![]() The seminary was very musical and there I learned music very well. “I went to seminary when I was very young – when I was eleven. In an interview* given in Dallas, Texas, the year before he died, Gabaráin said that it was his desire to evangelise through song that motivated his work and spurred him into hymn composition in the first place. With some 500 hymns and songs to his name, Gabaráin frequently evoked human need and one writer suggests that his hymns reflect “the deepest emotions of the human spirit”. Following the Second Vatican Council, Gabaráin took full advantage of the new freedom now permitted in hymn-writing styles. He trained as a priest in San Sebastián and served as chaplain and as a biblical theologian until his early death in 1991, aged 55. The words of Verse 4 (“Lord, as I drift on the waters, be the resting-place o my restless heart”) echo the words of St Augustine in his Confessions: "You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you."Ĭesáreo Gabaráin was born in 1936 in Hernani, in the northern Basque area of Spain. Will you accept, then, my nets and labour?” (V.2) (The same theme is explored by Christina Georgina Rossetti in her carol, In the bleak midwinter: “What can I give him, poor as I am?”) “Lord, see my goods and possessions in my boat you find no power, no wealth. ![]() As we sing it, we stand alongside those who have little – and admit that we, too, whatever our social position, have little to offer to Jesus of Galilee who gave his life for us. He is represented in Singing the Faith by “Pescador de hombres” (“Fisher of men”), known to be a favourite hymn of Pope John Paul II. Many of his hymns and songs are inspired by the feelings and actions of ordinary people he met during his ministry. Cesáreo Gabaráin (1936-1991) is one of the best-known recent composers of Spanish liturgical music. More usually, congregations will respond to the prayer-like nature of the words and melody, so that this is a hymn that can offer a few moments of still reflection within worship.Įnglish-speaking congregations may have the resources to learn the first verse and refrain in the original Spanish:įr. It suggests a gently-paced performance with guitar accompaniment – though one Spanish version available on the internet presents a fiercely rhythmic and strummed guitar accompaniment that seems to reflect a passionate sense of practical Christian mission with almost revolutionary fervour. The lilting tune (built on triplets in 6/8 time) has a South American feel. This is a song suitable for moments of commitment, dedication or covenant renewal.
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