Report of the Hymnal Committee of the General Synod
https://archives.anglican.ca/link/official6358
- Date
- 1927 September
- Source
- General Synod. Minutes
- Type
- Resolution
- Mover
- Archbishop of Huron
- Seconder
- Magistrate Jones
- Prologue
- Your Committee was appointed pursuant to the following resolution of Synod passed on October 1st, 1924.
- "That, the Upper House concurring, a Joint Committee of both houses be appointed consisting of not less than nine members, of whom one-third shall be from the Upper House, one-third from the clerical, and one-third from the lay members of the Lower House, to enquire and report what hymns and tunes, if any, in the Book of Common Praise are seldom, if ever, used, and any information necessary and useful in case of any future action which this Synod may think to be necessary in regard to omissions, substitutions, additions or alterations, in any new edition, in case a revision should in the future be decided upon."
- Two Questionnaires were sent to clergy, organists, and others, one asking for a list of hymns actually used on 52 Sundays, and the other asking that the hymns and tunes be marked XX if considered indispensible, X those in use, and O those never used. 367 hymns and tunes which would probably be considered indispensible by everyone were not included in the list.
- The returns to the Questionnaires were not as numerous as might have been expected, perhaps due to wide-spread satisfaction with the book as it now stands. The records sent show that nearly every hymn and tune is in actual use in some congregations. By way of illustration, the first six showed that although in any one parish between 200 and 300 different hymns are in use in one year, only 199 of 795 remained unused when the records were combined; when 17 were tabulated only 79 remained; when 25 were tabulated 51; when 32, 47; and of these unused ones many are for "War" and special occasions. The Hymns therefore that have little or no usage are so few in number that your Committee are of opinion that it is not advisable at the present time to revise the book.
- Among the hymns that obtained a low percentage of the vote are Nos. 17,52,69,90,121,123,124,126,127,180,188,231, etc.
- The following tunes are not used by 10% of the congregations that report using the hymns to which they are set:
- Radford, Vita Brevis, Springhill, Napanee, Vox Domini, Northreppe, Claudius Ptolemeus, Ford, Calvary, Eirene, Astra Matutina.
- The following are not used by 15%:
- Ave Maria, Christ Church, The Radiant Morn, Lindsay, St. Clement (67), St. Lucy, Erfurt, Stabat Mater (1), Stabat Mater (2), Missouri, Naaman.
- The following are not used by 20%:
- Elm, Temple, Springtime, Linton, The Lord of Might, Hestis Herodes, Credo Domine, Sanguis Christi, Heil'ger Geist, Sanctuary, Welcome Happy Morning, Edom, Houidon, O Lux Beata, Annunciation, Derry, Donum Dei, St. Sepulchre.
- The following are not used by 25%:
- Marlow, Crucia Umbra, Showers of Blessing, Guardant, Garden City, A Solis Ortis, Olmutz, Aurora Lucis, Cacouna, Ascension, New Calabar, Sacrifice (203).
- The questionnaires no doubt did good service in inducing clergy and organists to examine carefully the contents of the hymnal; and in drawing their attention to much valuable material that they may have been neglecting possibly, thus securing a more varied use of hymns and tunes. The tabulation of the votes is open for the inspection of persons interested, and will be preserved.
- In the result your Committee does not consider it wise that a revision of the Book of Common Praise should be proceeded with at the present time.
- (Sgd.) David Huron, Chairman; James Edmund Jones, Secretary.
- Text of motion
- Resolved, That the Report of the Hymnal Committee of the General Synod be adopted.
- Subjects
- Church of England in Canada. Hymnal Committee
- Church of England in Canada. Book of Common Praise. 1908
- Hymns - Anglican Church of Canada
- Hymnbooks - Anglican Church of Canada
- Church music - Anglican Church of Canada
- Anglican Church of Canada - Surveys