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COMMON PRAISE PREFACE

A new hymn book is a significant event in the life of the Church. And the arrival of Common Praise, a new edition of Hymns Ancient and Modern, is, to those who know and love its previous editions, an important moment. It comes at the end of a turbulent century, rich with the accumulated experience of pain, and sorrow, and hope, and love: it looks forward to the new century, with its future that no one can foretell. It does so at a time of unprecedented change, in society and in church worship, and it gathers up into itself all the hopes and apprehensions of a Church that is visibly changing in an age of experiment and scepticism. It does so with hope and faith, witnessing to the continuing traditions of Christian experience, and responding to new ways of expressing that belief.

Hymns Ancient and Modern was first published in 1860-61. By the end of the nineteenth century, it had become a national, and even imperial, institution, used in most Anglican churches in Great Britain and throughout the British Empire: so much so, that a radical new edition of 1904 was greeted with dismay, because the old `A and M' had become so familiar and beloved.

Two factors contributed to its success. One was the shrewd decision by the hymn book committee to invite suggestions from the clergy and other interested parties, who were encouraged to write in with their hymns and ideas; another was the editors' sensible following of John Keble's advice to `make it comprehensive'. In addition to these basic principles, the book had the services of a remarkable music editor,William Henry Monk. Since that time, successive editors have
sought to adhere to the same principles of being alert to the needs of the Church, and to a wide variety of influences: Hymns Ancient and Modern has never been a book associated with any single tradition. It has become a 'bench-mark' hymn book, widely regarded as sound and sensible, representing the best of traditional hymnody while being open to new ideas and acknowledging change.

The Council of Hymns Ancient and Modern sought to respond to the needs of a later time with the publication of the revised edition of 1950 and then with two supplementary volumes, 100 Hymns for Today (1969) and More Hymns for Today (1980). The 1950 volume was an acclaimed hymn book, and the two supplements allowed the addition of much new material, some of it from the vigorous revival of hymn writing which had taken place since 1960. That revival
sought to respond, with intelligence and poetic skill, to the rapidly-changing conditions of the time: to new forms of worship, including questions of gender and language and of changing `thou' to `you'; to new translations of the Bible (the New English Bible inspired Timothy Dudley-Smith's `Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord'); and [a the demands of a modern society, transformed by rapid travel, by television and other media, and by the second industrial revolution
of new technologies, including computers. Patterns of worship, also, were changing so rapidly that a new definitive edition did not seem appropriate in the 1980s: accordingly, Hymns Ancient and Modern New Standard (1983) was designed to meet those new conditions. It included the core of the 1950 edition, together with the two supplements, bound in one volume.

Inevitably, some of the hymns in the two supplements have proved more successful than others; and at the end of the twentieth century the time has come for a hymn book which will gather up the finest hymns, old and new, and present them for use as material for worship in the twenty-first century. This new edition is therefore a book which looks forward as well as back. It looks back to the great riches of Anglican spirituality, to George Herbert, Charles Wesley, Henry Francis Lyte, Cecil Frances Alexander, and John Ellerton; to the non-conformist hymns of Isaac Watts, Philip Doddridge, and James Montgomery; and to the revival of pre-Reformation hymnody and Catholic spirituality by John Mason Neale and Edward Caswall. It also looks forward to a century in which those traditions will have to engage with social forces and political developments which cannot be foreseen and perhaps cannot even be imagined.

The hymn book committee has made decisions with a strong sense of what is practicable as well as desirable: for example, to produce Common Praise in book form rather than rely solely on electronic reproduction, which would have been up-to-date but impossible to use for many churches. The book could not be too large, for obvious reasons of expense and convenience, so that every hymn had to `earn its place': therefore each hymn which was in Hymns Ancient and Modern New Standard (and the other editions) has been re-examined; and a great many other books and single-author collections, in print and in manuscript, have been carefully scrutinized for possible new inclusions. Hymns have been included if they seemed to the committee to be serviceable, well-written, singable, clear, and unaffected: that is, without affectation of diction or sentiment, so that they may be sung without fear of embarrassment and with a full
heart by people of good will and good sense. There are many examples of contemporary hymns; but there are also many hymns from previous ages which are contemporary because they are timeless. In compiling this collection, the committee envisaged a worshipping congregation of those who are open-minded, neither too wedded to experiment nor too rigid and set in their ways, who intend to `keep the mean between two extremes'; remembering that the original sub-title of Hymns Ancient and Modern in 1860-61 was `for the Services of the Church'.

In understanding `the Church' at the beginning of the twenty-first century, the committee had in mind something very different from the situation of the Victorian editors. This is an age of increasing secularism: two world wars and a host of lesser but no less inhuman conflicts in the twentieth century have created a climate of uncertainty and danger, while other changes, less dramatic but probably more devastating - global warming, genetic engineering, environmental pollution - contain possibilities and terrors which are only just beginning to be felt. Beside the very real improvements in human life - the eradication of some diseases and the better control of others, easier travel and communication - there is now the fear of the destruction of the planet, either by exhausting its natural resources through greed and carelessness, or through the
appalling prospect of nuclear or biological warfare. In the face of this, a Christian hymn book points its users to the Rock of Ages, as the Church continues to affirm the centrality of the Christian faith and the need of the world for the gospel of divine love.

In addition, the Church has become more ecumenical during the last quarter of the twentieth century, so that this is a book which is not for Anglicans only: it contains hymns from many sources and in many modes, and the committee hopes that it will be seen as a book that will be useful everywhere. Hymns have an important part to play in the process of bringing Christians of different traditions closer together: at this time there is much tentative sharing of gifts and of
understandings, and it is hoped that a book such as the present one will assist in this process.

Within the Church of England, however, Common Praise has its own particular place, connected with the traditional understanding of the Church's year. The committee has benefited greatly from discussions with members of the Liturgical Commission, and this new edition may be used in conjunction with the Revised Common Lectionary to provide coherent worship on particular themes and for special occasions. The book should also be useful for schools and colleges, and for other communities such as prisons and hospitals; for daily worship and for mid-week meetings; and not least for private devotion. In some small worshipping groups, it may be sensible to read some of the hymns, either together or in a responsive reading, rather than attempt to sing them.

Mindful of the needs of the church in today's world, therefore, the committee has carefully looked at the words and music of each hymn. It has developed a conservative editorial policy for hymns written before 1900, respecting the integrity of the text, the author's known intentions, and the poetry of the original. Nevertheless, when words have become obscure, or changed their meaning, the committee has on occasion exercised its discretion and amended archaisms to produce a more accessible text. It has also been aware of the problem of gender-based language, and has gently sought to avoid this where appropriate by `invisible mending'.

With hymns written after 1900, the problems have been more easily resolved. The texts have not been so hallowed by time and tradition; and often the authors themselves have been sensitive to issues of non-inclusive language, while many recent or contemporary hymns have followed the practice of modern liturgies in using `you' rather than `thou'. During the last twenty years, many authors have re-written their hymns to accommodate these concerns. Where older forms or exclusive language have remained, the committee has generally rejected the hymn or verse altogether, or sought amendments to make them acceptable to contemporary worshippers.

A certain number of worship songs have also been included. They represent a very small selection of what is available, but they should enable the book to be useful for those churches who wish to include in their services a song that has become well-tried and widely known. Similarly, the Christmas section includes a number of carols: many more could have been added, but carols are found in many easily-available books, and the present book should contain enough for
most churches on the occasion of a representative and traditional carol service.

Much of the success of a good hymn depends on its music. The committee has carefully examined the music of every hymn, with a view to ensuring a marriage of words and tune which will allow it to become a successful and respected part of worship. The music allows the words to reverberate with meaning, to acquire a different and nobler life than when they are read aloud; and in congregational singing members of the Body of Christ are united in praise and
thanksgiving by the shared experience of the music and the words. And although it is better, in some situations, to say the words rather than sing them badly, there is no doubt that good hymn-singing can be inspiring and uplifting. One of the great factors in the success of the first edition of Hymns Ancient and Modern was Monk's outstanding musical editing, which set tunes to words which have since become inseparable from them. It would be unthinkable, for example, to sing `O God, our help in ages past' to any tune other than ST ANNE, or `Abide with me' to anything except EVENTIDE. The present edition follows in a musical tradition which has given to the Church some of its finest hymns, and every tune has been examined to ensure that it is worthy of its place and appropriate to the words to which it is set. Technical notes on the performance of the music will be found elsewhere.

The committee has tried to select the best hymns, those which will last. In the process, it has consulted widely, trying to find out what has become acceptable and valuable to people in worship, and what is loved by them; in addition, it has received submissions from many advisers and potential contributors. It has been conscious of the English-speaking contribution to the spirituality of the Anglican communion, but also of the vigour and freshness which come from other countries. It has also been concerned to provide hymns that will be useful at specific points in a service. It has sought to aid the choice of such hymns by the provision of indexes, which should be used creatively; the suggestions should be taken as helpful pointers rather than as excluding other possibilities. There are many hymns written for a specific time of year, or associated with it, which could be used at other times or as general hymns.

Used imaginatively, therefore, this book should provide a valuable resource, to meet the challenge of the twenty-first century. In making its choice, the committee has been mindful of the practical needs of today's worshipping church as well as the great tradition which the previous editions of this book have represented for almost a century and a half. Sunday by Sunday, in cathedrals, in towns and suburbs, in remote villages, and in churches all over the world, Hymns
Ancient and Modern has given its people a much-loved and well-used selection of old and new hymns, set to music that has become so familiar as to be an integral part of the living tradition of the Church. To these are now added a wide selection from what we believe to be the best contemporary hymns.

These are hymns and songs that touch the human heart: and that this edition should continue to be of service to the Church, and to the individual believer, is the committee's most earnest and deeply-felt prayer. It offers Common Praise in the hope that its use will enrich daily worship, bring closer the kingdom of God upon earth, and give glory to God in the highest.

Hymn Book Committee
Henry Chadwick (Chairman)
Lionel Dakers
Timothy Dudley-Smith
Gordon Knights
Patricia Nappin
J. Richard Watson
Allan Wicks
Robert Willis

THE WORDING OF HYMNS

The texts of hymns have often been altered to make them suitable for worship in a later age from the one in which they were written. Isaac Watts and Charles Wesley, for example, often used the word `bowels' as an image for the mercy of Christ, and this would not be appropriate today. More recently, a word such as `gay' has, regrettably, acquired a meaning which makes it unsuitable for singing in certain contexts.
More difficult is the question of returning to the author's original text, when it has been superseded for many years. The 1904 edition of Hymns Ancient and Modern, with a commendable care for authenticity, changed `Hark the herald angels sing' to Charles Wesley's original `Hark, how all the welkin rings', but the change was widely ridiculed at the time.

However, care needs to be taken in alteration, and the compilers of Common Praise have been cautious in their practice. As a rule, they have not, for example, altered `thou' to `you', or made other changes to hymns written before 1900. These are traditional texts, which have been loved and used by worshippers in their original (or near original) form for generations.

Occasionally, however, it has seemed possible to alter hymns to remove non-inclusive language, as in `All for Jesus', where the fourth verse reads:

All for Jesus, all for Jesus,
this the Church's song must be;
till, at last, her sons are gathered
one in love and one in thee.

which becomes:

All for Jesus, all for Jesus;
this the Church's song must be;
till, at last, we all are gathered
one in love and one in thee.

Another example would be Fred Pratt Green's hymn,

`When in man's music, God is glorified',

which can become

`When in our music, God is glorified'.

These and other alterations have been made, we think, with the need for change balanced against the claims of the original words. In addition, there is the need to respect the text as it had been known for generations. We hope, therefore, that in Common Praise, the words of the hymns will speak to the mind and heart with authenticity, and also with relevance to the needs of today.