The New English Hymnal

The New English Hymnal
Cover of The New English Hymnal
LanguageEnglish
SubjectReligious sheet music/hymnal and Christian liturgy
PublisherCanterbury Press
Publication date
1986
Publication placeUnited Kingdom
Media typePrint (hardback)
ISBN978-0-907547-51-8 (full music edition)
WebsiteThe New English Hymnal on Canterbury Press

The New English Hymnal is a hymn book and liturgical source aimed towards the Church of England. First published in 1986, it is a successor to, and published in the same style as, the 1906 English Hymnal.[1] It is published today by SCM Canterbury Press, an imprint of Hymns Ancient and Modern Ltd.

Origin

The New English Hymnal inherits much music from the original 1906 English Hymnal, its 1933 revision, and the 1975 supplement English Praise, although a few hymns are re-written or dropped in favor of newly added hymns.[2] The words of several hymns have been altered slightly, although it nonetheless enjoys continuing favour in a considerable number of cathedrals and collegiate chapels worldwide and it is a significant publication in Anglican church music. Its extensive provision of hymns for saints' days and mid-week religious festivals has proved popular with those schools still maintaining hymn-singing in daily acts of worship.

The copyright is held by The English Hymnal Company Limited. The then chairman of the company, George Timms, was its general editor. The musical editor was Anthony Caesar with significant assistance from Arthur Hutchings, Christopher Dearnley, and Michael Fleming. It is published today by SCM Canterbury Press, an imprint of Hymns Ancient and Modern Ltd.

Supplement and revision

A supplement, New English Praise,[3] was published in 2006 containing additional liturgical material, canticle settings, psalm settings and plainchant accompaniments.

A full revision was published as The Revised English Hymnal on 29 November 2023.[4] It was initially scheduled for publication in 2018, 60 years after the death of its first musical editor, Ralph Vaughan Williams.[5] Due to the effects of Coronavirus pandemic, it was then due to be published in 2021.[6][7] In April 2021 the publication date was moved to September of the same year.[8] In January 2022 it was announced that publication had been postponed to 30 June 2022.[9] In October 2022 it was announced that the publication of the full music edition would be May 2023.[10] At the time of the actual publication of the full music version in November 2023, the words only and melody were editions are scheduled to be published in January and Spring 2024 respectively.

See also

References

  1. ^ "New English Hymnal". SCM Canterbury Press. Archived from the original on 9 October 2006. Retrieved 10 October 2009.
  2. ^ "Complete hymn list". Archived from the original on 12 February 2008. Retrieved 12 February 2008.
  3. ^ "Complete hymn list, New English Praise". Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
  4. ^ "Revised English Hymnal here at last!". RSCM. 2023-12-01. Retrieved 2023-12-02.
  5. ^ "@ourcofe". Twitter. Retrieved 2021-04-27.
  6. ^ "Introducing The Revised English Hymnal". The Revised English Hymnal. Archived from the original on 20 December 2018. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  7. ^ "A completely new and revised hymnal". The English Hymnal Company. Archived from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  8. ^ "Revised English Hymnal Full Music edition by English Hymnal Co. - Hardback - 9781786220059". chbookshop.hymnsam.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-04-29.
  9. ^ "Revised English Hymnal". Sheet Organ Music. Retrieved 2022-02-05.
  10. ^ "Revised English Hymnal". Hymns Ancient & Modern. Retrieved 2022-10-19.