The Secretary’s Newsletter

No.100: Spring 2024
From the Interim Secretary:
Revd Robert A. Canham
Windrush
Braithwaite
KESWICK
CA12 5SZ
Phone: 017687 78054

Email: Please see our Contact page

The Hymn Society Website: www.hymnsocietygbi.org.uk

The Secretary’s Newsletter – the Centenary Edition This is the One Hundredth issue of the Secretary’s Newsletter. It first began as a two-sided A5 sheet in the Autumn of 1999, the initiative of the then Secretary, Revd Geoffrey Wrayford. By No 3 (April 2000) it stretched to three sides, thus, in embryo, becoming its A4 folded into A5 format. However, issues Nos 4-9 reverted to a two-sided A5 sheet. Issue No 10 became the first full 4-sided A5 format, but then, Issue No 11 (January 2002) once again reverted to a two-sided single A5 sheet. It was, interestingly, (for me at least – if for nobody else!), that it was in this issue that my name appeared for the first time as having ‘recently moved to be the minister of Trinity United Reformed Church, Lancaster, following a life, and ministerial responsibilities, entirely lived in the South-East… Robert will be Chaplain at this year’s Conference.’ Issues Nos 12-16 once again became full 4-sided A5 format and they have remained so ever since. Following my becoming Secretary at the 2003 Canterbury AGM, my first Secretary’s Newsletter was No 18: October 2003. At the time I had no idea that, some twenty years later and having penned eighty-two Newsletters, I would now be writing No
100!

Subscription Renewals 2024

Many subscriptions, though not all, were renewable in January. Many now pay by Banker’s Order for which we are grateful. The UK rate for Individual Members remains £25.00 for 2024 with varying rates for
Couples, Europe, and elsewhere in the World. Additional supplements can include IAH, HSUSC, or both. If your 2023 subscription remains outstanding, we would be most grateful to receive it. If you are uncertain of what you owe, please get in touch with our Treasurer:
Revd Canon Michael Garland
6 Whimbrel Road,
Quedgeley,
GLOUCESTER GL2 4U
Or by using the form on our Contact page.

Congratulations!

To our Honorary Vice President, Professor J.R. (Dick) Watson, who has recently celebrated his 90th Birthday.

Further congratulations…
to our member Ian McLarty, Scottish conductor and church musician with extensive experience working with the Church of Scotland and World Council of Churches who, with Jane Bentley, a specialist in music participation, has been appointed to the Wild Goose Resource Group with whom they have been associated for many years. They will lead workshops, produce new publications and recordings and continue to grow the Community’s work in the area of global song.

We welcome new members who recently joined the Society:
Professor Yu-Ring Chiang (Taipei, TAIWAN)
Mr David Davis (Alabama, USA)
Mr Hayden Kwong (Bristol)
Dr R. Allen Lott (Texas, USA)
Mr David Oneill (Kingston, Tasmania, AUSTRALIA)
Miss Rhiannon Rees (Barnsley, South Yorkshire)
Mr David Tidy (Edgmond, Newport, Wales)

We regret having to report the deaths of members:
Mr John A. Bell (Churchdown, Gloucestershire)
Mr Colin D. Ferguson (Caversham, Reading)

John A. Bell, a member of the Society for over twenty years, died aged 97 on 3rd May. An ardent member of the Society, he attended many Conferences whilst able to do so. Both passionate about hymns and a lay preacher for over 70 years, he would frequently regale his congregations with information about the hymns and tunes they were singing, and the hymnwriters and composers who had written them. In 2021 we reported that John was one of 95 men and women who had been recipients of her late Majesty the Queen’s Maundy Money.

Colin Ferguson was another long-standing and committed member of the Society who was a frequent attender at Conferences and contributor to Short Metre. Colin was a hymn writer of some consequence, authoring more than 150 hymns. He was a strong supporter of Worship Live and was an ardent, and instrumental, member of hymn writing workshops. URC by tradition, he remained a life-long lay preacher.

Conference, Executive Committee Nominations and the AGM

We have a more-or-less full complement for Conference (23-26 July 2024) at High Leigh, Hoddesdon but could squeeze a few more in if applications are made swiftly! I could also fit in a couple more Short Metre contributions from any attending if you have a pressing hymn-related subject that you would like to talk about for up to 10 minutes. Please contact the Secretary if you might yet like to come or if would like to consider contributing a Short Metre.

Also included with this mailing is the Executive Committee Nomination Form and the AGM Agenda.

Pratt Green Collection of Hymn Books relocated
The hymnbooks, hymn-related books and journals belonging to the Pratt Green Collection have been relocated from Palace Green Library to Durham University Library’s larger site, the Bill Bryson Library. However, the Pratt Green Scrapbooks, manuscripts etc. remain with Special Collections in Palace Green Library.

The London Hymn Day

Our fourth London Regional Hymn Day took place on Saturday, 20th April in Union Chapel. John Webber writes: ‘Union Chapel in Islington has to be seen to be believed! It is enormous, looks wonderfully Gothic, but more important it is three minutes’ walk from Highbury and Islington Station (with many links), so was a good position for getting people along. There were three first class speakers: Revd Gemma Birt (Anglican Curate in South London) spoke to two subjects: one was the very different approaches to music in worship of the Reformers Luther, Zwingli and Calvin; the other talk was on the impact of the Covid pandemic on congregations, especially individual opinions on how people missed singing and participation in worship. Revd Ken Walker (a retired Baptist Minister) discussed hymn choices over the last fifty years in Baptist (and other) Churches, noting many hymnals and their styles. Revd James Dickinson (Hymn Society member and expert on Anglican hymnals) spoke to ‘Ancient & Modern and English Hymnal – Rivals or Partners?’ During the Day there was an Act of Worship with hymns chosen by the speakers and with great organ accompaniment from Terence Atkins. Forty-four people attended, (some having travelled considerable distances including Paris, Liverpool and Tiverton). The weather was unusually dry for this particular April, with everything falling into place beautifully. A truly memorable day. Special thanks are due to Janet Wootton and Claire Wilson for their input, as well as advice from Nicholas Markwell on the singing of the hymns.’

Two Books by members recently published

Two books by members have been published recently: Charles Villiers Stanford: Man and Musician Revised and Expanded Edition by Jeremy Dibble, one of our lecturers at last year’s Conference and Emeritus Professor of Music at Durham University where he taught for 30 years (published at £70.00), and The Unfractured Faith of Erik Routley by Nancy Graham (published at £77.00 with Kindle Edition at £35.00). Nancy spoke about her book at last year’s Conference and will, hopefully, have some copies with her available for sale at this year’s Conference.

Salisbury Singing Weekend – September 2024

Taking place at The White Hart and Sarum St Martin’s Church Salisbury from Friday 13th to Sunday 15th September, the programme will include (the aforementioned) Professor Jeremy Dibble with a musically illustrated talk on Great Victorian Hymn Writers; 4-part singing of Isaac Watts and Charles Wesley hymns; a Piano Recital of Mozart, Haydn, Bach and Scarlatti; and a rehearsal of Stanford’s Mass in C Major which will be incorporated within a Sung Eucharist on the Sunday morning. The event is being organized by Phil Price, Nicholas Markwell and John and Naomi King. For further information email: naomi4law@alanbullard

All things B&B

In a letter to The Times (30/04/2024), Lord Lisvane, Chairman of the Royal College of Organists, questioned ‘Why do we have to suffer All Things Bright and Beautiful?… chosen by about half the participants in weddings that I play for,..’ He went on to describe the ‘saccharine doggerel, combined with the jingly tune… deeply depressing.’

What was fascinating was that this sparked off a chain of daily correspondence which lasted for over a week including contributions, expressing diverse views, from our Hon. President, Baron Williams of Oystermouth, myself as Secretary, and Ian Bradley, author of the Penguin Book of Hymns, demonstrating that hymns still possess the power to stimulate in a secular press and world.

What seems irrefutable, whatever one’s view of its merits or otherwise, is that, through its inclusion in almost every 21st century denominational hymn book, widespread popularity and familiarity (if sometimes irritatingly tedious), All things B&B (along with just a small handful of Cecil Frances Alexander’s over 400 hymns and poems), has stood the test of time. One wonders which of today’s hymns will similarly retain their popularity?