>> “Autumn”, the actual last hymn sung on board the sinking Titanic.
There has been debate about that for 100 years now - it was probably “Autumn” or “Nearer My G0d to Thee”. Had I been there, my choice would have been “Autumn”.
>> “Jerusalem”
Originally titled “And did those Feet in Ancient Times”, although not technically a hymn, is dearly loved, and has been the subject of a protracted snot fight in the UK since WW-1. Yobs are still having at in on YouTube. Although William Blake’s 1808 lyrics may be socialist in origin (see Wikipedia), they still bring tears to my eyes.
What the Catlicks need to do is to knock Fr. Carl P. Daw, Jr. over the head, kidnap him, chain him to a desk and say “Here’s our sorry stuff; now get to work revising it. Or else. Unlike your wimpy tribe, our nuns have rulers.” ;o)
Daw, BTW, is an EpiSscopal hymnologist.
I lean toward “Autumn” on the Titanic for two reasons: my Mom and my wife’s mother were born in the 1920’s. They grew up hearing their mothers sing that hymn in memory of the victims. Walter Lord referenced “Autumn” in his 1955 classic, “A Night to Remember.”
Not long before she passed away my mother in law opened a hymnal, pointed to “Autumn” & said that’s what her mother would sing on or about April 14th every year.
However, I must admit I only first heard of “Jerusalem” on Monty Python where it was sung to persuade the store salesman to remove the bucket over his head after hearing the word `mattress”.