# The English Hymnal (1906)/Preface

PREFACE.
The English Hymnal is a collection of the best hymns in the English language, and is offered as a humble companion to the Book of Common Prayer for use in the Church. It is not a party-book, expressing this or that phase of negation or excess, but an attempt to combine in one volume the worthiest expressions of all that lies within the Christian Creed, from those 'ancient Fathers' who were the earliest hymn-writers down to contemporary exponents of modern aspirations and ideals.
We therefore offer the book to all broad-minded men, in the hope that every one will find within these pages the hymns which he rightly wants. At the same time, since literary, musical, and religious standards vary, a really inclusive collection must of necessity be larger than the needs of each particular individual: hymn books, indeed, afford special facilities in this respect, because those who use them can select according to their requirements. Such a method of selection we have ourselves suggested in the Musical Edition by a List of simple hymns, which may satisfy the ordinary needs of many parishes; while we have also arranged a Table of hymns for all the Sundays and Holy-days of the year, which covers the whole ground. Thus we have endeavoured to produce a book that shall suit the needs of learned and simple alike, and ​shall at the same time exhibit the characteristic virtue of hymnody,—its witness, namely, to the fact that in the worship of God Christians are drawn the closer together as they are drawn more closely to the one Lord. In Christian song Churches have forgotten their quarrels and men have lost their limitations, because they have reached the higher ground where the soul is content to affirm and to adore. The hymns of Christendom show more clearly than anything else that there is even now such a thing as the unity of the Spirit.
Little explanation is needed of the principles which governed the selection and arrangement of the hymns. The new work, inserted in every case to fill an acknowledged gap or to introduce a tune of special excellence, must stand or fall on its merits. One feature, however, requires a word of comment. Hymns are printed, wherever possible, as their authors wrote them. To many it will be a surprise to find that the ascription of a hymn to this or that author, when it was given at all in hymnals of the last century, was very often misleading. The public now has the opportunity of comparing many originals with their altered versions; and few, we venture to predict, will deny that they had been altered for the worse. Occasionally, indeed, the music requires the removal of an extra word if a hymn is to be used at all, as for instance in Neale's hymn. No. 137 (The Day of Resurrection), and in Milton's, No. 532 (Let us with a gladsome mind); but although these hymns are marked as altered, none of their ​characteristic epithets have been changed. Sometimes alterations are justified for other reasons; and some translations are the work of several hands. But, apart from such exceptional cases, the efforts, so often made in the past to improve the work of competent authors, have had the inevitable result. The freshness and strength of the originals have been replaced by stock phrases and commonplace sentiments; and injury has been done to the quality of our public worship as well as to the memory of great hymn-writers.
A Hymn Book that is offered as a companion to the Book of Common Prayer must provide adequately not only for Sundays but also for all those other Holy-days which in the Prayer Book are ordered to be observed precisely in the same way as Sundays. The Office Hymns for the Saints' Days 'to be observed' are therefore given, as well as many suitable modern hymns: to these have been added the hymns for the Minor Saints' Days of the Anglican Calendar (since it is a common practice to sing a hymn as a memorial of such days), although we recognize the fact that as there is no Office for such days in the Prayer Book they can have no Office Hymn in the strict sense of the word.
The Hymns marked 'Office Hymn' are translations from those appointed in the ancient choir-services of the English Church. In suggesting these as specially suitable, by placing them out of the alphabetical order under a special heading, we have followed the example of the Reformers, ​who went to the same source for our present Offices of Morning and Evening Prayer. Very many of these hymns are already well known, thanks to the good work of former hymnals; but there remained many Sundays and other days for which the proper hymns were not provided. There is indeed no need for all the hymns of all the ancient services, such as the hymns for both Mattins and Lauds on every occasion; but there is a legitimate demand for all those hymns which belong to the services of Morning and Evening Prayer, according to the Prayer Book Calendar. The need has long been felt of such a complete set of these ancient hymns, which in their Scriptural simplicity and sober dignity represent the deep Christian experience of more than a thousand years. This need we have now supplied, endeavouring where new translations were required to convey as faithfully as possible the spirit of the originals, so that in these hymns also the authors should speak for themselves.
Thus we have made complete provision for the liturgical requirements of Churchmen, while we have at the same time added many modern hymns of the first rank which have not hitherto been at their disposal. In so doing we have attempted to redress those defects in popular hymnody which are deeply felt by thoughtful men; for the best hymns of Christendom are as free as the Bible from the self-centred sentimentalism, the weakness and unreality which mark inferior productions. The great hymns, indeed, of all ages abound in the conviction that duty lies at the heart ​of the Christian life—a double duty to God and to our neighbour; and such hymns, like the Prayer Book, are for all sorts and conditions of men.
EXPLANATORY NOTES.
The book is divided into twelve parts, and the hymns are arranged alphabetically in each part or section, so that they may be readily found. In Parts I to III, the Office Hymns for each occasion are placed first, and after them the other hymns follow in alphabetical order. Part X is divided into two sections: the first consists of hymns and prayers arranged so that processions may be definite acts of prayer and worship, after the manner of the Prayer Book Litany and the older processions upon which it is based; the second contains other hymns that are suitable for use in procession. The Metrical Litanies in Part XI are similarly arranged, so that they form complete acts of prayer. Part XII consists of liturgical prose pieces, which are arranged in their natural order.
The heading 'Office Hymn' shows that the original was the Office Hymn for the corresponding service in the Salisbury service-books, except in the case of No. 275, which is taken from those of York. The letters 'E.' and 'M.' stand for Evensong and Mattins, the first Evensong being that on the day before the festival. When these letters occur twice for the same festival or season ('E.' and 'M.,' 'M.' and 'E.'), the first 'E.' denotes the hymn for the first Evensong, and the second 'E.' the Evensong on the day itself; while the ​first 'M.' shows that the hymn anciently belonged to Mattins only, and the second 'M.' stands over the hymn that belonged to Lauds: as our present Mattins occupies the place of the older Mattins and Lauds, either hymn is equally suitable.
The names and dates of all authors are given, in so far as they are known. Initials only are provided in the case of living translators, whose names are given in the Index of Authors, and in the case of a few living authors. The letters 'Tr.' are prefixed to the names of all translators. The number of the Psalm (Ps.) is given in the case of paraphrases, though it must be remembered that some paraphrases are extremely free, while others are based upon one or two verses only of a Psalm.
Where the author's or translator's name has no mark, the hymn is unaltered or has been revised by the author himself. The sign '†' shows that an alteration has been made in one line only; the sign '‡' denotes alterations in two or three lines. To hymns that are the work of more than one writer a second name is given, or the words 'and others' are added. Translations which have no one special source are marked 'Tr. cento.' Alterations in spelling are not marked, nor is any note made of the omission of verses, nor do the statements as to authorship refer to the doxologies.
In the case of long hymns and of hymns with slow tunes, the sign '*' is prefixed to those verses which may be most conveniently omitted. It does not follow that verses so marked are considered in ​any way inferior, but only that they can be omitted without doing violence to the context.
Choruses and refrains are printed once for all in italic. 'Amen' is only printed with doxologies. In the case of other hymns its use is sometimes appropriate and sometimes not; but in the Musical Edition it is given with its musical setting in every case except that of sequences, so that it can be sung when desired. The verses are numbered, and in order to show when the last verse of a hymn is reached at the bottom of a page, a full point is in every case printed after the number of the last verse.
The Introits are given in Part XII, and as in some churches other Scriptural passages from the older Liturgy are occasionally used, these also are for convenience given in full. They follow the Introit, and are marked by letters which are explained in a note at the head of this Part.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.
We desire to express our warmest thanks to the authors who have aided us by writing or translating hymns specially for this Hymnal, i. e. Rev. Maurice F. Bell; Rev. Dr. C. Bigg, Professor of Ecclesiastical History, Oxford; Mr. F. C. Burkitt, Norrisian Professor of Divinity, Cambridge; Mr. G. K. Chesterton; Rev. G. Gillett; Mr. Laurence Housman; Miss H. Packer; Rev. E. S. Palmer; Rev. Canon Rawnsley; Mr. R. Ellis Roberts. Our thanks are also due to the following authors for their kind permission to include their hymns in the book:—Mr. A. C. Ainger; Rev. S. Baring-Gould; Mr. A. C. Benson; Rev. Father Benson; Rev. G. H. Bourne; ​Rev. H. R. Bramley; Rev. John Brownlie; Miss Christian Burke; Rev. Dr. Butler, Master of Trinity College, Cambridge; Mr. W. Canton; Rev. R. R. Chope; Rev. V. S. S. Coles; Rev. Father Collins; Mrs. Coote; Mr. R. F. Davis; Mrs. Gurney; Miss K. Hankey; Rev. Canon H. Scott Holland; Rev. F. L. Hosmer; Mr. C. W. Humphreys; Rev. J. S. Jones; Rev. Dr. Julian; Mr. Rudyard Kipling; Rev. S. C. Lowry; the Archbishop of York; Mrs. Maude; Mr. A. Midlane; Mrs. Miller; Mr. L. B. C. L. Muirhead; Rev. E. J. Newell; Mr. F. S. Pierpoint; Rev. Martin R. Pope; Rev. F. Pott; Rev. Canon Rawnsley; Very Rev. J. Armitage Robinson, Dean of Westminster; Rev. R. Hayes Robinson; Rev. I. G. Smith; Rev. W. Chalmers Smith; Rev. W. B. Trevelyan; Lieut.-Col. Turton. While the hymn book was going through the press three authors who had given their permission passed away: Bishop Bickersteth; Rev. L. Hensley; Mrs. Luke.
The following copyright hymns have been inserted by permission of the owners, to whom we tender our sincere gratitude:—119, Rev. H. L. Alderson; the late Dean Alford's hymns, Rev. H. L. Cruso; 580, Mr. W. K. Doane; St. Patrick's Breastplate, and other copyright hymns of the late Mrs. Alexander, the Archbishop of Armagh and the Association for Promoting Christian Knowledge; the three hymns 29, 225, 539, by Rev. H. R. Bramley, the late C. S. Calverley, and Mr. A. C. Benson, Messrs. Novello & Co.; 10, 636, Mrs. Blacker; 577, Mr. J. E. Bode; the late Dr. Bright's hymns, Rev. Dr. Lock; 15, Mr. Ernest Nister; 77, Mr. Kyrle Chatfield; 567, 584, Miss A. J. D. Clephane; 347, Mrs. Creighton; hymns by the ​late Mr. W. Chatterton Dix, Mrs. Dix; the late Canon Ellerton's hymns, Rev. F. J. Ellerton; 585, Mrs. A. M. Monro; the late Rt. Hon. W. E. Gladstone's hymn, Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons; 612, the John Church Co. and Mrs. Hanby; the late Miss Havergal's hymns. Rev. A. Havergal Shaw; 54, 155, 613, Messrs Dent & Co.; 548, the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge; the late Bishop Walsham How's hymns. Rev. H. Walsham How; 308, 328, 335, Rev. J. B. Croft; hymns by the late Dr. Littledale, Rev. J. E. Vaux; 530, the Mother's Union; hymns by the late Rev. G. Moultrie, Rev. B. Moultrie; the late Cardinal Newman's hymns, Mr. E. Bellasis and Messrs. Longmans; 368, Mrs. Jacob; the late Dean Plumptre's hymns, the Bishop of Gloucester and Mrs. Parsons; the late Rev. T. B. Pollock's litanies, Lt.-Col. Pollock; 232, 272, Rev. W. F. J. Romanis; 25, 203, Mr. William M. Rossetti and Messrs. Macmillan; 528, Mrs. Shuttleworth; the late Dean Stanley's hymns, the Dean's representatives, through Mr. John Murray and Messrs. Macmillan; the late Rev. S. J. Stone's hymns, Mrs. Boyd; the late Canon Thring's hymns, Mrs. Thring; 266, Mrs. Twells; 331, Rev. Canon Evans; hymns of the late Bishop Christopher Wordsworth, Rev. Christopher Wordsworth; 573, the Proprietors of Sacred Songs and Solos; 415, Mr. G. H. Fellowes Prynne; 430, Rev. J. A. Owen; 179, Mrs. Mason; 576, Rev. F. W. G. Whitfield; 517, Rev. R. R. Chope. Special thanks are due to the Rev. G. H. Palmer for permission to use his version of the Introits, and to Mr. E. W. Goldsmith for his revision of the Grails, &c.; and we are under a very great obligation to Mr. Robert Bridges, for ​permission to use no fewer than thirteen hymns from the Yattendon Hymnal.
We have spared no effort to discover the owners of all copyright hymns; but if through inadvertence any should have been overlooked, we desire to offer our apologies, and to promise that the omitted acknowledgement shall be inserted at the earliest opportunity.
We cannot exaggerate our indebtedness to Dr. Julian's Dictionary of Hymnology, a monumental work, without which we could not have reached the high standard of accuracy, as to both texts and authorship, which we set before us when entering upon our labours. We are also exceedingly grateful to Dr. Julian personally, and to the sub-editor of the Dictionary, the Rev. J. Mearns, for their most valuable assistance and information on many doubtful points.
Amidst a very large number of scholars, experts, and other friends who have materially lightened our labours, we must make special mention of the Very Rev. Dr. Furneaux, Dean of Winchester, and Mr. Arthur Reynolds, on whose taste and judgement we have often relied.
One member of the Committee, the late Rev. W. H. H. Jervois, was called to his rest shortly after the printing of the book was begun. We cannot therefore place his name among our own, but we dedicate to the memory of our friend the work in which he bore so large a share.
Ascension Day, 1906.