Fred Pratt Green
Encyclopedia
The Reverend Fred Pratt Green (2 September 1903 – 22 October 2000) CBE
was a British
Methodist minister and hymnwriter.
Born in Roby, Lancashire, England
, he began his ministry in the Filey
circuit. He was ordained as a Methodist minister in 1928 and served circuits in the north and south of England until 1969. During his career as a minister he wrote numerous plays and hymns. It was not until he retired, however, that he began writing prolifically.
His hymns reflect his rejection of fundamentalism
and show his concern with social issues. They include many that were written to supply obvious liturgical needs of the modern church, speaking to topics or appropriate for events for which there were few traditional hymns available.
His hymns appear in hymn books of various denominations, but most notably in Hymns and Psalms
, the hymn book of the Methodist Church of Great Britain
, and the United Methodist Hymnal
used in the United States.
Hymnal indexes vary in alphabetizing him under 'G' or 'P'.
As well as writing his own hymns, Green produced translations, notably translating one of Dietrich Bonhoeffer
's late poems as the hymn, "By gracious powers so wonderfully sheltered".
Green also wrote poetry and his poem The Old Couple was included by Philip Larkin
in 'The Oxford Book of Twentieth-Century English Verse' (1973).
The Pratt Green trust was set up from the royalties from his hymns. His scrapbooks and hymnbook collections are now held in the Pratt Green Collection at Durham University
.
The collection of related materials at the Pitts Theology Library consists of 51 scrapbooks maintained by Fred Pratt Green from approximately 1971 until he ceased writing hymns in 1988. Green compiled an index to his scrapbooks that includes an index to the first line of each hymn, references to pieces in Hymns and Ballads by Fred Pratt Green, color-coded references to published works and translations, and information on how a hymn was used. The scrapbooks contain drafts of hymns, photographs, correspondence, bulletins and programs from services that used his hymns, announcements, newspaper and journal clippings, and handwritten notations by Green describing when a hymn was written and reprinted and why and for whom the piece was written.
CBE
CBE and C.B.E. are abbreviations for "Commander of the Order of the British Empire", a grade in the Order of the British Empire.Other uses include:* Chemical and Biochemical Engineering...
was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Methodist minister and hymnwriter.
Born in Roby, Lancashire, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, he began his ministry in the Filey
Filey
Filey is a small town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. It forms part of the borough of Scarborough and is located between Scarborough and Bridlington on the North Sea coast. Although it started out as a fishing village, it has a large beach and is a popular tourist resort...
circuit. He was ordained as a Methodist minister in 1928 and served circuits in the north and south of England until 1969. During his career as a minister he wrote numerous plays and hymns. It was not until he retired, however, that he began writing prolifically.
His hymns reflect his rejection of fundamentalism
Fundamentalism
Fundamentalism is strict adherence to specific theological doctrines usually understood as a reaction against Modernist theology. The term "fundamentalism" was originally coined by its supporters to describe a specific package of theological beliefs that developed into a movement within the...
and show his concern with social issues. They include many that were written to supply obvious liturgical needs of the modern church, speaking to topics or appropriate for events for which there were few traditional hymns available.
His hymns appear in hymn books of various denominations, but most notably in Hymns and Psalms
Hymns and Psalms
Hymns and Psalms is the hymn book of the Methodist Church in the UK. The hymnbook was first published in 1983, to replace 'The Methodist Hymnbook', which was published soon after the unification of the Methodist Church in 1933....
, the hymn book of the Methodist Church of Great Britain
Methodist Church of Great Britain
The Methodist Church of Great Britain is the largest Wesleyan Methodist body in the United Kingdom, with congregations across Great Britain . It is the United Kingdom's fourth largest Christian denomination, with around 300,000 members and 6,000 churches...
, and the United Methodist Hymnal
United Methodist Hymnal
The United Methodist Hymnal is the hymnal used by The United Methodist Church. It was first published in 1989 as the first hymnal for The United Methodist Church after the 1968 merger of The Methodist Church with The Evangelical United Brethren Church...
used in the United States.
Hymnal indexes vary in alphabetizing him under 'G' or 'P'.
As well as writing his own hymns, Green produced translations, notably translating one of Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German Lutheran pastor, theologian and martyr. He was a participant in the German resistance movement against Nazism and a founding member of the Confessing Church. He was involved in plans by members of the Abwehr to assassinate Adolf Hitler...
's late poems as the hymn, "By gracious powers so wonderfully sheltered".
Green also wrote poetry and his poem The Old Couple was included by Philip Larkin
Philip Larkin
Philip Arthur Larkin, CH, CBE, FRSL is widely regarded as one of the great English poets of the latter half of the twentieth century...
in 'The Oxford Book of Twentieth-Century English Verse' (1973).
The Pratt Green trust was set up from the royalties from his hymns. His scrapbooks and hymnbook collections are now held in the Pratt Green Collection at Durham University
Durham University
The University of Durham, commonly known as Durham University, is a university in Durham, England. It was founded by Act of Parliament in 1832 and granted a Royal Charter in 1837...
.
The collection of related materials at the Pitts Theology Library consists of 51 scrapbooks maintained by Fred Pratt Green from approximately 1971 until he ceased writing hymns in 1988. Green compiled an index to his scrapbooks that includes an index to the first line of each hymn, references to pieces in Hymns and Ballads by Fred Pratt Green, color-coded references to published works and translations, and information on how a hymn was used. The scrapbooks contain drafts of hymns, photographs, correspondence, bulletins and programs from services that used his hymns, announcements, newspaper and journal clippings, and handwritten notations by Green describing when a hymn was written and reprinted and why and for whom the piece was written.
List of hymns (partial)
- A Carol for Easter Eve
- A Carol for Mothering Sunday
- An upper room did our Lord prepare
- Christ is the world's light
- For the Fruits of This Creation
- God in his love for us lent us this planet
- God is here! As we his people meet to offer praise and prayer
- How Blest Are They Who Trust in Christ
- It is God who holds the nations in the hollow of his hand
- Let Us Praise Creation's Lord
- Long ago prophets knew Christ would come, born a Jew
- Lord Let Us Listen When You Speak
- Lord we have come at your own invitation
- Now Praise the Hidden Love of God
- O Christ, the Healer
- Of All the Spirit's Gifts to Me
- Rejoice in God's Saints
- Seek the Lord
- The church of Christ, in every age
- There is a Love
- This joyful Eastertide
- To Mock Your Reign, O Dearest Lord
- When in Our Music God Is Glorified
- When Jesus Came to Jordan
- When Our Confidence Is Shaken
- When the Church of Jesus
- Whom Shall I Send?
- You Dear Lord Resplendent Within Our Darkness
- Yours Be the Glory
Publications
- The Hymns of Fred Pratt Green, Braley The Expository Times.2003; 114: 409-412 http://ext.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/114/12/409
- The Old Couple. Poems. Stockport, Peterloo Poets, 1976
- The Last Lap. A Sequence of Verse on the Theme of Old Age. London, Stainer & Bell Ltd and Carol Stream, Hope Publishing Company, 1991.