Wedding reading

Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee

Henry van Dyke, 1907

“Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee” by Henry van Dyke, 1907, is a hymn read at a wedding ceremony. It takes about 3 minutes read aloud, usually by everyone together. It is in the public domain, but we do not set the words here — the note below says what to bring instead, and why.

Why the words are not printed here

Public domain, set to Beethoven. Loud and glad — a good recessional.

Where it comes from

Henry van Dyke wrote the words in 1907 while a guest preacher at Williams College, saying the Berkshire Mountains were his inspiration, and they are sung to the final movement of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. The lyrics were first published in 1911 in the third edition of van Dyke’s Book of Poems.

What it says

Joyful, joyful, we adore you, God of glory: hearts open like flowers to the sun. All creation joins in, earth and heaven, stars and angels, fields and forests, mountains and seas. The later verses call God the giver of every blessing and ask everyone to join the happy chorus. It is a hymn of pure gladness, set to Beethoven’s Ode to Joy, so the room will carry the tune even if nobody knows the words.

Beethoven, so the room will carry it even if nobody knows the words. Read at a wedding ceremony. Themes: Ode to Joy · big and glad · a recessional · a full church.

Who it suits

A church wedding with a full room, and couples who want the ceremony to end big and glad. It suits outdoor lovers, since the words are full of nature. It also suits a celebratory funeral for a joyful person, though it is listed here for weddings. Van Dyke said the Berkshire Mountains inspired it, so it is a natural choice for a mountain, lakeside or garden ceremony and for couples whose life together started outdoors.

Where it goes in the ceremony

Usually the recessional hymn, as the couple walk out, or the closing hymn before the blessing. The congregation sings with organ.

Reading it aloud

Sung through by the room, allow about 3 minutes, depending on how many verses the venue’s book carries and how slowly the organist takes it.

Pick the verses ahead of time; two or three is enough for a recessional.
It is fast and loud. Make sure the organist knows the couple will walk on the first verse, not wait.
If it follows the pronouncement, say the final words, step aside, and let the organ start immediately.
Print the words in the order of service; everyone knows the tune, not the text.

Questions about reading it aloud

How long does “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee” take to read aloud?

“Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee” takes about 3 minutes read aloud at a ceremony pace, which is slower than conversation — roughly 130 words a minute. That is the figure the run-sheet uses when it works out the timing for the whole service.

Who usually reads “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee”?

Everyone together, rather than one reader. “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee” runs about 3 minutes and needs the words in front of the room — in an order of service, on a screen, or led line by line by the officiant.

Can “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee” be printed in a ceremony script?

Not by us. Public domain, set to Beethoven. Loud and glad — a good recessional.

A reading is two minutes of the hour.

The rest is the welcome, the vows, the ring exchange, the pronouncement — and the timing that holds them together. Answer some questions about the couple and get the whole ceremony, written out, with this reading in its place.

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