This month we are learning the hymn “O Love How Deep How Broad How High” written by St. Thomas à Kempis in the early 1400s. Originally penned in Latin, it was later translated to English in the mid 1800’s by Benjamin Webb, a Church of England clergyman. Thomas à Kempis is best known for his devotional book, the Imitation of Christ. This book is one of the most translated works ever written, second only to the Bible.
This hymn is considered strophic in the language of music because each of the six verses reuses the same music - the 1753 french hymn tune, Deus Tuorum Militum. Each verse depicts a different event of Christ's life in which he showed his love toward us.
All your family has to do to learn this hymn is sing along with me!
Just right click to download the recordings for your family's use.
If you are new to our hymn study videos, Singing with the Saints is a ministry whose purpose is to bring the ancient Truth, Goodness, and Beauty of the Church into the hearts and homes of Catholic families through sacred music.
We typically begin our Hymn Study time by reviewing an older hymn we have learned, then proceed to the new hymn. Only two of my sons are of reading age, so I introduce a new hymn by having everyone repeat the lines of the first verse after me. Next I sing the first verse once and then have my boys join in the second time through with humming, a neutral syllable, or attempting the words. We sing the current verse we are learning about three times a day during our Morning Liturgy (Morning Time). They pick up a verse in about a week. After our singing we choose a few of the additional activities below to help us dig a little deeper. I have provided some printable sheets for your family’s use, should you be interested in having them participate in any of the following with us.
A Few Ideas for Expanding this Hymn Study:
- Catechesis: discussing the theological truths painted in the text.
- Commonplacing – Florilegium entries: choosing to copy down a line that is personally meaningful.
- Dictation: use a selection from the hymn text
- Ear Training: have your family practice Attentive Listening by drawing what is heard in the text or music
- Handwriting: use a selection from the hymn text
- Memorization
- Narration of Hymn Text: have your family speak and/or write what they remember about the hymn text in their own words
- Singing for Beauty and Enjoyment: add hymn singing to a meal or bedtime ritual
- Vocabulary Enrichment: discuss unfamiliar words and phrases with your family
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Verse 1
Verse 2
Verse 3
Verse 4
Verse 5
Verse 6
You can find all our past Singing with the Saints resources here.
Do you have questions or suggestions for a future hymn to be covered? Please enter them below and I'll do my best to answer and include the hymns in an upcoming Hymn Study.
Help your family grow closer to Mary through the ancient music of the Church!