In the 1960’s the Kelham Fathers published a little collection of hymns under the title ‘Some Kelham Hymns’. It cost 4/- (20p.) for 36 pages. They were part of the liturgical renewal of the time, and the Preface points out that new hymns are coloured by the theological climate of the era and, as such, are bound to ‘date’ fairly quickly. Looking at these hymns which were written over 50 years ago they retain a freshness and directness which is remarkable. They stand in contrast to the work of Fr Geoffrey Beaumont CR and his group, in that they (for the most part) retain traditional tunes with new words. The Twentieth Century Church Light Music group provided new tunes for traditional words: the music (to my ear) seems very dated, in the 1950’s dance band style.

‘Some Kelham Hymns’ includes twenty one hymns. Fifteen were written by Fr Hilary Greenwood SSM, two by Fr Giles Ambrose SSM, one by Fr Alex Adkins SSM and the remainder by Old Students. The Processional for Michelmas ‘Sons of the Holy One’ and several other hymns have been included in editions of the English Hymnal.

These are hymns in the traditional sense. They are objective, biblical and theological. They are unlike the ‘Worship Songs’ which were then becoming popular, which are usually expressions of personal devotion (‘Jesus, we love you, we worship and adore you’ for example). They use scriptural imagery, as in the children’s hymn ‘Walking in a garden’ where Fr Hilary weaves the three verses around the Garden of Eden, the Garden of Gethsemane, and the Garden of the Empty Tomb. Then there is that extraordinary hymn ‘Wonderful completeness’ where the same author begins with Samson, migrates through Herod’s Temple (‘While the Temple curtains billow/ Round the wak’ning dead’) and ends with the Resurrection and the Church. Powerful stuff!

This use of startling imagery and paradox is found in any number of the hymns. Mary, the Incarnation and the Eucharist are brought together in ‘The breath of God, which ev’ry heart’, and it contains the wonderful lines: ‘And he whose speech can rouse the dead / Is cradled in the House of Bread.’

‘The Trinity of mutual love’ is set to be sung to a traditional English folk song. It finds the image of the Trinity imprinted in Creation and the remaking of the unity of the world a return to the unity of God the Trinity. We find this same concern that the life of the Trinity may be restored in human living in the hymn ‘God does not shrink the human form’ (by a different author) .

From time to time the music reveals the era in which these hymns were written. ‘The wind blows on the mountain side’ is based on the Didache and the tune which accompanies it is an arrangement of ‘House of the Rising Sun’. I was told that Fr Hilary wrote ‘Walking in a garden’ to be sung to the tune of ‘Puff the magic dragon’ but that the composer/publisher of that song refused permission. Pity! It fits rather well.

I cannot finish without a mention of ‘Sons of the Holy One’, the great Michelmas Processional Hymn by the Revd F A Judd, an old student of Kelham who died in 1939. Even as I type these words I can hear it being sung by sixty young men to that splendid tune Liebster Emmanuel (harmonies by J S Bach of course). I don’t suppose it is much used these days, for Processions which were such a joyous part of mediaeval liturgy died as the laity were (and are) safely confined to their seats to be lectured by a ‘personality preacher’ … Someone once said that Anglicans learned their theology through the hymns they sang. They quoted the example of Mrs Alexander’s hymn ‘There is a green hill’ where the New Testament theories of the Atonement are successively explained in the verses. Strong words and strong music are needed if the Christians of our generation are to offer worthy worship, and to articulate the Faith to a hungry world.