You are hereBlogs / PStott's blog / Hymn Blog - April 4, 2010
Hymn Blog - April 4, 2010
April 4, 2010 – Easter Sunday
VU 158 – Christ Is Alive. Brian Wren wrote this text when serving at Hockley Congregational Church in Essex, England. It was written for the Easter service in 1968, ten days after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The text reflects the struggle to express Easter joy and hope in the face of the world’s need for healing and justice for all. The text has been revised over the years to reflect more inclusive language and changing theological perspective. Wren, born in England and ordained in the Congregational Church, now lives in the United States with partner Rev. Susan Heafield, a United Methodist Pastor and composer. As well as being the author of many widely used hymn texts, Wren has written several books related to hymnology, including “What Language Shall I Borrow”, which explores the range of imagery that can be brought to hymnody. The tune, TRURO, first appeared, without attribution, in part 2 of Thomas William’s collection “Psalmodia Evangelica” (1789).
VU 477 – I Come with Joy. Also by Brian Wren, this communion hymn text is one of his most widely published works. It was also written in 1968 for the Congregational church in Hockley, Essex, where he was minister. The tune, DOVE OF PEACE, is an American folk tune from Southern Harmony (1835). The arrangement is by distinguished American hymnologist, musician and teacher Austin C. Lovelace, who is still an active member of the Hymn Society at age 91.
VU 176 – Who Is There on This Easter Morning. English hymn writer Timothy Dudley-Smith has written almost 200 hymn texts, and is widely published in North American as well as British hymnals. The tune, FRAGRANCE, is usually associated with the French Christmas carol “What Is This Lovely Fragrance”, and in fact Dudley-Smith conceived the idea for this text while singing the Christmas carol at Norwich Cathedral in 1979.
VU 158 – Christ Is Alive. Brian Wren wrote this text when serving at Hockley Congregational Church in Essex, England. It was written for the Easter service in 1968, ten days after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The text reflects the struggle to express Easter joy and hope in the face of the world’s need for healing and justice for all. The text has been revised over the years to reflect more inclusive language and changing theological perspective. Wren, born in England and ordained in the Congregational Church, now lives in the United States with partner Rev. Susan Heafield, a United Methodist Pastor and composer. As well as being the author of many widely used hymn texts, Wren has written several books related to hymnology, including “What Language Shall I Borrow”, which explores the range of imagery that can be brought to hymnody. The tune, TRURO, first appeared, without attribution, in part 2 of Thomas William’s collection “Psalmodia Evangelica” (1789).
VU 477 – I Come with Joy. Also by Brian Wren, this communion hymn text is one of his most widely published works. It was also written in 1968 for the Congregational church in Hockley, Essex, where he was minister. The tune, DOVE OF PEACE, is an American folk tune from Southern Harmony (1835). The arrangement is by distinguished American hymnologist, musician and teacher Austin C. Lovelace, who is still an active member of the Hymn Society at age 91.
VU 176 – Who Is There on This Easter Morning. English hymn writer Timothy Dudley-Smith has written almost 200 hymn texts, and is widely published in North American as well as British hymnals. The tune, FRAGRANCE, is usually associated with the French Christmas carol “What Is This Lovely Fragrance”, and in fact Dudley-Smith conceived the idea for this text while singing the Christmas carol at Norwich Cathedral in 1979.
- PStott's blog
- Login or register to post comments
