Thee will I love, my God and King

Thee will I love, my God and King. Robert Bridges* (1844-1930). From Part IV of the Yattendon Hymnal (1899). It was designed to accompany the tune by Claude Goudimel* for the 138th Psalm in the Genevan Psalter* (1551). In YH it was ‘set by M.M.B.’ (Mary Monica, Bridges’s wife, née Waterhouse, 1863-1949). It was carefully written by Bridges to fit the unusual but magnificent tune: Percy Dearmer*, who called Bridges ‘a past master of the craft’, noted when annotating this hymn that ‘the musical excellence of a hymnal depends upon the ability of writers to compose new poetry in unusual metres (Songs of Praise Discussed, 1933, p. 351). Although YH was a considerable influence on EH, this was...

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