595

Santo, santo, santo, mi corazón (Holy, Holy, Holy, My Heart)

Full Text

Spanish:

¡Santo, santo, santo,
mi corazón te adora!
Mi corazón te sabe decir:
santo eres Señor.

English:

Holy, holy, holy,
my heart, my heart adores you!
My heart pours out my praise to you;
you are holy, Lord.

Dutch:

Heilig, heilig, heilig,
mijn hart brengt U de ere!
Van harte loof ik Uwe Naam;
heilig bent U, Heer.

French:

Dieu saint, Dieu saint, Dieu saint,
mon coeur, mon coeur t’adore.
Mon coeur le dit, mon coeur s’en réjouit:
tu es saint, mon Dieu.

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Scripture References

Further Reflections on Scripture References

This song begins like the classic Sanctus, with its three-time repetition of the word holy based on Isaiah 6:3, but then moves into a personal prayer of adoration. The text is simple and can be sung in many languages. This practice broadens the conception of “heart” to be more corporate and universal.

Confessions and Statements of Faith References

Further Reflections on Confessions and Statements of Faith References

What we know as the attributes of God reveal his character and being. For these, he is worthy of praise and adoration. Even before he says or does anything, he is praise-worthy. The opening words of Belgic Confession, Article 1 declare that God is “eternal, incomprehensible, invisible, unchangeable, infinite, almighty; completely wise, just, and good, and the overflowing source of all good.”

 
The Lord’s Prayer ends with a doxology, and Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 52, Question and Answer 128 extrapolates: “Your holy name…should receive all the praise, forever.” After expressing our trust in the total care of God for all things, Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 9, Question and Answer 26 declares, “God is able to do this because he is Almighty God and desires to do this because he is a faithful Father.” And so we express our praise and adoration to God for who he is.

595

Santo, santo, santo, mi corazón (Holy, Holy, Holy, My Heart)

Additional Prayers

Optional prayer
To you, O holy God, all creation sings, “Santo. Holy. Heilig.”
All the earth sings: “Santo. Holy. Heilig.”
All of heaven sings: “Santo. Holy. Heilig.”
The church universal sings: “Santo. Holy. Heilig.”
All our women and girls sing: “Santo. Holy. Heilig.”
All our men our boys sing: “Santo. Holy. Heilig.”
As we join our voices with all creation,
help us to sense the breadth of your immense glory,
the wonder of your love,
the beauty of your holiness. Amen.
Adapt the refrain to include additional languages represented in your community.
— Lift Up Your Hearts (http://www.liftupyourheartshymnal.org)
595

Santo, santo, santo, mi corazón (Holy, Holy, Holy, My Heart)

Tune Information

Name
ARGENTINE SANTO
Key
C Major
Meter
6.7.8.5

Recordings

Musical Suggestion

God’s holiness causes both holy fear and holy attraction; the latter is at work here. The tone is passionate and intimate, as if sharing and savoring words with a treasured friend. Play with a slow, lilting feel. Be flexible enough to stretch the tempo to reach and fully enjoy the octave leaps and the keyboard arpeggios. The keyboard accompaniment could simply double the vocal parts, or be quietly improvisatory as provided. A solo piano would serve well, or a pair of guitarists, one laying a bed of eighth notes (arpeggios), while the other plucks the melody.
 
Consider using this song:
  • As a simple song of adoration, perhaps humming one time through after singing one or more stanzas.
  • As a prayer response, after the Lord’s Prayer, for example.
  • During the Lord’s Supper, in place of or in addition to a traditional Sanctus text.
  • During a Pentecost service, singing in all the languages to testify to the universal character of the church.
(from Reformed Worship, Issue 62)
— David Vroege
Consider the following suggestion for use with children:
  • First, sing through each language
  • Second, read the prayer on the page, having a Leader (light font).
  • Third, respond to the prayer in song; have children choose one of the languages.
  • Forth, sing one more time, allowing the children to choose their language and sing together so that the sounds blend as one voice.
— Diane Dykgraaf
595

Santo, santo, santo, mi corazón (Holy, Holy, Holy, My Heart)

Hymn Story/Background

The composer of this traditional praise chorus from Argentina is unknown. The song has spread internationally first through its inclusion in Thuma Mina, an international ecumenical hymnal published in Basel and Munich in 1995, where the original Spanish text was presented also in English, French, and German. A revised stanza was created in English for Sing! A New Creation (Faith Alive, 2001) and was also the basis for the stanzas in Dutch and French. 
— Emily Brink

Author Information

Robert De Moor is editor of The Banner and pastor of preaching and administration for West End Christian Reformed Church, Edmonton, Alberta.
— Emily Brink
Otto Selles was born in Chatham, Ontario and currently lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He studied at McMaster University (BA, MA) in Hamilton, Ontario and completed his doctorate in French at the University of Paris-IV Sorbonne. Otto is a professor of French at Calvin College. He is a regular contributor to The Banner's "Tuned-In" section and just completed a translation of John Calvin's catechism for children. 
— Otto Selles

Composer Information

Born and raised in the Dominican Republic, Jorge Lockward (b. 1965) currently lives in New York City where he works as Director of the Global Praise Program of the General Board of Global Ministries, The United Methodist Church, lectures on worship at Union Theological Seminary, and leads the New York based ecumenical chorale Cántico Nuevo. Jorge was a committee member of the Spanish Language United Methodist Hymnal, Mil Voces para Celebrar and has served as consultant on other denominational hymnals. He is the editor of Regocijate y Canta (1995), a collection of Latino worship choruses, Tenemos Esperanza (2001), a trilingual (Spanish, Portuguese, English) songbook and recording, assistant editor of Global Praise 3: More Songs for Worship and Witness (2004) and co-editor of For Everyone Born: Global Songs for an Emerging Church (2008).
 
He has served as member of the executive committee of the Hymn Society in the United States and Canada, (1999-2002), the editorial board for Reformed Worship (1999-2002), and the board of directors of Choristers Guild (1999-2002).
 
As song leader and workshop leader, he models a passion for the ways congregational song both reflects and shapes the theology and praxis of the assembled community. Presently, he is the Minister of Worship for a new United Methodist church in the Northwest Bronx.
— GIA Publications, Inc. (http://www.giamusic.com)
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