October 2005
Companion to Church Hymnal	Show Menu

Edward Darling & Donald Davison, The Columba Press, 2005
Review by Randal Henly

This book is a ‘must have’ for all who are interested in hymns and in church music generally. This Companion to Church Hymnal tells everything that one might ever want to know about all of the 719 hymns in the Church Hymnal. Here are pen portraits of those hymns — details of their authors and composers, how, when and why the texts and the tunes were written, and how and why the words have changed in the process of revisions (the latter being something of a sore point!). The authors of this Companion, Edward Darling and Donald Davison, edited the hymn-book itself, five years ago.

Dr Donald Davison, although professionally a mathematics lecturer (QUB, now retired), is a highly qualified musician. Since 1977 he has been organist and choirmaster of St John’s Belfast; he was Belfast City Organist for nineteen years, and organist of QUB for thirteen years. Edward Darling, former Bishop of Limerick, was the student organist in the chapel of TCD during his final year there when training for the ministry. He was the chairman of the Hymnbook Committee prior to the publication of the hymnbook itself, five years ago.

At the beginning of the book, there is an informative chapter on Hymnody in the Church of Ireland. This describes the development of hymn-singing from the late 18th-century to the present day. Then follows individual entries for all of the hymns in the Hymnbook.

Since the Companion was published in April, I have still only dipped into it. Some interesting snippets of information (to me anyway!) from some of the 1000+ pages in the book, follow.

Rev. Isaac Watts, as is fairly well known, was a prolific hymn writer, and sixteen of his many hymns are to be found in the Church Hymnal, examples being Jesus shall reign where're the sun; When I survey the wondrous cross. Many of Watts’ best hymns were written before his ordination, when he was a very young man. The story is apparently well known (it wasn’t to me!) and runs: Young Watts, coming home from a morning service, complained to his cleric father about the wretched psalmody being so unfitting, both in dignity and beauty. “Then give us something better young man”, replied his father, his deacon’s dignity being evidently rather ruffled. Young Watts determined that he would — and he did!

Robert Prescott Stewart is described as one of the most gifted of the church musicians that Ireland has produced. Stewart became a chorister of Christ Church Cathedral at the age of 8, was appointed Assistant Organist at the young age of 18, before becoming Organist and Master of the Choristers one year later— a position he held for 50 years until his death.

Hymn 32: How great thou art

On the eve of the third millennium, this hymn was voted the most popular hymn in Britain in a BBC Songs of Praise poll. Its origin is in a Swedish poem written in 1885 by Carl Boberg, a preacher of repute, a religious editor and a senator in the Swedish Parliament. A Russian translation appeared some years later and it was this version that came to the attention of a Londoner, Stuart Hine, who with his wife was doing missionary work in the Ukraine in the 1930s. The hymn was popularised by evangelist Billy Graham who used it at his crusades in the 1960s and 70s, resulting in it becoming well known on both sides of the Atlantic.

Hymn 47: We plough the fields, and scatter

This 18th-century German hymn of thanksgiving, with its rousing tune, must be known to all. The original text came from a poem of Matthias Claudius, the journalist son of a Lutheran pastor and also, appropriately, a Commissioner of Agriculture. The poem is about a harvest thanksgiving in a German village, in which neighbours come to a house and sing a ‘Peasant’s Song’. The original version ran to seventeen verses (!) each followed by a refrain, but this has been modified in all modern hymnbooks.

Enough about this book. It is a tremendous resource for clerics, worship leaders, organists/choirmasters, and all others interested or involved in church music. It is quite a tome, heavy in weight (at least you don’t have to hold it up while singing!) and running to 1014 pages. Its price is €53, although there was a very good pre-publication offer for only €37 (which is of course only of academic interest at this stage!).

Organists’ Hints & Tips 5

Tidy music => better singing

David McConnell

To keep choir stalls tidy requires constant vigilance. In recent years, to reduce the number of books, I have given each singer a loose-leaf ring binder, marked with his or her name. The first page is an index (updated regularly) and items are colour coded according to an agreed scheme. Hymns not in the hymnbook are numbered sequentially, starting from where CH5 finishes; psalms and canticles + pointing are word-processed with the chant printed at the top of the page. Other items are added as needed.

Within each ring binder, each sheet is kept in a transparent polythene pocket. This keeps everything clean and minimises the ravages of damp. I recommend the top of the market ‘Rexel’ brand. The cheaper brands of plastic pockets are flimsy, slightly opaque and disintegrate quite quickly. And, when the rings in the binders wear out, I replace the folders immediately. It is simply not fair on singers to ask them to use tatty folders, torn sheets of paper, dog-eared music. If they are supplied with attractive folders and music in good condition, they tend to sing better!

Anyone else got some more ‘Hints & Tips’ for the next issue. Surely someone must have a good idea that hasn’t yet been published?

More definitions from ‘Organo Pleno’

by Gordon Reynolds

ABSENCE The only quality of an organist that is generally recognised.

CHANTS These brief psalm-tunes come in three varieties: Anglican, Plainsong and Gelineau. The chants themselves are harmless, and the organist is often required to play them first to prove this. Unfortunately, words are then added, at which point he acts as referee between the singers, usually favouring the trend of the majority.

DESCANT One of the two major church nuisances, the other being pigeons. At least no descant has yet spoilt a hat.

AMEN This may be plagal, perfect, Gibbons, Smith, sevenfold or said. The important thing is for everyone to know what is intended, since one thing is certain — they don’t mix..

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