Your name, O God, is your alter ego.
I will praise your name forever.

Your name is your reputation.
I will praise your name forever.

Your name has your glory in it.
Every day I will praise your holy name for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

"Te Exaltaré" is one of the forty-six songs in Celebremus II, produced by a task force representing Hispanic congregations and musicians and by the Section on Worship of the Board of Discipleship of The United Methodist Church. We know nothing about the origin of this particular song, but it is well known among Spanish-speaking Christians.

 

In style, "Te Exaltaré" is similar to the African song "Jesus, We Love to Meet," Bruno Nettl writes: "The development of characteristic and memorable rhythms that became the basis of Latin American popular dances-the rumba, samba, and conga-was probably made possible by the fact that both the West African and the Hispanic traditions favored complicated, driving rhythms with steady pulsating patterns" (Folk and Traditional Music of the Western Continents, p. 189).

 

The text is taken from the opening verses of Psalm 145, a joyful song of praise. This song would serve well as a hymn of dedication and offering, or anytime when praise is appropriate. The hymn has an infectious beat; don't be surprised if you catch yourself singing it at home or in the car!

 

Suggestions for introducing the hymn follow:

(from Reformed Worship, Issue 4)

Casiodoro Cardenas, an Ecuadoran, based this song on Psalm 145: 1-3. The English translation of the text includes work in 1985 by Frank Sawyer and in 1986 by Bert Polman. "Te Exaltaré" was published in Ecuador in 1975 in Tiempo de Cantar (vol. 2) and in the United States in Celebremos I (1979), a collection of Hispanic songs produced by the United Methodist Church. The English translation of st. 1, found in Celebremus II (1983), was revised by Bert Polman for the 1987 Psalter Hymnal.  A new second stanza expanding the text to include Psalm 145:4 was prepared by Mary Louise Bringle in 2011. 

Mary Louise (Mel) Bringle (b. 1953) is Professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies and chair of the Humanities Division at Brevard College (Brevard, NC). A teacher at heart and a theologian by training (with a Ph.D. from Emory University and an assortment of publications in pastoral theology), she began writing hymn texts in 1999. Since that time, she has won a number of international hymnwriting competitions and been featured as an "emerging text writer" by The Hymn Society in the US and Canada. GIA has published two single-author collections of her hymns (Joy and Wonder, Love and Longing in 2002, and In Wind and Wonder in 2007), as well as anthems written in collaboration with composers like William Rowan, Sally Morris, and others. Her texts and translations are included in publications from numerous denominations, including Roman Catholic, Mennonite, Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, Episcopalian, United Church of Canada, and Church of Scotland. She is currently serving as President of The Hymn Society and chair of the committee to create a new hymnal for the Presbyterian Church USA.