Christ is the King! O friends rejoice

Christ is the King! O friends rejoice. George Kennedy Allen Bell* (1883-1958). This hymn was written for SofPE (1931) to fit the Welsh tune LLANGOEDMOR, a tune that had appeared in RCH (1927). This is a 6-line tune, and Bell’s hymn was originally written as four 6-line stanzas. The first was as follows: Christ is the King! O friends rejoice; Brothers and sisters, with one voice Make all men know he is your choice. Ring out ye bells, give tongue, give tongue! Let your most merry peal be rung, While our exultant song is sung. The imagery of bell-ringing may have been suggested by the tune, which Archibald Jacob described as ‘campanological’ (Songs of Praise Discussed, 1933, p. 144). The hymn...