A new setting for an old English carol
I’m delighted to share with you a new tune for the hymn text “Jesus Christ the Apple Tree.”
I first heard of the hymn from Joy Marie Clarkson’s lovely book You Are a Tree. It was originally submitted to Spiritual Magazine in 1761 by an author identified only as “R.H.” and has since become well-known for its use as a Christmas carol.
The hymn is an extended metaphor which likens Jesus, as you might have guessed, to an apple tree. It’s an unusual comparison at first blush, but the idea actually comes from Song of Solomon 2:3, in which the woman says of her beloved:
“As an apple tree among the trees of the forest,
so is my beloved among the young men.
With great delight I sat in his shadow,
and his fruit was sweet to my taste.”
Reading this allegorically reveals beautiful image: the Church rests in the shade of “Christ the apple tree” and receives nourishment from his fruit.
The name for the tune, ROXBURY, comes from the Roxbury Russet apple, the oldest known apple cultivar from the United States. Here’s one I just planted one in my backyard.
Yes, it’s the thing in the middle that looks like a stick. It’ll be a while before I can rest in this one’s shade.