THE HYMN SOCIETY BULLETIN Autumn 2019 301 Vol 22 No 8 contents EDITORIAL 298 CANTERBURY CONFERENCE 2019 Michael Garland 300 HYMN SOCIETY HYMN FESTIVAL Janet Wootton 304 CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL 24TH JULY 2019 NINE LESSONS AND CAROLS Christopher Gray 315 CHOOSING HYMNS AT CHRISTMAS John Barnard 322 THESE YOU HAVE LOVED: TOWARDS A Martin Leckebusch 327 CORE HYMNODY ANNIVERSARIES340 ANNIVERSARIES QUIZ 347 REVIEWS 348 OBITUARY 352 The Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland EDITORIAL And then the third revelation of this worship service: Mercy. When Robin Knowles Wallace preached at the Hymn Society Mercy. Here we are in the midst of a service of Eucharist, with Conference in July, what she had to say put our task in preparing intercessions following the sermon - the table of justice prepared by and promoting hymnody in perspective. It bears repeating, so this the Spirit to strength and nourish God’s people. Editorial continues with her words… So here it is: in the midst of the people of God, before bread I received Robert Canham’s email asking me to preach the and grape, just as people have done for thousands of years, week in morning that I flew to Austin, Texas, to visit my daughter and then and week out, whether our worship is fancy or flat, whether we are attend the US/Canadian Hymn Society and come here to Canterbury. stuck in our own importance (as perhaps were the disciples in the And my first thoughts were: ‘That Amos scripture (Amos 5:21-24): gospel) or convinced of our utter unimportance or meaninglessness oh, no, I hate this scripture!’ God is indignant, to use John Bell’s (like a discounted child), God through Jesus reaches out and into us, word from last night; God is angry about our worship. I teach unmerited, unrequested, unceasingly, with an invitation to lift up our worship and watch students and pastors try so hard to “get worship heads, to know that life and grace are gifts to the world and to us, right” when all that work is ultimately worth nought, unless our to capture God’s message of overflowing justice, abundant grace and priority is God’s justice and kingdom-like behaviour. love so clearly in our hearts and minds and bodies that we radiate love and mercy, justice and grace. Ah, a second scripture (Matthew 18:1-6 and 10): Jesus and the children: becoming child-like for the kingdom, including the least To do the work of justice is to know the miracle of God’s important, reaching out to those marginalized by society . And presence with us at this table. To be, to receive, and to accept love, again, there it is, the indignation of God, which will be shown to mercy, grace, in spite of who we are but because of who God is - all those of us who mistreat children… we can say is ‘thanks be to God!’ To live in the world today, whether in the midst of refugee Robin Knowles Wallace crises that show the worst of human callousness, or unending political horrors which are neither just nor righteous, to watch the veneer of civility cracking everywhere we turn, is enough to make this Christian turn to despair. Where are the waters of justice and God’s everflowing streams of righteousness? Are those waters and streams like our planet’s cry for help: too wet, then too dry? And here we are, with the reality of humanity’s mess in one hand and God’s possibilities in the other, and we can still feel powerless to do anything. Yes, the mix of peace and justice is a complex thing… We don’t get it right for more than a moment at a time. Cover photograph: Christopher Gray, Director of Music at Truro Cathedral. Photo © Andrew Pratt 2019 Opinions expressed in the Bulletin are not necessarily those of the Society or the Editor 298 299 CANTERBURY CONFERENCE 2019 by our Executive Vice-President, Martin Leckebusch, entitled: ‘These MICHAEL GARLAND you have loved: towards a core hymnody’. A careful study of the contents of sixteen current hymn books had revealed that around The pleasant summer sun shone brightly on the University of 140-150 hymns appeared in at least twelve books and 52 hymns Kent in Canterbury for our three-day Annual Conference in July. Not were common to all. An informative handout revealed the current only brightly, but fiercely one might add, as the temperatures soared ‘core’ with contemporary writers represented by one author, Timothy into the low thirties. Fortunately, this did not deter the seventy Dudley-Smith, with ‘Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord’ and people who arrived safely from many parts of the British Isles and ‘Lord, for the years your love has kept and guided’. further afield including guests and friends from the United States and South Africa. Our Executive President, Janet Wootton, extended Coaches were on hand for the short journey to Canterbury a warm welcome to all present and led the opening worship which Cathedral where, in the cool of the Western Crypt, we were warmly included the singing of ‘Jesu, priceless treasure’. greeted by the Dean, the Very Reverend Robert Willis. From here our morning hymns ascended, all informatively presented by Janet First to appear at the Lectern was Nicholas Markwell, who Wootton, with John Bell conducting and John Webber accompanying gave a fascinating appraisal of the life of James Ellor (1819-1899). us on the organ. The Deanery garden was the most delightful setting Like several composers of his day, Ellor suffers from being thought for a buffet lunch thanks to the gracious hospitality of our host. of as a ‘one tune person’ with the sparkling DIADEM considered by There was still time to enjoy a stroll around the Cathedral and to be many to be the ideal partner to ‘All hail the power of Jesu’s name’. In mindful of its place as a major centre of pilgrimage in England. On Anglican churches, DIADEM may have failed to oust MILES LANE as returning to the campus of the University we caught up with two the preferred choice, but it is more widely celebrated in evangelical further sectionals. Martin Ellis gave a speedy overview of Wesley circles. It was good to be introduced to several other tunes by James Hymns recently published by Hinde Street Methodist Church, London. Ellor that would no doubt have been sung with much enthusiasm Regretting the loss of many of these hymns in recent collections, and relish in the mid nineteenth century. A short but necessary our speaker warmed to the initiative which had brought this latest practice for the following day’s Festival of Hymns followed, ably and book with its ninety-eight hymns to print including ‘Since the Son efficiently led by John Bell. Following a drinks reception and dinner hath made me free’, a personal favourite of our Honorary President, where plenty of catch-up conversations were managed, we took our Archbishop Rowan Williams. In the final sectional, ‘Psalmody in the seats in the lecture room to hear John Bell address the intriguing Eucharist’, John Webber and Sue O’Neill gave a well-illustrated talk to question ‘Whatever happened to Jesus in the Church’s song?’ (this show how psalmody could be presented and encouraged in worship will be published in the Bulletin in due course). Following some using a variety of musical forms. It is surely a cause of concern specific research, our speaker had discovered a noticeable gap in that in many churches today the psalms are no longer in regular hymns dealing with the life and teaching of Jesus. He observed that usage and attempts to restore them, albeit in shortened responsorial many hymns make a swift transition from the cradle to the cross settings, are to be welcomed. and, as a result, thirty-three years of earthly existence, including three years of ministry, are overlooked. Key events in our Lord’s life Following a break for refreshments we returned to hear are well represented in our hymn books but active images of his Gillian Warson appraising one of our best-known hymns. ‘Gathering life are not common. One wonders whether someone might take up rushes and playing the meadows: Singing ‘All things bright and this challenge. The programme for our opening day was brought beautiful’ today’ was a strong affirmation of verses by Cecil Frances to a fitting close by our Conference Chaplain, Adam Carlill. We are Alexander whose popularity endures. This is evident by its regular grateful to him for providing us with thoughtful and creative liturgy appearance in funeral services and wedding services across the and song throughout the Conference. land. Shorn almost entirely now of its controversial verse about the rich man in his castle and occasionally of the verse referring to There was certainly a new look to the middle day of our the gathering of rushes and playing in the meadows, the hymn still programme when we broke with tradition by holding our Festival of retains its appeal and vitality as God is affirmed as the great creator. Hymns in the morning session. Ahead of this, the timetable afforded Following the speaker’s confident presentation, several questions us an opportunity to hear a sectional presentation after breakfast followed, citing for the most part warm approval for the hymn; 300 301 noting some reservations and concerns, and offering gratitude to the specially reconstructed (a transcript of this talk appears later in this speaker for her lecture. There was time before dinner for four well- Bulletin).