Replies

If you play the piano, be sure to get the small copy of the organist's edition (it's about 8 by 5), because some of the hymns are unison and the accompaniments are lovely. The 1982 Hymnal cuts out some of the old faves (like Kipling's "God of Our Fathers") but by and large it got rid of a lot of Victorian deadwood in the 1940 edition. It is also noticeably more Catholic than the 1940. It does carry on the tradition of having four parts for most hymns, which is a lot of fun if you read music. The small choir hymnal (1 volume) has the four parts where the hymn is not sung in unison.

There's an entire volume of service music, which includes both chant tones and modern settings for the Ordinary. It's close enough so that the settings could be used for a Catholic service, too.

I would have to break my hundred-year rule in the case of some of the new hymn tunes in the Hymnal. Just one example is the new setting of "There's a Wideness in God's Mercy" No. 469 - text written by Frederick W. Faber, the English Catholic convert. I don't like the old tune, "Beecher", it's too square and clunky, but the new tune (which you can't find on the net because it's still under copyright), "St. Helena" by Calvin Hampton, is a perfect fit to the meter and the sense of the words. It's in 6/8 time and it rocks like the sea.

On the other hand, SOME of the new hymns are rotten in tune (usually because they're trying to include some ethnic music, e.g. Hispanic stuff which is too pop) or in text ("Earth and All Stars" is just as silly and ridiculous as any modern liberal trying to be all relevant could be). They have messed with the text of some hymns trying to bring them up to date, thank the Lord it's not "inclusive language" but you can always just sing the original words. You can't expect every number to be a hit, I suppose . . . .

But just stick your head into the bookstore of any large Episcopalian church or (especially) cathedral if you have one handy. You'll also be surprised at the lovely rosaries, icons, and other art they have on hand. They may be heretics, but artistically they are always in good taste, and many Episcopalians are just not-quite-Catholics. (We're probably going to see more of them swimming the Tiber as the ECUSA implodes. Better drop by that bookstore soon. . . )