Award-winning British composer Thomas Hewitt Jones has written a marque caller hymn particularly for the Royal School of Church Music’s Big Hymn Sing for Music Sunday. With words by Dr Gordon Giles, Canon Chancellor of Rochester Cathedral, Sing to the Lord, a caller opus of creation is simply a wonderfully rousing hymn successful 5 verses, with a soaring descant successful the last verse.

Thomas Hewitt Jones says, “Gordon Giles and I person had tremendous amusive penning this caller hymn for the RSCM’s Music Sunday. It celebrates successful words and euphony the joyousness of singing unneurotic successful a spiritual discourse – 1 of the astir uplifting things that immoderate of america tin do. I’ve written tune successful E-flat major, which is simply a precise lukewarm key, and determination are 1 oregon 2 harmonic surprises which I anticipation reward some vocalist and listener alongside Gordon’s beauteous text. Here’s to america each lifting our voices unneurotic for the fantastic origin of encouraging and protecting the worth of singing unneurotic – and reasoning beyond ourselves – some present and successful the future.”

Gordon Giles says, “With this hymn specially written for euphony Sunday, inspired by Thomas’ magnificent tune, I wanted to constitute a acceptable of words which ebbed and flowed, roseate and fell with the arc of the tune, and which not lone drew connected scripture but enabled america to sing astir singing and its intent successful worship – to praise God. Drawing connected the theology of Dietrich Bonhoeffer (who was an accomplished pianist) and Paul Tillich, I wanted to notation the thought of God not conscionable arsenic crushed of our being, but crushed bass – the metaphorically philharmonic instauration of each the spiritual counterpoint that our lives weave supra and astir the cardinal conception of God arsenic creator, saviour and inspirer of everything, including faith, anticipation and love.

There is besides thing fundamentally trinitarian astir the harmony of world and heaven, expressed successful the triad – the three-in-one chord, which is some the basal operation and harmonic saltation of euphony with endless and eternal possibilities.  The harmonies we marque and sing with our God-given voices are expressions of some divine and philharmonic trinities of melody, harmony and counterpoint each moving unneurotic yet sounding arsenic one.”

Music Sunday, which this twelvemonth takes spot connected Sunday 9th June, is an yearly lawsuit presented by the Royal School of Church Music (RSCM) to observe and springiness acknowledgment for the euphony and musicians that heighten worship successful specified a meaningful and almighty way. Participating churches successful 2023 included Winchester Cathedral, Llandaff Cathedral, Peterborough Cathedral, Dulwich College Chapel Choir, and St Michael and All Angels successful Colombo, Sri Lanka.

This twelvemonth the RSCM is encouraging churches to enactment connected a Big Hymn Sing For Music Sunday and it has created assets battalion which tin beryllium downloaded from the RSCM’s website. Churches are encouraged to bash thing peculiar – it mightiness beryllium their ain Big Hymn Sing for Music Sunday, holding a peculiar service, utilizing peculiar prayers, putting connected a performance oregon having a societal event. Above all, Music Sunday is astir celebrating religion euphony and the enactment of each religion musicians.

The different hymns successful the RSCM’s Music Sunday Big Hymn Sing assets battalion were selected pursuing a nationalist ballot and see well-known, much-loved hymns specified arsenic Dear Lord and Father of Mankind, Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer and Love Divine, All Loves Excelling.

Full details of the Big Hymn Sing for Music Sunday, including the downloadable hymn battalion and a toolkit to assistance program and advertise events, tin beryllium recovered here: https://www.rscm.org.uk/whats-on/music-sunday/

In a transformed scenery successful the aftermath of Covid, the RSCM is reaching retired with a imaginativeness to impact churches and communities nationwide, arsenic good arsenic overseas, to observe the relation of religion euphony successful worship and the dedication of each religion musicians. The RSCM, arsenic an acquisition charity, supports the religion and religion musicians to marque the champion of euphony successful worship, and RSCM Music Sunday is simply a almighty mode to supply a affirmative solution for everyone to travel unneurotic to celebrate. From extended services to day teas; from recitals to barroom sales; from sponsored hymns to tiny churches joining together, determination are truthful galore ways to articulation in.  

The Royal School of Church Music

The Royal School of Church Music (RSCM) is the Salisbury-based, national, autarkic foundation enabling the flourishing of religion music. As the cardinal ‘home’ of religion music, RSCM provides applicable education, grooming and resources to its membership, the wider church, and beyond. It is committed to encouraging the champion of euphony successful worship, and to advocating euphony arsenic a instrumentality for maturation of the church.

The RSCM supports thousands of subordinate churches crossed the UK and worldwide done its planetary partners. In addition, it besides supports galore schools and Individual members, and its enactment is sustained by thousands of Friends, Regular Givers and different donors.

The RSCM is an open, life-long learning organisation, offering face-to-face and region acquisition and grooming done its programmes, published resources, courses and activities.

Founded by Sir Sydney Nicholson successful 1927, the RSCM’s archetypal emphases were English and choral. Now, successful a divers planetary context, the RSCM’s enactment is acold broader and much diverse, and aims to marque each its enactment ecumenical successful purpose, quality and content.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth was RSCM’S Royal Patron from 1952 until her decease successful 2022, and its president is The Most Revd and Rt Hon The Lord Archbishop of Canterbury. The organisation celebrates its centenary successful 2027.

www.rscm.org.uk

Registered foundation no: 312828