Favourite hymns: best suited words and tune

[Padraig]

The Revised English Hymnal states the second line of ‘There is a green hill’ should be ‘outside the city wall’ making more sense than the usual ‘without a city wall’, which as a youngster I thought - why mention there was no wall. :erm:

There was a wall, and still is today - better known as the Derry Walls. Mrs Alexander was the Bishop's wife and lived in the Residence in Bishop Street. The Residence was situated inside the Walls and was approached through Bishops Gate. Outside that Gate the street was also Bishop Street, but not so grand.
Whatever the Hymnal states, the City Corporation named Bishop Street as Bishop Street Within and Bishop Street Without respectively. I have seen the street signs myself, though not recently, and they are no longer a topic of conversation nor a source of amusement at the quaint language

Derry Walls bishops gate - Google Search

You are standing in Bishop Street Without, looking towards the city centre. Through the Gate, and almost immediately left, is the Bishop's Residence, from which Mrs Alexander had a view of scenes far away.

[PeterboroughDiapason]

Shocking REH got it wrong. What would RVW have said? The book also has three hymns from Stainer’s Crucifixion, and what RVW would have said about that could certainly not be repeated!!

Of course, an RVW born 80 years later might have had very different views!

I find the REH very exclusive. None of the following hymns/songs which are pretty common now are in it - I'm not saying they're my favourites:
As the deer pants for the water, Beauty for brokenness, Brother, sister, let me serve you, From heaven you came, helpless babe, Give me joy in my heart, I, the Lord of sea and sky, Make me a channel of your peace, Meekness and majesty, O Lord my God (How great thou art), Seek ye first the kingdom of God, Shine Jesus shine, When I needed a neighbour.

Nor "In Christ alone" or "See, what a morning".

[vinteuil]

.
... 'without' is not particularly rare.

I grew up here : nice piccie of my primary school and the church where I was christened and where my parents are buried -

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melksham_Without

.

[CallMePaul]

With Passiontide imminent, may I suggest my favourite hymn of that season - My Song is Love Unknown - John Ireland's tune (Love Unknown) makes this a winner for me as much as the words.

I am also surprised that no-one has mentioned the Scottish Psalter version of Psalm 23 to the tune Crimond. I cannot remember the name of the Aberdeen minister's daughter who is believed to have composed the tune.

[vinteuil]

I am also surprised that no-one has mentioned the Scottish Psalter version of Psalm 23 to the tune Crimond. I cannot remember the name of the Aberdeen minister's daughter who is believed to have composed the tune.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessie_Seymour_Irvine

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[Vox Humana]

I think sometimes words were changed to make the hymn more 'ecumenical', i.e. acceptable to the beliefs of differrent churches

Returning to Brdges and Howells, I don't know which hymn book it was, but I have seen a version of "All my hope" relentlessly modernised to exclude all instances of 'doth' and words ending in '-eth'. The result could hardly be descibed as poetic and I venture to suggest that Bridges would be ashamed to be associated with such a travesty.

[Petrushka]

With Passiontide imminent, may I suggest my favourite hymn of that season - My Song is Love Unknown - John Ireland's tune (Love Unknown) makes this a winner for me as much as the words.

Oh yes! That's a splendid hymn and definitely one of my favourites too. Such a wonderful tune.

[Petrushka]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessie_Seymour_Irvine

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Re Crimond, I had no idea about the supposed composer of this lovely tune. I think that the sheet music we used to sing it from merely said Scottish Psalter.

This is probably the only hymn there is that is requested for both weddings and funerals in equal measure. I, as a chorister, and my father as an undertaker, must have sung this between us hundreds, maybe even thousands of times.

[WolfPaul]

I am a bit of a sucker for old chorales, so would probably go for "Now thank we all our God" with Nun danket. Although I have a dim memory of singing it in primary school to a 1960s tune which I think is in a book called "30 20th Century hymn tunes", or similar.

I also confess to a secret liking for some of the romantic stuff which I recall my first choir master hated when I was a boy, such as "Lead kindly light", with Dykes' Lux Benigna. The day thou gavest with St Clement is hard to beat too.

[mopsus]

Re Crimond, I had no idea about the supposed composer of this lovely tune. I think that the sheet music we used to sing it from merely said Scottish Psalter.

This is probably the only hymn there is that is requested for both weddings and funerals in equal measure. I, as a chorister, and my father as an undertaker, must have sung this between us hundreds, maybe even thousands of times.

The English Praise supplement to the English Hymnal even classified it under 'Weddings'! I think of it as the favourite hymn of people who don't go to church, because in my experience it isn't sung at ordinary regular congregational services. (I'm speaking south of the border here). I believe its popularity in England dates from when it was sung at the late Queen's wedding. Actually brides and grooms tend now to choose whatever was sung at their assemblies at primary school, at least it sounds that way.

[jonfan]

Returning to Brdges and Howells, I don't know which hymn book it was, but I have seen a version of "All my hope" relentlessly modernised to exclude all instances of 'doth' and words ending in '-eth'. The result could hardly be descibed as poetic and I venture to suggest that Bridges would be ashamed to be associated with such a travesty.

I think the book you have in mind is ‘Hymns for Today’s Church’, which went berserk over changing all eths and ists until it became a comic book instead of a hymn book!
It is right to print verse as poets intended but when used in modern worship masculine specific language doesn’t lie well. ‘All my hope’ has ‘Pride of man’, some books changing the line to ‘human pride’ without affecting Bridge’s meaning. The hymn ‘Good Christian men’ to ‘Christians all’ ok with me. Many modern bible translations of Paul’s letters add ‘sisters’ when he talks only about ‘brothers’, always adding a footnote that it’s a change from the original.
Amazingly St John’s Cambridge College Prayer, in daily use, still only has ‘love of the brethren’. Strange that students haven’t risen in revolt before now.

[W.Kearns]

Returning to the original post's request, I nominate (1) 'The Lord my pasture shall prepare....' (Joseph Addison's paraphrase of Psalm 23) to Henry Carey's tune 'Surrey') and (2) 'O thou who camest from above...' to the tune 'Hereford.' It is a family affair; Charles Wesley wrote the words and his grandson Samuel Sebastian Wesley the music.

[Bella Kemp]

I suspect I am not the only one who gets a shiver of delight when a favourite hymn comes up on Sunday morning, and a corresponding lowering of spirits when one of the more dreary ones appears. I do love All Creatures That on Earth do Dwell - but, gosh, it does need a large congregation.

[Petrushka]

I suspect I am not the only one who gets a shiver of delight when a favourite hymn comes up on Sunday morning, and a corresponding lowering of spirits when one of the more dreary ones appears. I do love All Creatures That on Earth do Dwell - but, gosh, it does need a large congregation.

Presumably, All People... unless someone has destroyed that one as well.

And, yes, especially in the splendid Vaughan Williams arrangement made for the 1953 Coronation.

[smittims]

And fo course Paul Hindemith knew the tune to different words, when he adapted it into his Trauermusik of 1936.