The Book of Common Praise 2017: A Review

By Robin G. Jordan

I recently bought a copy of the Reformed Episcopal Church’s The Book of Common Praise 2017 and examined it. For readers who may not be familiar with the Reformed Episcopal Church, it predates the Continuing Anglican Movement of the 1970s and later. The Reformed Episcopal Church was founded in the late nineteenth century when Bishop George David Cummins and a group of Evangelical Episcopalians broke with the then Protestant Episcopal Church and formed a separate jurisdiction. It has a long affiliation with the Free Church of England and is one of the founding entities of the Anglican Church in North America.

Overall I think that The Book of Common Praise 2017 contains a nice selection of hymns. The hymnal is is in a number of ways a decided improvement over The Hymnal (1940).

Among the strengths of The Book of Common Praise 2017 is that it contains a core of hymns from The Hymnal (1940), which are familiar to most North American Reformed Episcopal and Continuing Anglican congregations. It also retains the traditional language of these hymns.

The Book of Common Praise 2017 incorporates a number of the better hymns from The Hymnal 1982. It also incorporates a number of popular African American spirituals and gospel songs as well as “new” hymns. The latter include both older hymns that may be new to Reformed Episcopalians and Continuing Anglicans and more recent compositions that have proven their usefulness in worship.

Hymns and songs like “All creatures of our God and King,” “Amazing grace! How sweet the sound,” “Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart,” “Church of God, elect and glorious,” “Come thou Fount of ev’ry blessing,” “Come, ye sinners, poor and needy,” “Draw us in the Spirit’s tether,” “Give thanks with a grateful heart,” “Go tell it on the mountain,” “He is born, the divine Christ-child,” “I have decided to follow Jesus,” “I want to walk as a child of the light,” "In Christ alone my hope is found,"  “Infant holy, Infant lowly,” “King of glory, King of peace,” “Let all things now living,” “Lift high the cross,” “My Shepherd will supply my needs,” “O God, we praise thee, and confess,” “O praise ye the Lord! Give praise in the height,” “O the deep, deep love of Jesus,” “People, look east. The time is near,” “Seek ye first the kingdom of God,” “Sing we now of Christmas,” “Sing praise to God who reigns above,” “Soon and very soon, we are goin’ to see the King,” “Still, still, still,” “Tell out my soul, the greatness of the Lord!” “We come as guests invited,” and “What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul!” will be welcome additions to the congregational repertoires of Reformed Episcopal and Continuing Anglican churches.

The Book of Common Praise 2017, however, does have a number of weaknesses.

In my experience most of the hymns in the Morning and Evening sections will never be used. I was surprised that Eleanor Farjeon’s hymn, “Morning has broken” was not included in the Morning section. It would likely have gotten far more use than a number of the hymns that are included in the Morning section.

Much more singable versions of the Phos hilaron than Robert Bridges “O gladsome light, O grace,” set to NUNC DIMITTIS, are available for congregational use. Examples are Christopher Idle’s “Light of gladness, Lord of glory,” set to QUEM PASTORES; William G.Storey’s “O radiant Light, O Sun divine;”set to JESU DULCIS MEMORIA and CONDITOR ALME SIDERUM; and Bland Tucker’s “O gracious light, Lord Jesus Christ,” set to CONDITOR ALME SIDERUM and TALLIS’ EIGHTH TUNE/TALLIS’ CANON. “O gladsome light, O grace” appears more suited for choir use.

One of the weaknesses of The Book of Common Praise 2017 is its Word of God section. Hymns Ancient and Modern New Standard Version (1983) has a number of hymns that would have made good additions to that section. They are William Watkins Reid’s “Help us, O Lord, to learn,” H.C. A. Gaunt’s “Lord Jesus, once you spoke to men,” S. N. Sedgewick’s “Praise we now the Word of Grace,” and John F. Bowers’ “The prophets spoke in days of old.”

The compilers of The Book of Common Praise 2017 did not do their homework before they added the children’s hymn, “Thy gospel Jesus we believe” to the Word of God section. It is a First Communion hymn originally published in a late nineteenth century Roman Catholic catechism for preparing children for their First Communion. The Hymnal (1940) notes its suitability as a communion hymn at the end of the Holy Communion section. It is a frequently abused hymn that should have been retired. Compare the way it is performed by Missio in this video with the unimaginative way it is often sung in church.

The Service Music section contains no settings for alleluias and verses to introduce the Gospel. The practice of singing an alleluia and verse predates that of singing a sequence hymn. A cantor sings the alleluia; the cantor and congregation sing the alleluia together, the cantor sings the verse, and then the cantor and the congregation again sing the alleluia together. An alleluia and verse or an alleluia without a verse may be used to introduce the Gospel whether it is read from the pulpit, the steps of the chancel, or the midst of the congregation. The alleluia may be repeated (but not the verse) after the reading of the Gospel. An alleluia and verse or alleluia may be sung during the Christmas Season, the Easter Season (from Easter Sunday through Whitsun), and ordinary time (Epiphanytide and Trinitytide). An alleluia and verse or alleluia is a good choice for introducing the Gospel for a small congregation with limited musical resources. Among the alleluias in wide use today are John Schiavone's "Alleluia (Chant Mode VI)," Fintan O’Carroll and Christopher Walker’s “Celtic Alleluia,” the Caribbean “Halle, halle, halle,” the Native American “Heleluyan,” and Jacque Berthier’s “Taize Alleluia.”

I am also surprised that hymns and songs like the African American spiritual “Let us break bread together on our knees,” Cyril Alington’s “Ye that know the Lord is gracious,” the anonymous “Praise the Lord, ye heavens adore him,” Sydney Carter’s “I danced in the morning/Lord of the Dance,” Richard Gillard’s “Brother, sister, let me serve you/The Servant Song,” Georgia Elma Harkness’ “Tell it out with gladness,” Richard Hutchin’s “The tree of life my soul has seen/Jesus Christ the apple tree,” William F. Jabusch’s “Open your ears, O faithful people,” Harry Loper’s “As Jacob with travel was weary one day,” Henry Ustic Onderdonk’s “How wondrous and great Thy works, God of praise,” James Quinn’s “Christ be beside me, Christ be before me (original version)” and "This day God gives me," Daniel L. Schutte’s “Here I am, Lord/I the Lord of Sea and Sky,” James E Seddons’s “Go forth and tell, O Church of God awake”and “Tell all the world of Jesus,” Susan Toolan’s “I am the Bread of Life,” Isaac Watt's "Come let us join our cheerful songs," Charles Wesley’s Ye servants of God, your master proclaim,” and Omar Westerdorf’s “You satisfy the hungry heart with gifts of finest wheat/Gift of Finest Wheat” were not included in The Book of Common Praise 2017. These hymns and songs have proven their usefulness in worship, appear in the better hymnals of recent publication, and would enrich the worship of Anglican churches, both large and small.

A number of these hymns and songs have multiple uses. For, example, “How wondrous and great Thy works God of praise” is a metrical version of the canticle Magna et Miribilia and may be sung before the Gospel or after the Post-Communion Thanksgiving in place of the Gloria in excelsis. It may also be sung at the conclusion of a service as a hymn of dedication or a mission hymn. “Praise the Lord, ye heavens adore him” is a metrical version of Psalm 148 and may be put to the same uses.

The Book of Common Praise 2017 has a surprising number of Lutheran chorales and hymns for an Anglican hymnal.  At the same time a number of Anglican classics such as the seventeenth century Anglican poet-priest George Herbert’s “Come my Way, my Truth, my Life,” “Let all the world in every corner sing” and “Teach me, my God and King” have been left out.

The Book of Common Praise 2017 is also short on the hymns of the most prolific twentieth century Anglican hymn writers such as Michael Baughan, Carl P. Daw Jr., Timothy Dudley-Smith, Christopher Idle, David Mowbray, Michael Perry, Michael Saward, James Seddon, and Paul Wigmore. One category of church music that is noticeably missing from the hymnal is the hymns and songs of the Anglican global south—Africa, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, Central America, India, Mexico, New Zealand, Tasmania, and South America.

The Book of Common Praise 2017 has only a few metrical versions of the Prayer Book canticles. It would have greatly benefited from the inclusion of Michael Baughen’s “Come, rejoice before your Maker,” set to BEACH SPRING and RESTORATION; Edward F. Darling’s “Come, bless the Lord, God of our forebears,” set to EARTH AND ALL STARS - see The Church Hymnal Fifth Edition (2000), 688; Carl P. Daw Jr.’s “Be joyful in the Lord,” set to LEONI; “Blessed be the God of Israel, Who comes to set us free,” set to KINGSFOLD and FOREST GREEN; “Come, let us sing with joy,” set to OLD 124TH, “God’s Paschal Lamb is sacrificed for us,” set to SINE NOMINE and ENGELBER; “Let all creation bless the Lord,” set to MIT FREUDEN ZART; “Surely it is God who saves me/First Song of Isaiah;” set to RAQUEL and THOMAS MERTON, with IN BABILONE as an alternative tune; Timothy Dudley-Smith’s “All glory be to God on high,” set to KINGSFOLD and “Come, let us praise the Lord With joy our God proclaim,” set to DARWALL’S 148TH; David Haas’ “My soul is filled with joy/holy is your name,” set to WILD MOUNTAIN THYME/WILL YE GO LASSIE, GO; Christopher Idle’s “Bless the Lord, our fathers’ God,” set to ORIENTIS PARTIBUS; “Glory in the highest to the God of heaven!” set to EVELYNS and LAND OF HOPE AND GLORY; “God, we praise you! God, we bless you!” set to NETTLETON; Michael Joncas’ “O come and sing to God the Lord,” set to CLEARWATER - see As Morning Breaks (North American Liturgical Resources: 1985), pp 8-9; David Mowbray’s “Now lives the Lamb of God,” set to DARWALL’S 148TH; J. T. Mueller’s “My soul gives glory to the Lord,” set to MAGNIFICAT; Michael Perry’s “Blessed be the God of Israel Who comes to set us free, He visits and redeems us,” set to ELLACOMBE and MERLE’S TUNE;” “Come, worship God who is worthy of honor,” set to O QUANTA QUALIA and STAR IN THE EAST; and “Glory be to God in heaven, Peace to those who love him well,” set to LADUE CHAPEL and HYMN TO JOY; James Quinn's "Lord, bid your servant go in peace/Song of Simeon" set to LAND OF REST; Stephen P Stark’s “All you works of God, bless the Lord!” set to LINSTEAD, and “We praise you, and acknowledge you, O God,” set to THAXTED (Holst).

The compilers of The Book of Common Praise 2017 appear to assume that all Reformed Episcopal parishes have professional choirmasters; seasoned, well-trained choirs capable of providing the strong musical leadership needed for chant; pipe or reed organs and competent organists; the kind of acoustical environment suitable for chant, and congregations adept at singing chant.

The compilers of the Church of Ireland’s Church Hymnal Fifth Edition (2000) had a firmer grip on reality. They devoted an entire section of that hymnal to metrical versions of the Prayer Book canticles that could be sung to familiar hymn tunes—a boon for small congregations that lack the aforementioned resources.

The choice of tunes for a number of the hymns and the omission of suggested alternative tunes for any of the hymns will limit the usefulness of The Book of Common Praise 2017 for small Anglican churches with limited musical resources, particularly churches like my own that do not have an organist and which use a digital hymnal player. If a hymn tune or an alternative hymn tune is not included in the digital hymnal player’s master list of hymn tunes, the congregation will not be able to sing the hymn.

Large congregations with ample musical resources are the exception, not the rule in all Anglican jurisdictions in the United States. Unfortunately the compilers of The Book of Common Praise 2017 appear to have lost sight of this important fact of church life in North America: Most congregations are small and have limited musical resources. They, like the compilers of The Hymnal (1940), have produced a hymnal that is designed primarily for cathedrals, seminary chapels, and large parish churches.

One way that the Reformed Episcopal Church might rectify this shortcoming is to produce an electronic edition of The Book of Common Praise 2017, a set of CDs of the hymns, hymn tunes, and service music used in the hymnal, like the United Methodist Church did with The United Methodist Hymnal (1989) and its supplement, The Faith We Sing (2000).

A second option would be to create a website like RiteSong and Small Church Music from which churches can download either for a small fee or free of charge MP3s of the hymns, hymn tunes, and service music used in The Book of Common Praise 2017. Both options would make the hymnal more accessible to small congregations with limited musical resources.

The rationale that the compilers of The Book of Common Praise 2017 offer for adding “Amen” at the end of a number of hymns does not hold water. As the twentieth century hymnologist Erik Routley pointed out, the addition of “Amen” to hymns was a nineteenth century fad, an attempt to reshape all hymns along the lines of the Medieval Latin hymn which the promoters of this fad regarded as the ideal form for a hymn. See Erik Routley’s Church Music and the Christian Faith, “Amen,” Agape (1978), pp.96-99. See also Dean McIntire’s article, “Why Don’t We Sing Amens Anymore?” Dean McIntire summarizes Erik Routley’s essay on the liturgical use of “Amen” in his article.

The compilers of The Book of Common Praise 2017 also put a line after the third stanza of many hymns, which suggests that the hymn may be cut off after the third stanza. They offer no explanation for the line. If they are indeed suggesting that the hymn may cut off after the third stanza, they are encouraging a bad practice. It not only can mutilate the sense of the hymn but also it depreciates hymns as a part of the common prayer of the people.

Unlike the compilers of The Hymnal (1940), The Hymnal 1982, and other Anglican hymnals, the compilers of The Book of Common Praise 2017 do not mark with an asterisk those stanzas of a hymn that may be omitted without affecting the meaning of the hymn.

While The Book of Common Praise 2017 contains a hymn selection guide for the service of Holy Communion for the Sundays and feast days of the Church Year, the hymnal contains nothing to guide worship planners in selecting hymns for the services of Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer when one of these services is the principal service on a Sunday or feast day as is often the case in small Anglican churches, which may have a Holy Communion service only as frequently as once a month.

While it may not have been intentional, the lack of attention to the circumstances and needs of small Anglican churches that is evident in The Book of Common Praise 2017 may exacerbate the low esteem of small congregations struggling to meet the unrealistic expectations of a wider ecclesial culture that views the large church with ample musical resources and full-time clergy as the standard of practice for the jurisdiction. Small churches, both Anglican and non-Anglican, are different from large churches. They require worship resources tailored to their needs and circumstances. The days of the “one size fits all” hymnal are past.

At the time The Hymnal (1940) was adopted, the average life of a hymnal was about 25 years. Today the average life of a hymnal is less than 10 years. The Hymnal (1940) is 78 years old. The Reformed Episcopal Church must be commended for recognizing the need for a replacement for The Hymnal (1940) not only in its own churches but also the churches of the Continuum, and taking a bold step to meet this need. Despite its shortcomings The Book of Common Praise 2017 will greatly enrich the worship of the Reformed Episcopal and Continuing Anglican churches that adopt it as their primary worship resource.

No hymnal is perfect. Every hymnal has its strengths and weaknesses. Knowing what these strengths and weaknesses are, enables those responsible for worship planning in their congregation to build on their primary worship resource’s strengths and to work around its weaknesses.

Twenty-first century congregations have the option of supplementing their primary worship resource with a collection of hymns and songs compiled locally, an advantage that congregations did not enjoy in the past. Music licensing resources like One License and CCLI make such an undertaking relatively easy.

Small Anglican churches can also network with each other to exchange information, ideas, and practical solutions, to develop worship resources, and to build up and strengthen their respective music ministries.

Image: Anglican Liturgy Press