Common Praise

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Common Praise - Rated
Whilst heralded as a new edition of Hymns Ancient and Modern, Common Praise is an entirely new hymn book which will be welcomed in any situation where a high standard of music is maintained. The book itself is well produced with an attractive bright blue cover. It has clear, uncluttered pages which are not too thin, and it stays open on the music desk.

Whilst no hymn book will fully satisfy everyone, this one includes some excellent pairings of words with tunes. Examples include “Sing choirs of heaven” (The Easter Proclamation) set to SCAMPSTON and “O Lord of every shining constellation” by Albert F Bayly set to HESLINGTON, both tunes by Richard Shepherd. COE FEN by Ken Naylor for “How shall I sing that majesty” and CORVEDALE by Maurice Bevan for “There’s a wideness in God’s mercy” have also found a place – these tunes have become popular in recent years.

Other pleasing inclusions are an SATB arrangement for “Alleluia, alleluia, give thanks to the risen Lord” and an organ-friendly arrangement of Michael Perry’s CALYPSO CAROL. It is a pity that a similar treatment could not have been given to some of the other ‘songs’, such as “Be still for the Spirit of the Lord” and “Shine, Jesus, shine”, which are found with their usual pianistic accompaniments. These can present a problem to organists in churches which do not have a piano or do not use one during worship.

There are a few strange versions of tunes to be found in the book. For example, the arrangement of STILLE NACHT might be good for an unaccompanied choir, but would not be as suitable for accompanying congregational singing. Arthur Hutchings’ delicious harmonisation in The New English Hymnal could have been included as an alternative version. The hymn “Go forth and tell” by James Seddon is not set to either of its usual tunes. Instead it is coupled with an antique tune by Orlando Gibbons; perhaps there is an opportunity here to make further, non-seasonal, use of Shepherd’s SCAMPSTON.

Given the minor niggles mentioned above, this is a superb production which gathers together hymns and a few songs from a wide range of sources. There is a good and useful selection of seasonal material. Common Praise would be an excellent choice of hymn book for any church where quality is of the essence.

A careful but not forward-looking hymn-book. - Rated
Common Praise is the hymn book which Ancient and Modern New Standard should have been when it was published in 1983.

Unlike AMNS, it is properly ordered and edited, with many useful sections. Hymns which used to be known as 'general hymns' are now called 'hymns through the year'.

The book is well laid out and should sit easily on a music desk: hymns are mostly in sensible keys.

Common Praise has been positioned at the traditional end of the market. There are only a few of the very best-known worship songs, and many others which have already become favourites (such as There is a Redeemer and The Spirit Lives) are excluded.

This is doubtless because the editors feel that few worship songs will stand the test of time. The problem with this understandable view is that right now there are many churches which seek a compromise between ancient and modern, and who will if they buy Common Praise still need a supplementary book to satisfy present needs. With funds at a premium, many are turning to Hymns Old and New (Mayhew) which offers a wider selection in a single book.

The music is similarly unadventurous: the editors could with advantage have held a competition to find tunes for some hymns which struggle to find favour while accompanied by uninspiring partners.

Finally, the editors have done a carefully-considered job in deciding whether to alter the words of traditional hymns. Personally I would rather leave them alone unless they are actively misleading: but there are many - perhaps a majority nowadays - who have trouble in accepting that 'man' can mean 'mankind' as much as 'male person'. Common Praise makes some changes for the benefit of this fraternity (oops, mustn't call them that!) but not to excess.

Generally, a safe buy, but not really a book to accompany our worship into the 21st century.

David Duvall Organist and Choirmaster St. Andrew's Church, Sonning-on-Thames, UK