Mother of Mercy, Day by Day

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Don9of11
Posts: 7
Joined: Wed Feb 24, 2021 12:10 pm
Parish / Diocese: St. Mary's Parish / Cleveland Dioceses

Mother of Mercy, Day by Day

Post by Don9of11 »

Is the following hymn "Mother of Mercy, Day by Day" still sung in England and Ireland?
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Southern Comfort
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Re: Mother of Mercy, Day by Day

Post by Southern Comfort »

This hymn appears in, among other places, Westminster Hymnal, 1912 edition, where it can be seen that Hémy's harmonization of his tune Mater Misericordiae (1864) was originally very simple (others have tarted it up considerably subsequently).
Mother of mercy WH 1912.pdf
It can also be seen that the verses shown in the St Basil Hymnal are a truncated and edited version of the original.

I'm not aware of this hymn having been sung in England for many years. It had already largely fallen out of use by the 1950s but lingered on, making an appearance in The Parish Hymn Book (1968) but not in the original edition of Praise the Lord (1965). Its final appearance was in the 1978 edition of Celebration Hymnal, but it has not reappeared in UK hymn books published since then.
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Don9of11
Posts: 7
Joined: Wed Feb 24, 2021 12:10 pm
Parish / Diocese: St. Mary's Parish / Cleveland Dioceses

Re: Mother of Mercy, Day by Day

Post by Don9of11 »

Thank you Southern Comfort, I have the Westminster 1912 music and I also have a copy of the melody from the Crown of Jesus Music from 1864. I was just curious if the hymn was still being sung, a friend of mine had indicated to me that it might still be in use. I completed a survey of Catholic hymnals from my collection and list which ones that hold the hymn. I attach my survey for anyone interested in the history of the hymn. Do you know where I could get a copy of The Parish Hymn Book? I've been looking on eBay and Abebooks but I haven't come across it yet.

Also, every month I write a short story about a Catholic hymn. You can visit my website and click on HYMN OF THE MONTH. https://www.motherofmercycatholichymns.com/

For September I am doing a write-up on Mother of Mercy, Day by Day. I used to sing this hymn when I was in the choir at St. Mary's Akron, Ohio (1977-2010).
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