Hymn Collection: The English Hymnal

The English Hymnal is a prominent and revered contribution to Christian hymnody. To this day, some churches still sing from its pages and many churches and congregations pull from its library on occasion. The first edition of the The English Hymnal was compiled a few short years after the death of Queen Victoria just as the church was beginning to be concerned with more modern affairs at the dawn of the 20th century. Thie first edition was published in 1906. The second, in 1933, added additional and improved arrangements. More specifically, it featured improved harmonization to plainsong melodies. In 1975, a hymnal companion entitled English Praise was published as an additional resource to the original hymnal.

Percy Dearmer

Percy Dearmer served as the primary editor for The English Hymnal. Dearmer was an English priest who is perhaps best known for The Parson’s Handbook, a manual for clergymen to conduct worship services. Because of his deep concern with proper liturgy, it seems natural that he would spend some time contributing to one of the most participatory times of public worship: the singing. Dearmer was heavily concerned with social issues and these leanings can be seen in the hymn selections of the hymnal. For instance, “When Wilt Thou Save The People,” a hymn text included in the original collection, showcased the increasing focus on social issues within the church. Notice that the text was not concerned inherently with the spiritual state, but rather the physical condition of “the people.”

God save the people, thine they are,
Thy children, as the angels fair;
From vice, oppresion and despair,
God save the people!

The editor decided to exclude some of the more popular, yet distinctively Victorian-era hymn texts from this collection. Victorian hymnody is characterized as sentimental and warm. This hymnal contrasts these norms by returning to a more traditional, high-view of God with the text selections.

Ralph Vaughan Williams

The primary hymn writer and collector for this compilation was Ralph Vaughan Williams. He was a prolific writer of hymns, tunes and symphonies. The time in which Williams spent working on The English Hymnal was during the early years of his career. He spent a significant amount of time collecting folk-times for the project. Williams believed that in order to produce a compiled resource of worth to a generation, it was imperative that the music of all men within that group be examined. Several English folk-songs were included in this collection — of which KINGSFOLD is arguably the most notable. He is quoted in National Music on page 139 as saying:

“The business of finding a nation’s soul is a long and slow one.”

This is indicative of the significance that Williams placed on his task. In addition to this, Williams also contributed new tunes that represented the trends of the church and people of the day. SINE NOMINE, which means “without name,” is perhaps his and the collection’s most lasting contribution in this regard. The tune is assigned to a variety of texts throughout many denominational and non-denominational hymnals, including the Baptist Hymnal, Celebrating Grace Hymnal, The United Methodist Hymnal, and others.

Lasting Impressions

The English Hymnal has made lasting impressions and contributions to church culture and music today. First and foremost, the hymnal raised the overall standard of English hymnody. The strong, rich texts coupled with the varied but renowned tunes was and is a standard to which all current hymnals base themselves. Dearmer also utilized this hymnal to contrast the Victorian-era “give the people what they want” mentality regarding music. He recognized that music and texts have the power to shape the theology and worldview of entire communities. As such, he countered the aforementioned statement with “you must give people what is good and they will come to like it.”

This viewpoint is of utmost importance in today’s consumer-driven American church. We must be careful to sing and lead with care and conviction. There is much to glean from both The English Hymnal and the men who compiled it.