Thoughts on Vaughan Williams and The English Hymnal

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Greetings, everyone! I am a long-time stalker of and first-time poster on these forums. I am also something of a connoisseur of liturgical music, with British and German pieces being amongst my favorites. Though I am a Catholic through and through, I am somewhat Anglican in my liturgical and musical tastes (when I was in college, I would occasionally attend the village Episcopal Church to witness the splendor of their choir and organist). I am curious as to your thoughts of the English Hymnal, which was assembled in 1906 by a team lead by the eminent Ralph Vaughan Williams and codified into a single volume many Christian hymns of great renown (I.E. “When I Survey The Wondrous Cross,” "O God Our Help In Ages Past, etc.), and its progeny, the New English Hymnal? Specifically - and without attempting to tear asunder the wounds still open from the hymnal wars - I am curious as to why it isn’t used in more parish churches (the larger churches near me, especially St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York, tend to use it), considering the great musicianship and craftsmanship invested in its creation? I feel as if the hymns contained in these volumes are not simply songs, but works of literature, that convey the wonder of Creation, the passion of our Lord, and the Mystery of the Christian Faith in a manner that is poetically and musically scintillating.

Sorry for the lengthy post - this is a question that has been boggling me for some time!
 
Hi musicfan and welcome to the forum. I share your love of the Anglican Choral tradition and the various instruments, such as the English - and New English - Hymnals.

Both are far superior to any Catholic hymnals I have seen because they so beautfully marry traditional hymnody with the liturgical year, and I love the final section which lays out all the musical ceremonies - eg the Nunc Dimitis for Candlemas, and the Holy Week provision.

I suspect the answer to your question is that Catholic parishes will not (and in some cases are not permitted) to use an Anglican hymnal, even though you will find 90% of its hymns in Catholic hymnals like Laudate. Many Catholics think mistakenly that traditional hymns like When I survey the wondorous Cross or O God our help… are Catholic-penned when the truth is that more modern hymns are more likely to be. Thus many parishes miss out on Forty Days and forty nights on Ash Wednesday, or Hail to the Lord who comes for Epiphany, Hail the day that sees him rise for Ascension Day.

As an aside I live near St Mary Primrose Hill where Percy Deamer was Vicar and where the EH was born. If you google it there is some great info on the parish website.
 
That you live so close to St. Mary’s at Primrose Hill is a cause for great jubilation! There was a recording for the television series “Songs of Praise” that took place there, with the choir singing that quintessentially English hymn “O God of Earth and Altar” - here is the link:

youtube.com/watch?v=pmXQpT7W98c

I agree with your assertion that the EH properly marries music to the liturgical calendar, especially concerning the veneration of the Saints, which is why I feel like it could so readily replace the likes of the OCP and GIA hymnals. Certainly it can’t be much more difficult to independently research the readings from Scripture? I must confess - I have always wanted to hear Parry’s “Jerusalem” sung at my parish on St. George’s Day, though I fear this will not happen in my lifetime! More disconcertingly, we are bereft of a proper pipe organ, and our choir errs on the side of contemporary use and instruments (guitars and such - painful to read, I know).

Concerning the freedom to choose hymnals, I have read on these boards and elsewhere that there are no firm rules regarding what Catholic parishes can and cannot use, so long that their contents do not clash with the basic tenets of Catholicism (one wonders how OCP and GIA, with their sometimes-dubious lyrics, were able to escape this regulation). I suppose the chief concerns with adopting the original EH would be reproduction cost (it is, lamentably, long out of print if I am not mistaken) and the fact that the lyrics are printed on the opposite page of the melody, though I prefer this arrangement as it actually compels people to become intimately familiar with the music they sing, as opposed to merely mouthing the words on a perfunctory basis. The NEH is hardcover, and, consequently cost may again be an issue. Additionally, I have heard that attempting to do away with contemporary hymnals such as OCP and GIA is tantamount to trying to kick a bad addiction whilst still under the thumb of the pusher.
 
Having been raised as an Episcopalian of the Anglo-Catholic persuasion, I am very familiar with his hymns. He is one of my favorite composers. I, too, have a great fondness for English and German composers of hymns.

👍
 
MusicFan221 said:
That you live so close to St. Mary’s at Primrose Hill is a cause for great jubilation! There was a recording for the television series “Songs of Praise” that took place there, with the choir singing that quintessentially English hymn “O God of Earth and Altar” - here is the link:

youtube.com/watch?v=pmXQpT7W98c

I agree with your assertion that the EH properly marries music to the liturgical calendar, especially concerning the veneration of the Saints, which is why I feel like it could so readily replace the likes of the OCP and GIA hymnals. Certainly it can’t be much more difficult to independently research the readings from Scripture? I must confess - I have always wanted to hear Parry’s “Jerusalem” sung at my parish on St. George’s Day, though I fear this will not happen in my lifetime! More disconcertingly, we are bereft of a proper pipe organ, and our choir errs on the side of contemporary use and instruments (guitars and such - painful to read, I know).

Concerning the freedom to choose hymnals, I have read on these boards and elsewhere that there are no firm rules regarding what Catholic parishes can and cannot use, so long that their contents do not clash with the basic tenets of Catholicism (one wonders how OCP and GIA, with their sometimes-dubious lyrics, were able to escape this regulation). I suppose the chief concerns with adopting the original EH would be reproduction cost (it is, lamentably, long out of print if I am not mistaken) and the fact that the lyrics are printed on the opposite page of the melody, though I prefer this arrangement as it actually compels people to become intimately familiar with the music they sing, as opposed to merely mouthing the words on a perfunctory basis. The NEH is hardcover, and, consequently cost may again be an issue. Additionally, I have heard that attempting to do away with contemporary hymnals such as OCP and GIA is tantamount to trying to kick a bad addiction whilst still under the thumb of the pusher.
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Thanks for the link - I remember this broadcast and spotted some of my friends in the audience. The English Hymnal is still available for sale - I myself bought a copy from Church House bokshop and it’s no more expensive than the Catholic hymnals. Though I should add that the New English Hymnal is used in most Anglican churches now - the only one I am aware of that uses the EH is St Cuthbert’s Philbeach Gardens.

I think the situation in England is more regulated than the states and that the main hymnals do go through some kind of nominal approval process. What’s sad is that Catholics seem unable or unwilling to embrace this great treasure of church music as they either fall into the camp of a fully Latin mass with propers sung by the choir, or vernacular mass with modern hymns and mass settings (which none of the congregation sing). There are a few parishes though that manage to combine the best of both traditions.

Compare this situation with Germany where Catholics and Lutherans sing the same hymns and Catholics sing as well as their protestant counterparts.
 
Thanks for the link - I remember this broadcast and spotted some of my friends in the audience. The English Hymnal is still available for sale - I myself bought a copy from Church House bokshop and it’s no more expensive than the Catholic hymnals. Though I should add that the New English Hymnal is used in most Anglican churches now - the only one I am aware of that uses the EH is St Cuthbert’s Philbeach Gardens.
Click to expand...
I think the situation in England is more regulated than the states and that the main hymnals do go through some kind of nominal approval process. What’s sad is that Catholics seem unable or unwilling to embrace this great treasure of church music as they either fall into the camp of a fully Latin mass with propers sung by the choir, or vernacular mass with modern hymns and mass settings (which none of the congregation sing). There are a few parishes though that manage to combine the best of both traditions.
Click to expand...
Compare this situation with Germany where Catholics and Lutherans sing the same hymns and Catholics sing as well as their protestant counterparts.
Click to expand...
I myself have been looking for a copy of the EH - it would be incredible to have an original 1906 edition! I’m glad it can still be had from Oxford, though.

I completely agree with you concerning the beauty of melding the two traditions, especially in nations like the United Kingdom and the United States with strong traditions of sacred choral music. I see the EH and the NEH as the epitome of the melding of the Roman with the Anglican - the ancient, medieval, and Renaissance with the baroque and the tastefully early modern. The parish I attend in the town next to mine has a fine organist who actually received his musical education on the organ at the local Episcopal cathedral, which strongly reflects in his choice of music for the organ and choir - for example, on Palm Sunday, there was something resembling a Solemn Mass with a fine organ prelude coupled with a selection from Handel’s “Messiah” and some of the more traditional offerings from the OCP hymnal ("All Glory, Laud, and Honor, and “O Sacred Head Sore Wounded” I distinctly remember singing). Most of his music selections during Ordinary Time are of a similarly traditional bent.
 
I have noticed that most of the posters on this thread seem to British. I love the hymns of Vaughn Williams. I would be very interested in seeing a copy of The English Hymnal. I would like to see how it compares to my favorite hymnal, the Episcopal The Hymnal of 1940. I don’t know if the Episcopal Church even uses it today, but it is wonderful. It has all of the great hymns that have been mentioned here, plus many hymns for the saints. A cursory look through the indexes shows that a large number of hymns are actually Catholic in origin. Some day I am going to do a complete search of the background of every hymn in this book. If I were stranded on a desert island, this is something I would like to have with me. When I was in London I purchased a copy of The Catholic Hymn Book that is used at the Brompton Oratory. How does this compare to The English Hymnal?
 
Marysann said:
I have noticed that most of the posters on this thread seem to British. I love the hymns of Vaughn Williams. I would be very interested in seeing a copy of The English Hymnal. I would like to see how it compares to my favorite hymnal, the Episcopal The Hymnal of 1940. I don’t know if the Episcopal Church even uses it today, but it is wonderful. It has all of the great hymns that have been mentioned here, plus many hymns for the saints. A cursory look through the indexes shows that a large number of hymns are actually Catholic in origin. Some day I am going to do a complete search of the background of every hymn in this book. If I were stranded on a desert island, this is something I would like to have with me. When I was in London I purchased a copy of The Catholic Hymn Book that is used at the Brompton Oratory. How does this compare to The English Hymnal?
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Hi there. I have a copy of the Catholic Hymn book too. I have two observations, it has far fewer hymns than the EH and its provision for the liturgical year and for mass are very limited. Also the name is a misnomer - at least 60% of the hymns are actually non-Catholic. It is though thankfully free of the trite hymns found in newer Catholic hymnals.
 
I’m of the opinion that strong and orthodox hymn and song writing will stand the test of time. I’m not concerned with which church the composer belonged to when they wrote it. Many many composers works have stood the test of time. Time will tell what will last of some of the more modern songs and hymns.
 
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