Hymn Blog - October 18, 2009

October 18, 2009

VU 244 ­­ – Sing Your Praise to God Eternal. The text is by R.B.Y. Scott, born in Toronto in 1899. He was professor of Old Testament in Canada at Union College, Vancouver and McGill University, before moving to Princeton Theological Seminary, where he became chair of the department of religion. This hymn, one of five of his texts in Voices United, was first published in The Hymn Book (1971). The tune, ARFON, derives from a Welsh folk tune, first published in 1784, with perhaps French antecedents. 

MV 191 – What Can I Do? Singer songwriter Paul Rumbolt was born in Newfoundland, but has been a resident of the foothill country of Alberta for the past 15 years.

VU 518 – As Those of Old Their First-fruits Brought. Author Frank von Christierson was born in Finland in 1900, but moved to the USA with his family at the age of 5. He attended Stanford University and San Francisco theological seminary before being ordained to the Presbyterian ministry in 1929. Author of many hymns, he was named a Fellow of the Hymn Society in 1982. This hymn was published by the Hymn Society in 1961, in a volume entitled “Ten New Stewardship Hymns.” FOREST GREEN, is a traditional English folk tune, arranged by Ralph Vaughan Williams for the English Hymnal (1906).

VU 952 – Through Our Lives. Our prayer response comes from the Iona Community.

MV 212 – Sent Out in Jesus’ Name. This lively hymn is a traditional Cuban song, with English translation by Jorge Maldonado.

Obituary – Fred Kaan

Fred Kaan, one of the great names in the mid-20^th century renaissance of English language hymn writing, died on October 4, 2009 at the age of 80. Kaan was born in the Netherlands, and spent the war years under Nazi occupation. His father was a member of the Dutch resistance, and during the war the Kaans sheltered a Jewish woman in their home, and later provided refuge for an escaped political prisoner. He began attending church for the first time in his late teens, and studied theology and psychology at Utrecht University. On a visit to England he attended a Congregational Church and decided to pursue ministry in that denomination. After studies at Western College, Bristol, he was ordained to the ministry of the Congregational Church in 1955, and served at Barry, South Wales. Moving to Pilgrim Church in Plymouth in 1963, Kaan began work on a home-made hymn supplement entitled Pilgrim Praise. Kaan's hymn writing was born of necessity, out of the frustration of not finding what he wanted in the established hymnbook for next Sunday's worship, and out of eagerness to put into words those things which were close to his heart and conscience. Throughout a long ministry which included service in the International body of the Congregational Church, the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, and the World Council of Churches, and a return to the pastorate in later years, Kaan continued his hymn writing with over 200 texts in total.  Nineteen of Kaan’s texts and translations appear in Voices United, including “Tomorrow Christ is Coming”, “For the Healing of the Nations”, and “We Meet You, O Christ”. Three more appear in More Voices, including the beautiful “Put Peace into Each Other’s Hands.” Hymnologist Carlton Young has written “Fred's hymns invariably have social justice at their centre. They are cries, laments and prophecies born in the Church's struggle to be faithful to the gospel . . .”