[New Hymns Ancient & Modern]

My church is considering changing from the hymn book we don't mention to this A & M. I wondered if anyone who uses it has any comments to make, in the light of experience. Anything you particularly like or don't like?

 

Is the music hard to read (the print seems quite small)? Do you need to buy the organ edition - £120!

 

My church doesn't use it so I have only a passing knowledge of the book, and others who use it week in week out will have more to add. As you say, anything would be better than the unmentionable, and you won't go far wrong with A&M. That being said, I think Common Praise is better, unless you absolutely must have the newer items in A&M. It is also smaller, and therefore has the advantage of being easier to manage. I picked up a copy of the organ edition at a discount, and it is now my go-to whenever I play a tune from the Ancient and Modern stable (I sometimes prefer them to those in the Church of Scotland's Church Hymnary). It will certainly make your life easier, but is probably not essential if money is tight

 

The print is small and the paper is very thin. It's my age, I know, but I find the new A&M exhausting - it's hard to imagine more than 5% of the new items catching on, to be frank. You turn page after page and recognise nothing so it's great if you're looking for hundreds of new ideas, but I suspect they'll only get sung once.

 

Really, how many 'new hymns' (or new tunes) have become part of our nation's hymnody over the last 50 years. Are we counting on one hand? If I was starting a list...

 

All my hope on God is founded

Lord of the Dance

How shall I sing that majesty

There is a redeemer - ?

Shine, Jesus, Shine

I, the Lord of Sea and Sky

Tell out my soul

... and a few notable others by Bishop Timothy Dudley-Smith including Lord, for the years

Christ triumphant (Guiting Power only - not the Youth Praise tune)

There's a wideness - Corvedale

East Acklam - has it caught on?

Abbot's Leigh

 

Struggling now without looking things up - I realise that I have forgotten some excellent other examples, but could we make it to 20, I wonder... ok... 30... 50??

 

The Church of Scotland is different, but I think most of these have come across as well.

 

All my hope: Most CoS churches seem to use Groeswen, though I play the original Meine Hoffnung. I would play Michael if I thought I could get away with it (and it is in the both the 3rd and the current 4th editions of the Church Hymnary, so some parishes must sing it)

 

Church Triumphant: I play the Youth Praise tune, which I quite like, and it seems to go down well with my congregation. CH4 only has Guiting Power, however

 

East Acklam - has it caught on? Not in Scotland in my experience. I introduced it to my church for last year's harvest but don't think it was known.

 

I'm a bit out of it on this side of the pond because different items have risen to (or fallen from) popularity. The theological students at Queen's College here in St. John's laughed out loud when I demonstrated "Camberwell" and had difficulty believing that it, rather than "King's Weston", was popularly sung to "At the Name of Jesus".

 

Do people still sing "Lord of the Dance"? I haven't played it for years, and never over here.

 

How about Patrick Appleford's "Living Lord" or some of the John Bell/Iona hymns, such as "Will you come and follow me if I but call your name?" (to the tune "Kelvingrove").

 

There are a couple of RC ditties which are leeching into Anglican worship here, particularly at funerals where the congregation is largely not made up of regular church-goers - "Be not afraid" and "Eagle's Wings".

 

"How great thou art" and "Amazing Grace" have similarly filtered in as funeral staples - not new, of course, but new to Anglicanism.

 

 

I'm still puzzled about Camberwell even though I grew up singing it. It is the only tune from Thirty 20th Century Hymn Tunes that has really caught on, and not necessarily the best of that collection either.

 

I have had Lord of the Dance at a wedding once, but never heard it anywhere else.

 

John Bell, of course, is very popular in the Church of Scotland. I don't know how well the Iona hymns are known in Anglican circles but a few seem to have caught on.

[Nicolas Séjean Noels]

Hi Nick,

As far as I know, Chanvrelin are still in business, but like many French publishers are not particularly easy to get in contact with. The edition you were looking for is available from La Flûte de Pan in Paris: http://www.laflutedepan.com/partition/2198320/nicolas-sejan-pieces-d'orgue-partition-orgue.html

 

I've never had cause to order from their website, but whenever I'm in Paris (not very frequently, alas), I usually pay a visit. They have three stores jam-packed full of music - and an incredible range of composers and publishers represented.