Sleepers, wake! A voice astounds us

"Sleepers, wake!" A voice astounds us. Philipp Nicolai* (1556-1608), translated by Carl P. Daw, Jr.* (1944- ). This translation of ‘Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme’* was made for H82. Like earlier translations it follows the metre of the original German, and is sung to the traditional tune. It includes occasional phrases from earlier English versions, but, in Daw’s words, ‘it tries to convey more of the vigor and narrative urgency of the German original’ (A Year of Grace, Carol Stream, 1990, p. 14). In view of Daw’s time with the Community of Celebration, Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, it is appropriate that the hymn should have been included in Hymnal for the Hours (Chicago: GIA Publications,...