement.
In addition, he was deeply involved in many facets of the king to reform the church. He was among the participants in the meeting of the prominent churchmen of the Frankish empire, Council of Frankfurt in 794 AD.
Also, he was granted Missus Dominicus, the official dispenser of justice who accompanied the bishop on his visitation. Specifically, he was in charge of the inspection of the church buildings.
Theodulf was a patron of the arts, reformer, and restorer of churches. A chapel was built by Theodulf at his palace at Germigny-des-Prés circa 806 that survives France’s Loiret department. This is an important example of Carolingian religious architecture.
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Subsequently, Theodulf became one of Charlemagne’s preferred theologians and was made Bishop of Orléans in 798 AD.
Afterward, the Benedictine abbey of Fleury-sur-Loire and abbot of many other monasteries at the same time. He worked very hard and successfully in his diocese as a reformer.
His work touched both clergy and people in his diocese. Theodulf established a Hospice, home, or hospital established to relieve the physical and emotional suffering of the dying.
Besides, he established public schools outside his monastery areas. He established a school for young noblemen recommended thereby Charlemagne at Fleury. Theodulf later succeeded Alcuin in 804 to become the first theological imperial counselor.
Moreover, Theodulf was a scholar and theological advisor that is well-read both in secular and religious literature. With the authority of Charlemagne, Theodulf was included in the dispute that has to do with the Filioque clause in the Nicene Creed.
In particular, the Filioque clause describes the procession of the Holy Spirit from the Father “and from the Son”. This clause is one of the causes of the division between the Eastern and Roman churches.
And as requested by the king, Theodulf successfully defended the Filioque clause in his treatise De Spiritu Sancto (“Concerning the Holy Spirit”).
Besides his mission work as a learned theologian, Theodulf is also an accomplished writer and skilled poet. A lot of his poems and hymns continue to exist and these include the popular “All Glory, Laud, and Honour” known as Gloria, laus et honour.
In the course of time, the emperor Charles died and things were not the same again for Theodulf. Afterward, Emperor Louis I who succeeded his father charged him with treason alliance with Bernard of Italy. He was then imprisoned at Angers in 818AD and later died in 821AD.
Story Behind The Hymn All Glory, Laud, And Honour
The hymn “All Glory, Laud, and Honour” was born after the death of Charlemagne who remarkably favoured Theodulf of Orléans.
During that time, it was Charlemagne’s son, Louis the Pious who succeeded his father that was on the throne as the Emperor. Actually, there was a feeble friendship between Theodulf and Emperor Louis.
Notwithstanding, Theodulf has lost his significance since the death of Charlemagne. And Emperor Louis the Pious later accused him of supporting the rebellion act of Bernard of Italy.
As a matter of fact, no single evidence either to back or contradict the support of the treason accusation against Theodulf. As a result, he was imprisoned at monastic prison in Angers where he wrote the text of the hymn.
The inspiration for the hymn came to Theodulf while he was in prison under suspicion of plotting against Emperor Louis I in 820AD.
The hymn “All Glory, Laud, and Honour” written in 820AD is just one of the poems by Theodulf of Orléans. The original text of the hymn was written in Latin as “Gloria, laus et honor tibi sit, rex Christe redemptor”.
It was a 78 lines long poem that truly narrates the triumphal entry of Christ into Jerusalem on a donkey. The hymn “All Glory, Laud, and Honour,” originally consisted of 39 verses.
Notwithstanding, the first 12 lines only were sung following the 9th century printed manuscript.
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Later in 1851, an English Anglican priest, and hymn writer named John Mason Neale translated the hymn from Latin to English.
The translation was done so the hymn can be published in his grand Medieval Hymns and Sequences. Moreover, Neale modified his translation in 1854 and also in 1861 for it to be published in the first edition of Hymns Ancient and Modern.
The second version of Reverend Neale’s translation comprised eight stanzas and used the first four lines for the refrain. The first six stanzas of this version were published in the United Methodist Hymnal with the first stanza as a refrain.
The Tune For The Hymn All Glory, Laud, And Honour
The well-known tune for the hymn “All Glory, Laud, and Honour” is “St. Theodulf” or St. Theodulph. The tune was originally known as “Valet will ich dir geben”.
It was composed by Melchior Teschner in 1603. Melchior Teschner was a Poland born German theologian, composer, and cantor.
Teschner composed Valet will ich dir geben” in two five-voice settings, and it was printed in the booklet called Ein andächtiges Gebet in 1615.
The “Valet will ich dir geben” is often used with different words. However, with a few alterations, it was used for the hymn “All Glory, Laud, and Honour”.
The St. Theodulph name for the tune came up as a link with the text of the hymn by Theodulf of Orléans. The tune is very spirited with a notable ascending movement in the first line and low tonic last line ending.
Categorically, the tune has two harmonizations. There is one harmonization provided by William Henry Monk that appeared in 1861 Hymn Ancient and Modern.
The second harmonization is by Johann Sebastian Bach and it was adapted from Bach’s St. John Passion.
All Glory, Laud, And Honour Hymn Audio
Click on the link to listen to the hymn here: All Glory, Laud, And Honour Hymn from Classic Hymns album ” Old Rugged Cross” by the 250 voice choir.
The voice was recorded live at St Andrews Kirk Chennai in 2010 and conducted by Emmanuel Ponraj with Leslie on the organ.
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