The Revised English Hymnal
Edited by Martin Draper, Gordon Giles, Jonathan Goodall, Simon Lindley, Michael Stoddart,
and Huw Williams
Canterbury Press Norwich, 1,904 pages, £35
The publication of the English Hymnal in 1906 was a significant milestone in the development of Anglican worship and hymnody, even though the Archbishop of Canterbury banned its use for a time, after its publication! It brought together a host of stars with Ralph Vaughan Williams as its musical editor and Percy Dearmer as overall editor; poets G.K. Chesterton and Laurence Housman, and composer Gustav Holst are also credited in the preface, where the editors noted that “The English Hymnal is a collection of the best hymns in the English language, and is offered as a humble companion to the Book of Common Prayer for use in the Church.”
In 1933, a revised edition with more hymns and better plainsong accompaniments was published, but it was not until 1986 that the New English Hymnal was published — again under an excellent team both literary and musical. Then, later still, the supplement New English Praise appeared in 2006.
The much-delayed publication of The Revised English Hymnal (intended for publication in 2018) is another milestone in the history of English hymnody. Once again, distinguished writers, hymnologists, and composers have been consulted, and there is an introduction by Rowan Williams, 104th Archbishop of Canterbury.
There are significant changes in this very comprehensive volume. Of the 680 hymns,185 will be new to those who have been used to earlier editions. The plainsong collection remains strong and indeed improved, and there is a much-enlarged liturgical section that could be useful in all situations.
Also included is a section gathering contemplative and meditative chants. A good selection from the pen of the late Jacques Berthier of Taize strengthens the breadth of the hymnal. There are eight eucharistic settings. Among them is David Thorne’s accessible but also musically interesting Mass of St. Thomas, which Thorne composed in the late 1980s for Portsmouth Cathedral’s less formal Sunday Mass. It is now widely used in parishes across England. Rather more recherche and with a more specific constituency are some Welsh hymns in the original language.
There has been a determined effort to make language inclusive without resorting to barbaric bowdlerization of distinguished poetry. So, for example, Timothy Rees’s “God is love, let heaven adore him” is sensitively altered to avoid exclusively male language. Almost all the general hymns gathered in early editions remain, and they are supplemented by new material. Cecil Spring-Rice’s anthem-like “I vow to thee my country,” sung to Gustav Holst’s memorable Jupiter from his Planets suite, is omitted.
Both musically and lyrically, the book is stronger. Many of the more recent but now standard tunes are now included. So Maurice Bevan’s Corvedale for use with Fr. Frederick William Faber’s “There’s a wideness in God’s mercy” is now the first tune for that hymn. John Mason’s fine hymn “How shall I sing that majesty” is there with Kenneth Naylor’s beautiful melody, Coe Fen, as is William Ferguson’s brilliant Cuddesdon set alongside Christopher Idle’s “Glory in the Highest” and Godfrey Thring’s “From the eastern mountains.” This first-rate tune can also be effectively used with other hymns, such as W.H. Monk’s “At the name of Jesus.” More recent works also feature more attractive harmonies. David Willcocks’s classical harmonizing of “Away in a manger” is one good example.
There is a wide selection of more recent good hymnody. Veteran hymn-writer Timothy Dudley-Smith makes a rich contribution. Best known of all, perhaps, is his remarkable paraphrasing of the Magnificat in “Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord,” sung to Walter Greatorex’s admirable tune, Woodlands. His “O Christ the same through all our story’s pages,” sung to the Londonderry Air, is very powerful. Abbot’s Leigh by Cyril Taylor is now firmly coupled with “Glorious things of thee are spoken.”
Michael Saward’s “Christ triumphant, ever reigning” has become a firm favorite sung to John Barnard’s strong melody Guiting Power. Other new and welcome appearances are Roman Catholic writer Patrick Brennan’s hymn for Christ the King, “Hail Redeemer, King divine,” sung to Charles Rigby’s King Divine, and H.R. Bramley’s Christmas hymn, “The great God of heaven has come down to earth,” sung to the traditional English carol tune A virgin unspotted, harmonized by Martin Shaw.
There are some surprising omissions. For example, Daniel Schutte’s “I the Lord of sea and sky,” now very widely sung, and with good lyrics and tune, is not here. Not one of Graham Kendrick’s many compositions is included. Although Kendrick will not be everyone’s choice, he has written some attractive hymns. Perhaps “The Servant King” is his best, but “Shine, Jesus, shine” is now very popular among the young. The absence of anything by Kendrick’s collaborator, Stuart Townend, also is odd. Despite the controversy over the substitutionary atonement language in one verse of “In Christ alone,” others of his hymns include good lyrics and interesting tunes.
This collection aims to stand firmly in the tradition described in the preface to the original English Hymnal as “a collection of the best hymns in the English language.” Someone has to decide what this might mean, and overall, the editors have succeeded. Toward the end of his introduction, Rowan Williams writes: “What it seeks to do is to offer a resource for the service of God that is grounded in the ideal of nourishing a ‘sensing’ or ‘feeling with the Church’ — using our words and music as a means of allowing the patterns and rhythms of God’s own action to shape our lives.” The Revised English Hymnal is an outstanding contribution to Anglican liturgy, music, and literature.
