April 2020 Magazine

When I sing hymns, I
look for language that is
simple, inclusive and
beautiful. I look for
meaning that is relevant
and memorable. For me,
John Bell is a phenomenon
in both his musicality and
theological drive, and I
love singing his work.
Brian Wren has inspired,
intrigued and mentored me
(though his words are so
much better than the
tunes they are often set to) that I go to him for pure pleasure and stimulus. Oneoff
favourites are Caryl Micklem’s ‘Give to me, Lord, a thankful heart' and GK
Chesterton’s ‘O God of earth and altar', for its rugged strength. I could not omit
George Herbert’s 'Come, my Way, my Truth, my Life,' or Anna Briggs’s ‘We lay
our broken world’. The list is endless – have you another page or two?
Note. Singers of Shirley Erena Murray's hymns should be aware that some
alterations were made to her hymns before inclusion in CH4 that she did not
authorise. The editors and publisher have expresssed their regret at this
discourtesy. Further, the English version of an Asian text at 571 (‘author unknown’)
is also by Shirley Murray.
Photos: thanks to Presbyterian Research Centre, Amazon and Methodist.org.uk
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