Today in 1716 – Felice de Giardini Born

Felice de Giardini was a chorister at the Milan Cathedral. While there, he studied both voice and violin, later playing in various orchestras in Rome and Naples. An outstanding artist, he toured Europe and gave a number of concerts in England, and later took up residence there. Near the end of his life he moved to Moscow, but died only months after arriving. Giardini composed four hymn tunes, but only one is still in popular use, Italian Hymn, to which we sing Come, Thou Almighty King.

Come, Thou almighty King,
Help us Thy name to sing, help us to praise!
Father all glorious, o’er all victorious,
Come and reign over us, Ancient of Days!

To Thee, great One in Three,
Eternal praises be, hence, evermore.
Thy sovereign majesty may we in glory see,
And to eternity love and adore!

Video: Come Thou Almighty King (tune Italian Hymn)

(2) Today in 1850 – Adoniram Judson Died

Adoniram Judson is known as the first Baptist foreign missionary sent out from America. He and his wife Ann sailed for India in 1812. Forced out of India by the East India Company, he went to Burma, where he laboured for 6 years before seeing his first convert. He suffered hardship and painful trials. A conflict between the British and the Burmese led to his imprisonment for many months. By 1834 he had translated the Bible into Burmese, and later completed a Burmese-English dictionary. It was during the years he was translating the Bible that Judson wrote the baptismal hymn Come, Holy Spirit, Heavenly Dove (not to be confused with Isaac Watts’s hymn of the same name).

Come, Holy Spirit, Dove divine,
On these baptismal waters shine,
And teach our hearts, in highest strain,
To praise the Lamb for sinners slain.

We love Your Name, we love Your laws,
And joyfully embrace Your cause;
We love Your cross, the shame, the pain,
O Lamb of God, for sinners slain.

We sink beneath the water’s face,
And thank You for Your saving grace;
We die to sin and seek a grave
With You, beneath the yielding wave.

And as we rise with You to live,
O let the Holy Spirit give
The sealing unction from above,
The joy of life, the fire of love.