Songs of Praise (hymnal)
Encyclopedia
Songs of Praise is a 1925 hymnal
compiled by Percy Dearmer
, Martin Shaw
and Ralph Vaughan Williams
. The popular English Hymnal
of 1906 was considered too 'High church' by many people, and a new book, on broader lines was indicated. It was initially to be called 'Songs of the Spirit' but in the end the title was changed to Songs of Praise from the hymn by J. Montgomery, 'Songs of Praise the angels sang'. Musically, it deliberately omitted several Victorian
hymn tune
s and substituted "modal" tunes by Shaw and Gustav Holst
and descant
s by Vaughan Williams and by Martin Shaw's brother Geoffrey Shaw.
It was hoped by the editors that the book would be found suitable for children and this proved to be the case. Many educational authorities used the book, and the national character of Songs of Praise was established and the book was adopted by a number of churches. Education Authorities and others began to press for the inclusion of extra hymns. By 1929 the question of enlargement had become urgent, and a special committee was formed to do the work. As well as the three editors it included Canon Briggs, Mr Noel Burghes, Canon Dwelly, Dr R.C. Gillie, Mrs Maxtone Graham,(Jan Struther) and Mr. W. Charter Piggott. Mrs Martin Shaw acted as secretary. In 1931 this second, enlarged edition was published, which included for the first time the hymn Morning Has Broken
.
In 1933 Songs of Praise Discussed by Percy Dearmer was published by Oxford University Press. This is an invaluable commentary on the literature of hymns and provides some entertaining reading. Notes on the music were provided by Archibald Jacob.
During the twentieth century it was widely used in schools in the UK.
Hymnal
Hymnal or hymnary or hymnbook is a collection of hymns, i.e. religious songs, usually in the form of a book. The earliest hand-written hymnals are known since Middle Ages in the context of European Christianity...
compiled by Percy Dearmer
Percy Dearmer
Percy Dearmer, was an English priest and liturgist best known as the author of The Parson's Handbook, a liturgical manual for Anglican clergy. A lifelong socialist, he was an early advocate of the public ministry of women and concerned with social justice...
, Martin Shaw
Martin Shaw (composer)
Martin Edward Fallas Shaw OBE, FRCM, DMus was an English composer, conductor and theatre producer...
and Ralph Vaughan Williams
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Ralph Vaughan Williams OM was an English composer of symphonies, chamber music, opera, choral music, and film scores. He was also a collector of English folk music and song: this activity both influenced his editorial approach to the English Hymnal, beginning in 1904, in which he included many...
. The popular English Hymnal
English Hymnal
The English Hymnal was published in 1906 for the Church of England under the editorship of Percy Dearmer and Ralph Vaughan Williams. The preface to the hymnal began with the statement, "A collection of the best hymns in the English language." Much of the contents was used for the first time at St...
of 1906 was considered too 'High church' by many people, and a new book, on broader lines was indicated. It was initially to be called 'Songs of the Spirit' but in the end the title was changed to Songs of Praise from the hymn by J. Montgomery, 'Songs of Praise the angels sang'. Musically, it deliberately omitted several Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
hymn tune
Hymn tune
A hymn tune is the melody of a musical composition to which a hymn text is sung. Musically speaking, a hymn is generally understood to have four-part harmony, a fast harmonic rhythm , and no refrain or chorus....
s and substituted "modal" tunes by Shaw and Gustav Holst
Gustav Holst
Gustav Theodore Holst was an English composer. He is most famous for his orchestral suite The Planets....
and descant
Descant
Descant or discant can refer to several different things in music, depending on the period in question; etymologically, the word means a voice above or removed from others....
s by Vaughan Williams and by Martin Shaw's brother Geoffrey Shaw.
It was hoped by the editors that the book would be found suitable for children and this proved to be the case. Many educational authorities used the book, and the national character of Songs of Praise was established and the book was adopted by a number of churches. Education Authorities and others began to press for the inclusion of extra hymns. By 1929 the question of enlargement had become urgent, and a special committee was formed to do the work. As well as the three editors it included Canon Briggs, Mr Noel Burghes, Canon Dwelly, Dr R.C. Gillie, Mrs Maxtone Graham,(Jan Struther) and Mr. W. Charter Piggott. Mrs Martin Shaw acted as secretary. In 1931 this second, enlarged edition was published, which included for the first time the hymn Morning Has Broken
Morning Has Broken
"Morning Has Broken" is a popular and well-known Christian hymn first published in 1931. It has words by English author Eleanor Farjeon and is set to a traditional Gaelic tune known as "Bunessan" . It is often sung in children's services...
.
In 1933 Songs of Praise Discussed by Percy Dearmer was published by Oxford University Press. This is an invaluable commentary on the literature of hymns and provides some entertaining reading. Notes on the music were provided by Archibald Jacob.
During the twentieth century it was widely used in schools in the UK.