Looking Back: 23rd Psalm Still Tops Our Pops

From October 1974

BUT WIDE RANGE OF FAVOURITES

The metrical version of the 23rd Psalm, generally preferred to the tune Crimond, is far and away the most popular ‘song of praise’ in the Kirk. But there is a far wider range of ‘favourite’ psalms and hymns than many people realise, a number of them not in the new hymnary.

These are among the findings indicated by readers’ votes in the Life and Work Songs of Praise competition, entry forms for which appeared in the June issue.

More than a hundred different items of praise were mentioned by readers as their personal favourites, with ‘The Lord’s My Shepherd’ followed by ‘O Love that wilt not let me go’ and ‘What a friend we have in Jesus’ – a hymn excluded from the new hymn book but which came twelfth in the votes which decided the ‘most popular items of praise’. In this voting the Old Hundredth and ‘Abide with me’ followed the 23rd Psalm but a long way back.

The tables show the Top Ten of ‘most popular items’ and readers’ rather different pattern of personal favourites, with the percentage vote of entries for each.

NOT IN NEW HYMNARY

A sign that many voters were unfamiliar with the new hymnary – or in disagreement with its editors – was that the popular baptismal hymn was generally still mentioned as ‘By cool Siloam’s shady rill’, the old first line. Among new hymns which appeared as a favourite was ‘Thou art before me Lord, Thou art behind.’ More than 300 items of praise were entered either as among the most popular or as personal favourites. Almost a fifth of them, ranging from ‘The Old Rugged Cross’ to the Easter hymn in ‘Cavalleria Rusticana’ by way of ‘Amazing Grace’ are not in the third edition of the Church Hymnary.

Few Christmas hymns were mentioned – almost certainly because of the timing of the competition.

PRIZES GO NORTH

First prize winner in the competition, was Mr R Millar, of Station house, Alves, Forres, whose list of the most popular hymns came very close to that voted by readers.

However his favourite hymn, with ‘a lovely singing tune’, is ‘Lord of all being, throned afar’. Says Mr Millar, “It beautifully phrases the Creator’s awe and glory. A wonderful promise is condensed into six words in line three of verse three.” The six words are: 2Our rainbow arch Thy mercy’s sign.”

Mr Millar receives a transistor radio.

The special prize for children  - a Kodak instamatic camera – went to Mairi Gillies, aged 12 , of Kiriboll Villa, Tongue, Sutherland. Mairi’s favourite hymn is ‘What a friend we have in Jesus’. She says it was written by a man who had experienced much suffering and adds: “It is a suitable hymn to sing in times of anxiety, sorrow and loneliness.”

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