Liturgica: An Opportunity to refresh our Hymn Repertoire
A PARADOX which troubles church musicians: if it is true that the Church has never before enjoyed broader or easier access to musical resources, why are we singing fewer hymns?
Indeed, while the Church of Ireland punches well above its weight in terms of published resources — over 700 hymns, songs and liturgical items in Church Hymnal Fifth Edition (2000) and around 200 in its supplement Thanks & Praise (2015) — I have a suspicion that only a fraction of this material is sung in the context of worship. Add to this the vast on-line reservoir of music both ancient and new which might easily be tapped for free and shared on pew sheets or on screens, and we build a picture of a Church stuck in something of a musical rut.
* Full article available in printed copies.
Revd Dr Ian Mills
The Revd Dr Ian Mills is Vicar of the Benefice of Chew Valley West in the Diocese of Bath and Wells.