Revised English Hymnal (2023)

Revised English Hymnal (2023).

The English Hymnal* tradition began in 1906 with the publication of the first green-covered hymn book. Revisions were made in the 1933 edition.  Subsequent members of the ‘English Hymnal family’ included The English Hymnal Service Book (1962), English Praise* (1977), The New English Hymnal* (1986) and New English Praise* (2006).  At each stage of the tradition the compilers have sought to reflect liturgical developments in the Church of England and to provide a resource which would enable parishes to use the very best of hymnody and other liturgical material in their worship. 

In the 21st century, the very concept of a hymn book has its challenges.  Whereas in 1986, when The New English Hymnal was published, practically every cathedral in the land purchased full sets for large congregations, now, there must hardly be a cathedral in the land that does not produce its own ‘bespoke’ weekly order of service, with liturgy and hymns in the same booklet.  In addition, many churches have now dispensed with the use of books, preferring words for worship on a screen for all to see. That said, there remains a very strong case for an authoritative collection of hymns and liturgical material which has the virtue of liturgical and theological consistency – qualities which the English Hymnal family has always sought to promote. 

Certainly, the challenges to traditional hymns in the years since the publication of The New English Hymnal have been considerable. In many churches, worship songs have entirely replaced traditional hymnody, and hymn texts are often challenged to include more inclusive language.  

The Revised English Hymnal has been ten years in preparation and the new book was published in December 2023.  The editors, six men and one woman, have a breadth of musical and theological experience and have worked tirelessly to produce the present volume.  

The tone and theological seriousness of the book is immediately apparent with the inclusion of a Foreword (pp. xviii – xx) by Rowan Williams*, Honorary President of the Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland* and former Archbishop of Canterbury.  In this he speaks of how we might interpret what Ralph Vaughan Williams* spoke of as the ‘moral’ nature of hymn singing (‘a moral rather than a musical issue’ in the Preface to EH). He expounds how vital hymns remain today for liturgical worship and for equipping worshippers for their Christian lives when they leave the church building.  Rowan Williams suggests that the purpose of a good hymn ‘is to seek to reflect the demands that the revealed trust and beauty of God place upon us, and not simply mirror what we are already comfortable with.’   A ‘good’ hymn must speak truthfully or justly about the narrative arc of salvation history, ‘the healing and transforming act of God among us’, which takes us through the journey of the Christian year.  A hymn is ‘affirmation and adoration’, the ‘offering of what is meet and right, our duty and our joy, to the threefold God, for the sake of our common welfare here and hereafter’. The new book, the editors’ preface tells us is ‘an inexhaustible treasury of prayer and devotion’ and so a particular focus, highlighted by Lord Williams, is to see this hymn book not only as a resource for public worship, but also for use in private prayer and devotion.  

Much of the structure and contents of The Revised English Hymnal remains recognisable.   The book richly reflects the liturgical year and continues to draw texts from across the world, especially North America, Continental Europe, the Middle East and Africa.  Particular mention should be made of John Bell*’s English version of a Swahili chant, ‘Mfurahini, haleluya’ (148),  While the 1906 EH was visionary in its wide use of American hymnody, REH, while continuing to use the best of such hymns, has made some surprising omissions, especially using less of the work of authors like Samuel Longfellow* and James Russell Lowell*. Contemplative and meditative chants are increasingly popular and REH incudes a small section from the distinctive worship of the international and ecumenical community at Taizé* in France (624-634).  This style of music, with its emphasis on repetition of short and memorable phrases, has become increasingly popular and creative in worship across the traditions of the Church; and the editors, by inclusion of these examples ensure its wider use.  

Other developments include several Welsh hymns in their original language as well as in English translation. Two have been specially translated for this collection (437, 115, 429,364, 596).  

Over three hundred hymns are provided for the principal holy days, festivals and seasons of the Church’s year and a further sixty for the sacraments and pastoral offices. Some sections have been greatly expanded, with the Christmas section now including delightful Cradle Songs (57-62).  The original EH made provision for plainsong office hymns but REH reflects the rediscovery of corporate daily prayer in many parishes.  Common Worship Daily Prayer (2005) has reintroduced the practice of singing a hymn and REH enriches this provision (315-332). 

REH continues to uphold the Catholic tradition of the Church of England and there is a rich and expanded liturgical section with about fifty items which provide material specifically for the rites and ceremonies of certain days, including full provision for Holy Week (645-664).  The Catholic nature of the book is especially reflected in the inclusion of an ‘Order for Eucharistic Devotions’, which widens the appeal of such a devotion to those who might be concerned with the term ‘Benediction’ (688). There is substantial provision for music in the Eucharist (680-687) with eight Mass settings – four in contemporary language and four in traditional language - settings by Ernest Warrell (1986), Gregory Murray* (1987), David Thorne (1995) and Peter Nardone (2006), as well as familiar settings by Merbecke and Martin Shaw*  with the Missa de Angelis and a simple plainsong Mass.  

Within ‘General hymns’ there is a much richer provision for contemporary concerns of church and world – the sections ‘In times of trouble’ and ‘In times of persecution’ are especially noteworthy with hymns translated from Dietrich Bonhoeffer* (608, 610), with new words by Robert Willis* (609) and with settings of the African American spiritual*s ‘Go down, Moses’*(‘When Israel was in Egypt’s land’) and ‘Steal away to Jesus’* (607, 611).  Similarly, new focus is given to the needs of our fragile planet: the section ‘Creation’ goes far beyond previous sections on Harvest to give visionary texts from Jacques Berthier* (two settings of Benedicite*, 361, 362).  

Hymns which have found favour in the church during the past thirty years, often from other hymnbooks, find their rightful place, (particularly ‘Lord, for the years your love has kept and guided’* (513) and ‘Christ triumphant, ever reigning’* (199). The hymns of the Iona Community* and other Scottish melodies appear (591, 411), and hymns which have become popular in the Roman Catholic tradition are included (389, 534).  

The editors have found new and imaginative hymn writers for inclusion, including monastic sources (Stanbrook, Whitby, Malling)  and contemporary writers – Martin Draper (90)  Mary Holtby (210), Anne Harrison (226), Gordon Giles (234, 292, 408), Alan Gaunt* (238, 610), Jonathan Goodall (240 242, 377, 584, 657), Hilary Greenwood* (164, 320, 321), John Barnard* (507) while the work of the Biblical scholar N T Wright is included (166) reflecting the editors use of new hymns based on scriptural themes.  

The compilers have been generous in their inclusion of tunes that had been removed from previous books in the English Hymnal family.  While Vaughan Williams relented in the 1933 edition by including some Victorian hymns in his so-called ‘chamber of horrors’, the editors have not been afraid to further this trend with inclusion of tunes like DAY OF REST for ‘O Jesus, I have promised’* (537), while the ‘Evangelical’ style of hymn, previously sidelined by EH, finds a place (eg. LYNGHAM, 531iii).  Tunes adapted from the work of famous composers of the past are included (eg. by Mendelssohn*, 584,  Dyson*, 376, and Elgar, 292). Music from a monastic background has a prominent place, with the work of the Panel of Monastic Musicians (see Hymns for Prayer and Praise*) included (316, 317). 

The EH interest in the folk tradition continues, with new inclusions by Vaughan Williams (318) while the work of contemporary composers finds a prominent place – Vicki Cook (441i), Jean Langlais* (476), Malcolm Archer* (411, 503ii), Noel Tredinnick (347), Christopher Campling 303, Anthony Caesar (470), and Richard Shephard*, 435, 657).  

The inclusion of plainsong melodies has always been a defining characteristic of the English Hymnal tradition and the provision for this has been enlarged in this edition.   Plainsong notation has been retained, without accompaniment as well as accompanied versions, by J.H Arnold (1933), E.T Cook (The BBC Hymn Book*) and Michael Fleming* (The New English Hymnal). The book reflects an increasing use of plainsong hymns being sung unaccompanied, and for reasons of space there is no accompaniment provided for the Sequences, Advent Antiphons and some other liturgical material, though this provision is available in The New English Hymnal and elsewhere. 

As for the music itself, the written pitch of the majority of tunes is retained at, or close to, the original.  Keys are generally maintained as they have become familiar, avoiding extremes.   Organ parts of unison tunes are given both in full and with four-part versions.  Melodies that appear more than once in the collection are often in other keys are with different harmonizations.   

To provide for those churches where soloists or choral forces may be available, some settings that have become known as small-scale anthems or songs are included, eg. Peter Hurford’s ‘Litany to the Holy Spirit’ (419i), Vaughan Williams’ ‘Come my Way’ (453), and ‘Brother James’ Air’ (574ii). 

While NEH made generous provision for Responsorial Psalms (especially those of Dom Gregory Murray), REH does not extend this provision but makes useful suggestions about antiphonal singing between a single cantor or a small group of singers and the full choir or congregation. 

The editors recognise that the choosing of hymns for worship requires particular skills and there is a very useful section concerned with planning worship, making the vital point that it is a task to be undertaken by musicians and clergy together. A great range of indexes has also been created for a volume that is not only a ‘working’ hymn book for worshippers, but also a ‘reference book’.  Indexes of first lines, tunes, metre, authors and composers appear at the end, alongside a scriptural index, a table of suggested hymns for Sundays and other holy days corresponding to eucharistic lectionaries, a table of Office Hymns, and a short guide to choosing hymns. REH will be a book to explore as well as a hymnbook to sing from in church. 

The question of whether to preserve the original language-style of a hymn has been addressed by the modification of some texts; others have been restored to the author’s original words. The question of inclusive language has neem dealt with by preserving the original words of ‘classic or well-known texts’, but for translations and recent hymns (from the past hundred years or so), small amendments have been made, with the overall intention that the hymn singer should not notice the change. 

In summary, the Church has, in The Revised English Hymnal an authoritative compendium of hymns and other liturgical material, using the best of the English Hymnal tradition, which has sustained the church for the past hundred years, yet taking account of the many exciting developments in hymnody of the past fifty years.  

Michael Tavinor