Hymns etc

I just bought a beautiful cd, called " Songs for the Soul" By Malachi Cush. A few familar hymns, like "Be stil, in the presence of the Lord" and "Be thou my vision, " but also some new-to me--ones. i am playing this cd all the time. And Malachi has such a lovely voice.

Has anyone else heard him singing--not neccessarily hymns.

No contest--the original for this one. Somtimes I get confused at church as they have the a fanilar hymn with a different tune----or a familir tune with different words.

I don't really like words put to tunes that were never originally meant to have them like that Finlandia one.
To me there is something very different about music designed for singing and orchestral music itself. I don't know quite what it is. I expect some musical person could explain this.

Some hymns are clearly written for a congregation to sing and others are better suited to choirs.

At choir we are singing a newish Howard Goodall new version of Love Divine. For me it loses all the "feeling" of the original.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AJ_b5Y-4fQ

This is the original Weslyan hymn sung in faster "Chapel speed" (instead of slow Westminster Abbey pace as at the last royal wedding.)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGGcqhKShQ8

What do others think? of these two versions.

Now I wish I had never come on this thread! I have been sidetracked by YouTube and the "Boys Aloud" choir.

That's very encouraging to hear...glad it is not only me that still receives a blessing from these timeless words and tunes.

We have coffee at our church after service too. It is a great way of getting to know people, as it is difficult otherwise. And every so often, we have lunch afterwards too.

I love my church, there is always something going on. It is also used so much by the local community. It has 3 halls that can be hired, all different sizes. A really huge kitchen, that serves two of the rooms, Plus a comfortable foyer, where we have coffee, and small meetings. Coffee mornings twice a week, Open House, which is just a get together for chat, and coffee. Or just go and have a sit, and think or read quietly.

We are celbrating the 60th year of our church this year, in June, and have already had lots of special events. 21st June, nearest date--a special walk, all around the village stopping at appropriate sites related to the church, old and new cemetarys, etc etc etc. followed by a special service, and then a catered lunch, so noone has to make anything. !!

On of the things I miss whilst living in France is hymns in church. The French hymns simp!y don't give me the same surge of enjoyment. Years ago when walking in Scotland my sister and I would sing "Be still my soul" at the top of our voices and only the birds could hear as no one else was around. Sadly she now has alzheimers and is in a residential home but I sent the CD of it to her. And I adore "How Great Thou Art".....its on my final list (as yet unwritten).

For a spine chilling moment I can't forget an Easter concert in Frontfroide Abbey which is not far from here in the south of France. It was given by the Gregorian Choir of Paris. The choir started singing a,fair distance from the abbey chapel. As they got nearer the volume increased. It was simply breathtaking .

Ours is a mixed marriage and I consider myself more than fortunate that my dh has come with me to church for over 40 years. Downside is that as he is a bit of a punctuality freak we end up in church 20 minutes before the service begins.!!!!! Where we last lived in uk he loved that the church had a social club attached and after Mass he could have a coffee or a beer!!!

As a student a host of us singing "And Can it Be" at full throttle and in parts in the driving rain as we tramped the Yorkshire Moors was sheer concert worthy!!

We have a local male voice choir who always sing at our Remembrance services and they put on other concerts for charity.
Lovely! and very moving.

Lovely to read all your comments, and so nice to hear how many of you love hymns. i am a great music lover, have hundreds of cds, but just cannot face listening to them right now--but I can listen to hymns, sometimes join in, noone can hear me, thankfully !!!

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Every month for ten years my little church group goes to sing a few hymns at a nearby nursing home. Very many of the residents have some form of dementia and yet quite a number of them remember all the words to the traditional hymns we sing and sometimes the songs obviously hook into emotions and memories. We stay for half an hour or so afterwards and a lot of the residents are much more lucid at that time.

Calon Lan is a lovely Welsh hymn, I love H&M, gospel , and 'new ones'

I have this on my ' to be sung at my funeral" list! It's lovely.
I think that singing hymns.....ancient and modern....is an excellent mood-booster, and good for the memory too if you are as old as me and still have memories school morning- assemblies from the dim and distant past!

We have sung Here I am Lord at our church--beautiful Hymn.

I have only just discovered Stuart Townend, I would have loved to be there when he is leading worship--seen it on Youtube. I have bought myself a couple of cds so far.

Galen

Here I am Lord by Dan Schutte
One of my favourite Stuart Townend (Christmas) songs I've been present when he's been leading worship and think he always does so very sensitively.
I do still love many of the old hymns though.

Thanks to jings links, I now know the English translation for Land of My Fathers.
Hymns can move me to tears. So can a Welsh male voice choir.

I've just made the mistake of listening. The last verse made me cry! My husband died 12years ago on May 23rd!
We used to sing it in the church choir for the Remembrance Day service!

That is a beautiful rendering of Be Still my Soul. So calming.

I love hymns. Whether or not you are religious you have to give credit to the composers who really knew how to rouse the masses or send them into a contemplative haven.

They can give comfort, encourage hilarity - sometimes a bit naughty and bring back wonderful memories.

And don't get me started on choirs

jings - sitting on a hill in Wales hearing the singing from the chapel. Must have been wonderful .

I wish the envy emoticon didn't look slightly miffed, because I'm not in the least miffed with you, just rather envious.

Oh I love this - Finlandia was one of my mother's favourite pieces, and Libera is one of my favourite choirs. So this is a match made in Heaven for me Be Still My Soul

DD had 'How Great Thou Art' at her wedding, an unusual choice perhaps but it is one of the few hymns which can be sung in English and French at the same time without sounding strange.
In fact a lot of the congregation commented on how nice the French version was.
It is a lovely hymn which encompasses all.