You will notice the absence of a ‘suggested listening’ section this week, as again hopefully this will not be needed. Leaders: it will be helpful to have hymn books at this session, so that people can pick their favourite hymns, and perhaps the group can sing them. There are numerous recordings of hymns, including some direct from the BBC’s Songs of Praise, which might be a good starting point.

Early misgivings Although Lutheran music instantly began to develop a musical tradition of its own, the Reformed and Anglican churches initially felt that the Bible and the Psalms in particular, were the only material Christian worship needed. Indeed Zwingli in Zurich banned music completely in worship from 1523 until 1598. In Geneva, Calvin allowed only psalms to be sung (to what Elizabeth I dismissively referred to as ‘Genevan jigs’) with no harmony or instruments allowed. In England the first Prayer Book (1549) allowed only the singing of psalms, but increasingly paraphrases in simply metres (eg. “All people that on earth do dwell”) and tunes from folk music and popular ballads, gave us the first examples of what are still used as Anglican hymns. “The Lord’s my shepherd” came from a similar process in the Church of Scotland (though the tune Crimond, written in 1872, was not popular until the present Queen’s wedding). “Let us with a gladsome mind” is another example written by the precocious talent of a 12 year old John Milton. Isaac Watts (1674-1748) broke the mould and began to write not only biblical paraphrases, but some of his own texts. Many have remained firm favourites: “When I survey the wondrous cross”, “O God our help in ages past”. It is sometimes said (in my hearing by a Bishop!) that the consistent use of the first person pronoun (“I”) in

hymns is a feature of modern choruses – it is not, Watts consistently employed it. The Golden Age The eighteenth century Evangelical revival gave us the wonderful hymns of Charles

Wesley. These were a feature from the first meetings of the ‘Holy Club’ at Oxford. He wrote around 6500 hymns including: “Love divine” (originally written and sometimes still sung to ‘Fairest Isle’ by Purcell ) “And can it be”, “O for a thousand tongues”, “O thou who camest from above”, “Rejoice the Lord is King”. From 1750 many new collection of hymns were published, including “Rock of Ages” by the splendidly named Augustus Toplady. I was recently dragged by my parents to Burrington Combe, near their home in Somerset, where it is said that Toplady sheltered under such a cleft during a storm, thus providing inspiration for the hymn – it was a filthy day, and now I read that the story is more or less certainly apocryphal. John Newton was perhaps the finest example of the golden age of C18th hymnody, with hymns such as “Abide with me,” and “Glorious things of these are spoken”. The former, written by Newton the former slave trader in 1773, was quoted in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’, and became associated with the campaign to abolish slavery, and later to end segregation in the USA – it has been recording over 2000 times, and was played at the funerals of the New York Fire and Police

departments after 9/11. It was not set to the familiar tune until 1830. Williams Williams wrote “Guide me O thou great Jehovah”,

The Welwyn Team Ministry Lent Course 2013

Music ‘The Greatest Good that Mortals know’

Week 3: Songs of Praise: Hymnody

Monday 7.30pm with meal All Saints Church Hall, Datchworth, Led by Susannah Underwood, 01438 817183 Tuesday 8pm, 11 Heath Road, Woolmer Green, Led by Lucy Dallas and hosted by Penny and Nigel Howes, 01438 716742 Wednesday 10.30am St Mary’s New Church House, Led by David Munchin, 01438 714150 Wednesday 7.30pm 60 Orchard Road, Tewin, Led by Ted Sharpe and Mick Simmons, 01438 798594 Wednesday 8pm 1 Codicote Road, Welwyn, AL6 9LY, Led and hosted by Mike and Gay Carpenter, 01438 718439 Thursday 7.15pm Bring and Share Supper, 8pm Study Group, St Mary’s New Church House, Usha and Colin Hull, 01438 813974 Friday 9.30am Time for God Group, Contact Margot Kenworthy, 01438 718732

Each Lent Group will organise itself in a different way.

The Objective of our groups is to hear and reflect on music that shapes and informs the Christian Tradition

Each week we will hear something of the various genres of music that we find within the Christian churches.

Some we will like, some will not be to our taste.

Each week we will provide some information and history of that particular genre to read together.

As well as some suggestions for listening and perhaps performing.

Participants are encouraged to bring along music from that particular genre that they love and to share it with the group.

Adventurous groups are encouraged to try and sing or play some music together. Again there may be people in the group who can help with that.

We will also suggest music that you might like to listen to.

We will also suggest questions that you might like to ask yourself, about how that music speaks to you.

With music there are few right and wrong answers, and we ask you to respect and appreciate differences of taste within our congregations.

“For ever consecrate the day, To music and Cecilia;

Music, the greatest good that mortals know,

And all of heaven we have below.”

From Song for St Cecilia’s Day Stanza III by Joseph

Addison (1672-1719)

1 Charles Wesley

though it was not matched with the tune Cwm Rhondda until the twentieth century. The latter half of the century also saw an end to Baptist objections to hymn singing, allowing a first flourishing within that tradition. It was also during this period that North American churches – nearly all of which eschewed hymn singing, began also to relax their attitudes, and again allow a first dawn of American hymns writers, such as Samuel Davies and Justus Falckner. Anglicanism (as ever) follows the latest trend 100 years too late! In all of this it is noted that none of the above belong to the Anglican tradition. Apart from a few pioneers, hymns were not strictly

permitted in Anglican churches until 1820, when the obvious appeal of the “enthusiasm, emotionalism and sectarianism” of the hymn singing non-conformist churches was becoming apparent. George Herbert’s (1593-1633) poems were the first Anglican texts to be used as hymns. Reginald Heber (1783-1826, “Brightest and best”, “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty,”) can claim to be the first Anglican hymn writer. The Oxford movement with its interest in poetry and the catholic inheritance of the Anglican church provided many of our traditional hymns: both as original compositions (“New ever morning”) and as translations of texts from past centuries (notably by John Mason Neale: “O come, O come Emmanuel”, “Jerusalem the Golden”) Ancient and Modern

Over 4.5 million copies of the first edition of Hymns Ancient and Modern (1861) make this a seminal event in Anglican hymnody. Though an Anglo-Catholic production it was even handed to all traditions in its selection of hymns. However the editing left much to be desired, and so the joke that HAM stood for “Hymns Asked for and Mutiliated” arose. “Common Praise” is its most recent edition, overseen by Professor Henry Chadwick. It was the first popular hymn book to print a tune for every hymn (before that only the metre was noted, and a selection of tunes of the various metres included in a separate book or appendix). It also added an “Amen” to the end of every hymn. Many of the hymns we now think of as staple parts of the Anglican diet were made so by their inclusion in this hymn book. The English Hymnal (strangely often thought of as the Anglo-Catholic hymn book) appeared half a century later (1906) under the editorship of Percy Dearmer and Ralph Vaughan-Williams. Hymns for little children was published in 1848 and contained hymns written by Cecil Frances Alexander, wife of the Anglican Archbishop of Armagh, and contained such favourites as “Once in Royal David’s city”, “There is a green hill far away”, and “All things bright and beautiful”. The spread of the missionary work of Booth’s Salvation Army was much encouraged by hymns, especially those from 1879 accompanied by a brass band (originally only to be used outdoors – in the opinion of some a rule that would be well still to adhere to). Christmas Carols Many Christmas carols survived the upheavals of the Reformation and are of medieval origin. However many also date from the seventeenth century, often German in origin, for instance “A great and mighty wonder”. Oddly “While shepherds watched their flocks by night” was the only Christmas carol permissible in English churches from its composition in 1700 until 1780. The usual tune only became associated with it with the publication of A&M in 1861. Victorians began for the first time to publish collections of Christmas Carols.

Programme:

Week 1. The music of eternity: Plainsong Week 2. The music escapes the liturgy: The Western classical tradition

Week 3. Songs of praise: Hymnody Week 4. Songs of protest and hope: Spirituals, blues and gospel

Week 5. Finding spirituality in a music ‘industry’: Pop and Rock music

Questions to reflect on whilst listening to music:

What feelings does this music evoke in me?

Is this music beautiful and does it speak to me of God?

Is the composer trying to ‘say’ anything specific through this music?

When appropriate - do the words and music complement one another?

Could I imagine this music as part of worship?

Do I feel that the performer of the music has ‘communicated’ it to me well?

Suggested reading: Most of the material for this course is taken from an excellent, accessible and colourful guide: ‘Christian Music: A global History’ by Tim Dowley. Lion Publisher, ISBN: 9780745953243 Retail £20 Abide with me: The world of Victorian hymns, Bradley, I. C., SCM The English hymn, a critical and historical study, Watson, J. R., OUP,