Le chant protestant de langue française SECRETARY’S NEWSLETTER: No.88: Spring 2021 By our member, Pasteur Stuart Ludbrook, who is a Baptist pastor From the Secretary: and hospital chaplain in France, this is a book of hymnology, and Revd Robert A. Canham therefore of spirituality and theology, which approaches hymns like Windrush religious poems set to music for assembly singing. The reader will discover eclectic choices: the Lutheran chorale (not to mention Braithwaite Bach), the song of the Awakening, the popular hymn, the spirituals KESWICK and poems of the 20th and 21st centuries. Precise and detailed, in the CA12 5SZ sources, the history, versions of the hymns, and their possible uses Phone: 017687 78054 in worship, it aims to enrich the practice of singing today. Its Email: [email protected] appendices and indexes enable finding a hymn from the French, German, English or Latin title, by melody, but also by the names of The Hymn Society Website: www.hymnsocietygbi.org.uk lyricists and musicians, thus opening a window on the contribution of a multitude of believers to Protestant singing. Thematic index, Annual Conference – planning update: bibliographical headers and conclusions promote a cross-sectional The responses to my enquiry in the last Newsletter indicated little reading of hymnological themes. Available only in French, it can be appetite for a Conference this coming Autumn, with opinion fairly located by searching for the title at www.XL6.com evenly split as to whether we should have a Spring or a Summer

URC hymns address slavery legacy Conference in 2022. There was, however, some concern over the In response to the national debate, around Black Lives Matter, the uncertainty of a Winter/Spring resurgence of Coronavirus; we really United Reformed Church is building a Legacies of Slavery collection do need to avoid another cancellation! We now know that the HSUSC of resources which include “14 Racial Justice Songs” – hymns by International Hymn Conference is in Washington DC from Sunday John Campbell, one time Principal of the URC’s Northern College, 17th to Thursday 21st July 2022. We are therefore exploring with the Manchester. Website: www.urc.org.uk/legacies-of-slavery and scroll hotel in Leyland the possibility of a 2022 Conference either in late down to, and click on, Hymns and songs for today’s world. June/early July or the last week of July. More information next time.

And this quarter’s postscript – the Handwashing Song Coming Shortly… We are likely to be handwashing for some time yet. If singing ‘Happy Hymn of the Day / Short Metre / Hymn of the Day archive Birthday’ (twice) whilst washing your hands is increasingly tedious, In the absence of a Conference, Hymn of the Day, which is proving why not accompany your ablutions with that much-loved familiar old very popular, will be returning to our website and via Facebook for a nursery rhyme: ‘Boris Johnson sat on a wall….’ (twice). Or, recalling third series on 1st July; it will continue every day throughout the possibly one of the Billy Graham Crusades, an alternative might be: month. The theme, suggested by one of our contributors, is going to st ‘There shall be showers of blessing’: be Hymns based on Scripture. Log on to our website on 1 July! this is the promise of love; In addition, we are hoping it may be possible to post some Short there shall be season’s refreshing, Metre contributions online, together with an historical archive of sent from the Saviour above. some previously posted Hymns of the Day where they lend them- selves to it and do not present copyright constraints. Showers of blessing, showers of blessing we need, A Regional ‘London Day’ on Psalms is being planned for Saturday mercy drops round us are falling, 2nd October at St John’s East Dulwich SE22 9AT, running from 10.00 but for the showers we plead. am through to 3.30 pm, with contributors including Adam Carlill, Daniel Webster Whittle (Pseudonym El Nathan) (1840-1901) Michael Garland, John Webber and Janet Wootton. It is hoped that it

It works well and only needs to be sung once. Right now, we, our may be possible to provide a Livestreaming option for those not able nation, indeed the whole world, are in need of ‘showers of blessing’. to attend in person. More information available in due course.

We welcome new members who recently joined the Society: Bishop Clive Young – CD Dr David Held (Nebraska, USA) Many, especially attendees of our July Conferences, will recall with Mrs Dawn Weeden (Scotter, Lincolnshire) appreciation and affection our member Bishop Clive Young; he was Conference Chaplain in 2002, delivered a memorable lecture with We regret having to report the deaths of members: Anne Harrison on Benjamin Britten at our 2013 Conference, and just Mrs Muriel Bridge (Sprowston, Norwich, Norfolk) a few weeks prior to his untimely death, celebrated the Conference Mr David Duvall (Buckhorn Weston, Gillingham, Dorset) Eucharist at our 2015 Cambridge International Conference.

Both died in March. Muriel Bridge, together with her husband Basil Following Clive’s death, his wife, Sue, commissioned a short anthem Bridge (hymn writer), have membership dating back prior to March in his memory, Love Incorruptible, set to words from Ephesians and 1978. David Duvall, who was organist at Sonning Church (Berkshire) embracing the themes of love and kindness. Composed by Cecilia for many years, had been a member since before 1993. McDowall, it is, along with other pieces of her sacred choral music, now available in a recording by the Choir of Trinity College, Our Congratulations… Cambridge under the direction of Stephen Layton from Hyperion: to our member, John A. Bell of Churchdown, Gloucester who was a www.hyperion-records.co.uk recipient of this year’s Maundy Money which, because of Covid-19 restrictions, was first blessed in the Chapel Royal, St James’s Palace, A new collection of hymns prior to being mailed to recipients with an accompanying letter from Our member, Brian Hoare, has found a time-consuming, but also Her Majesty the Queen. 95 men and 95 women received this year’s enjoyable, way of keeping himself occupied during the long months distribution which marked the Queen’s 95th Birthday and the 50th of Lockdown. The fruits of his labour have resulted in a collection of Anniversary of Decimal Day. sixty-three of his hymns, songs, liturgical settings and anthems, together with a brief musical autobiography, and stories behind the More hymns in strange places texts and tunes. Brian first trained as a music teacher but then A mailing from the RSPB about things to look out for in March was moved into Christian work, serving as a Methodist minister, college headed: ’Listen out for birdsong: Blackbird has spoken’. tutor, and President of the Methodist Conference (1995-96). Born in Song: Texts and Tunes for Worship by Brian Hoare with a Foreword Does anybody remember the BBC series, Doomwatch which was by Pam Rhodes, was published on 1st March 2021 and is available at broadcast between 1970-1972? Set in the then present day, it £7.50 + p&p from: www.moorleys.co.uk or www.amazon.co.uk featured a government agency which was tasked with investigating and combatting various ecological and technological dangers. Further thoughts on ‘O Holy Night’ Michael Garland’s ‘Christmas postscript’ (Secretary’s Newsletter No. Following my reference to an episode of Doctor Who, The old rugged 87: Winter 2021) was much appreciated by our member across ‘The cross and Abide with me (Secretary’s Newsletter No.87: Winter Pond’, Janet L. Janzen (Wichita, Kansas USA), who contributes this 2021) our member, Morvyn Finch, noted that in Doomwatch, in one thought: ‘I have found that O Holy Night is quite singable by a of the kitchen scenes in the famous episode 'Tomorrow the Rat', the congregation if pitched in the key of Bb and sung in unison. The dulcet tones of the Sunbury Junior Singers under Salvation Army range is then from low Bb (which occurs only once) to high D, which Major Joy Webb (she of Joystrings fame), can be heard singing All is accessible. Being familiar to so many people, it can often be sung things bright and beautiful in the background, they can still be heard by ear. It became a favourite carol for our annual candlelight service at www.tinyurl.com/SJSRecord in one church where I served. I have also used it successfully in Interestingly, Doomwatch was, apparently, conceived by Gerry Davis other carol-sings. I have found it in two US hymnals: The Hymnal for and Kit Pedler, who had previously collaborated on Doctor Who Worship and Celebration (Word, 1986) and The Worshiping Church scripts and were responsible for the Cybermen; chilling creations (Hope, 1990). I also have several Christmas carol books in which it is which also addressed their interest in the perceived problems of included – it is wonderful to be able to share our ‘Fellowship in Song’ science changing and endangering human life. across the seas!’