Hymns for Church and School, 1964: Title page, Foreword by the Archbishop of York, and Editorial Preface; transcribed from a copy in possession.
[Title page]
THE PUBLIC SCHOOL HYMN BOOK
Edited by a Committee
appointed by
The Headmasters' Conference
Printed and Published for the Proprietors by
NOVELLO AND COMPANY LIMITED
160 WARDOUR STREET, LONDON, W.1
_._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._
[Archbishop of York's Foreword]
The Headmasters' Conference is to be congratulated on its wisdom in appointing in 1960 a committee of four to prepare the Fourth Edition of The Public School Hymn Book under the new name of HYMNS FOR CHURCH AND SCHOOL. May it receive a warm welcome and a wide circulation.
Too many congregations are content with a lamentably small selection of hymns which they use almost ad nauseam. This is to live in poverty when in fact we are surrounded by wealth. It is much to be hoped that if, to begin with, this book is still used mainly in schools, those who there learn the delight of good new hymns will pass on their discoveries to their home churches. It is likely that in time this book will come to be used increasingly outside as well as inside the schools. I hope it will.
I forsee HYMNS FOR CHURCH AND SCHOOL as being an instrument in the forwarding of union among the churches. There are, thank God, many areas of life and work in which we co-operate. Apart from the intercourse of theological debate, we share one another's books. When I take up a book by C.H.Dodd or Niebuhr, or Tillich or Temple, I do not ask whether he is an Anglican or a Baptist or a Methodist. Scholarship transcends denomination- alism. So in the realms of social and ethical endeavour - there is a problem to be faced and we work at it together. It is so, also, in the matter of hymnody. Newman jostles Wesley; Gellert keeps company with Addison - and it is well that they should.
There is much to commend this book. Not least among the features of this radical revision of an already valuable work are the following:
The omission of silly sentiment and feble theology. To hear a crowd of lusty confirmation candidates singing about themselves as `frail and trembling sheep' is hardly to be impressed with reality in religion! It is a pity that some good hymns are spoilt by one or two bad lines. I note for example that `Art thou weary? Art thou languid?' is omitted in this book, presumably because the questions invite, at least from the young, the reply `Not at all, thank you'. It would not be difficult to cite hymns whose theology is as ragged and tattered as the covers of the books which sometimes disgrace our churches. Such hymns are notably absent from this book.
Its editorial notes, as unobtrusive as they are enlightening. These, we may be sure, will lead not only to an intelligent use of the book, but to the stimulation of interest in hymnology on the part of many who use it. `I will sing with the understanding also' - St Paul's ideal will be considerably furthered when in public worship such a book as this is used in company with the Revised Psalter (approved by the Convocations of Canterbury and York in 1963 with a view to legislation for its permissive use).
The admixture of hymns of all periods of history. Dr Erik Routley in his admirable historical survey illustrates this profusely, and at the same time draws attention to the exceptionally high proportion of twentieth- century tunes that the book contains.
The lowering of the key in which many of the tunes are given. This will make for congregational singing and is greatly to be welcomed.
Let me add one other word, more by way of an expression of hope than of complaint. It is significant that even in this book the section of hymns on the Holy Spirit is so slender. But was there ever an age in which we needed Him more? Without His breath of life, all our efforts, our conferences, our schemes of union will be of no avail. There is need for co-operative effort and thinking on the part of theologians and poets with a view to the production of some strong hymns on this highly important part of Christian theology.
DONALD EBOR*
THE PUBLIC SCHOOL HYMN BOOK made its first appearance in 1903. It was the work of an anonymous Committee appointed by The Headmasters' Conference, with a view to providing a hymn book for the special use of those schools - mainly boarding schools and all of them for boys and independent of the state system - which the Conference then represented. The selection of some 350 hymns and their tunes included a number written by schoolmasters. In 1904 there followed A Companion to the Public School Hymn Book, the work of Dr W.M.Furneaux, Dean of Winchester and Formerly Headmaster of Repton School, which gave useful information about the authors and sources of the hymns.
In 1919 a Second Edition of the Hymn Book was published, though not now with a Companion. The clear aim of this edition, increased to well over 400 hymns, was to strengthen the character of the book for its purpose in the school chapel; and to this end the revisers removed anything which they felt showed weakness or false sentiment, and introduced a number of hymns and tunes which had gained currency since 1903, notably through the success of The English Hymnal (first published in 1906).
In 1937 work began on a Third Edition, though owing to the War publication was not possible until 1949. Once again revision was in the hands of a small Committee, this time under Mr H.L.O.Flecker, Headmaster of Christ's Hospital, the task of editing the music being undertaken by Dr C.S.Lang. The work received formal support and a number of helpful suggestions from Dr Vaughan Williams, though he had not been involved in the actual task of revision. Some 100 hymns from the Second Edition were dropped and about 230 added, making a total of over 550 hymns (with rather less than 500 tunes). The additions included much that was valuable, and the book has proved popular not only in Public Schools but also increasingly in Maintained Schools - a development of considerable interest.
In the inevitable delay in the production of the Third Edition a number of minor errors and inconsistencies had been overlooked, and in 1959 the same edition was re-issued in a version carefully corrected by Mr L.J. Blake, Director of Music at Malvern College. Reconsideration of the contents, however, had only served to strengthen an opinion voiced by some of the book's reviewers and users, that the time had now come to undertake a much more radical revision. Accordingly, in 1960, the Headmasters' Conference appointed a new Committee to prepare the present Fourth Edition. The members of this Committee were:
D.R.WIGRAM, Headmaster of Monkton Combe School and (from 1963) Chairman of the Headmasters' Conference (Chairman).J.W.WILSON, Director of Music at Charterhouse (Secretary).
L.J.BLAKE, Director of Music at Malvern College.
The Right Revd G.D'O.SNOW, Headmaster of Ardingly College and (from 1961) Bishop of Whitby.
This Committee was given the opportunity to re-think and re-plan the book as a whole. High standards were set in deciding what hymns to retain from the previous edition, the aim being to eliminate whatever seemed less than Christian, and to preserve only hymns and tunes of proved excellence. New material, both in words and music, has been drawn from many sources with the same standard in mind. The schools were invited to make suggestions, and several distinguished composers have accepted invitations to provide new tunes. The Committee had no preconceived size of the book in mind; the smaller number of hymns in the present edition reflects the policy of critical selection.
The Committee has sought to remember not only the needs of schools, but also the importance of bridging the gap between school and church. Anything that tends to encourage a separate `school religion' is now rightly under suspicion, and the integration of school worship with the life of the wider church is being fostered in a variety of ways. It may well be that the schools have a special contribution to make in this process, with their opportunities for introducing new hymns and encouraging good singing both in chior and congregation. It is with such objects in mind that the Headmasters' Conference has decided to give this Fourth Edition the new title of HYMNS FOR CHURCH AND SCHOOL.
A number of more detailed matters deserve mention. The Committee's very radical revision has included a careful inspection of the earliest available sources, both of hymns and of tunes. This does not mean that the sources have always been strictly followed; but it does mean that editorial deviations from them have been critically reconsidered. Editors have often helped to make a hymn or tune more acceptable in worship; but the editorial changes of one generation may not be necessary or even desirable for another. This has been the case in a number of hymns; and it is nowhere more evident than in the presentation of the older tunes. The mid-19th- century editor (to whom we still owe so much) believed that a tune by Gibbons or Handel must be made to wear mid-19th-century dress. Today, in a more historically-minded musical culture, the differing styles of the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries are acceptable and valid in themselves, and the musical editor need not hesitate to reveal them. Much has already been achieved in this direction; but it was thought desirable, for the present book, to review the harmonizations of all the older melodies, and in many cases to rework them.
Alternative tunes (and sometimes alternative versions of the same tune) have been freely provided, together with descants and special harmonizations where appropriate. The pitch of each tune has been chosen first and foremost for congregational singing, and in a few cases the indication `Unison' appears on a tune that has customarily been sung in harmony in a higher key.
The hymns are grouped under general headings of the kind made familiar in some of the best recent hymnals, and the sequence is not tied to the Church calendar. The detailed Subject Index should make possible the quick and intelligent selection of hymns for special occasions or particular themes. For the convenience of schools that do not require a complete Psalter, a short selection of Canticles and Psalms is included, pointed in a straightforward way according to `speech-rhythm' principles.
The Committee - remembering the friendly Companion to the 1903 book - has wished from the beginning to encourage the singing of praises `with understanding'. After considering various alternatives, it decided to include a substantial historical survey of `Hymns and their Tunes', linked to the main body of the book by many cross-references, and it wishes to express its deep gratitude to the Revd Dr Erik Routley for his most distinguished work. In addition, footnotes have been added to particular hymns where they seemed likely to be helpful; and in suitable cases an author's own heading to a hymn has been included.
Finally, the Committee has tried to present the new book in a form that is both contemporary and pleasing, and would wish to pay tribute to the Publishers for their ready advice and co-operation at all stages of its production.
April, 1964
[unsigned]
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