 Favourite Hymns Volume I More Favourite Hymns Volume II Hymns for Christmas Volume III The Hymns of Charles Wesley Volume IV Hymns for Special Occasions Volume V Hymns of Our Time Volume VI Hymns of the Great Composers Volume VII Poetry in Hymns Volume VIII Hymns and Prayers Volume IX Scripture in Hymns Volume X Hymns of the Victorian Era Volume XI Hymns of the Twentieth Century Volume XII |
(ISBN: 0-9545046-0-7) Published by Grasshopper Publishing Limited, 2003 VOLUME I embraces hymn-writers living through the turbulent times from the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 1530s to the French Revolution at the end of the eighteenth century and the full force of Britain’s Industrial Revolution, culminating in the early years of the nineteenth century. Among the hymn-writers featured in this volume are John Bunyan, George Hebert, Thomas Ken, James Montgomery, John Newton, Isaac Watts and Charles Wesley. More information on Volume I (ISBN: 0-9545046-1-5) Published by Grasshopper Publishing Limited, 2003 VOLUME II covers those hymns written between 1820 and 1900 – a time of religious belief and missionary zeal. This era saw the aftermath of the Battle of Waterloo through to the beginning of the Boer War at the turn of the century, whose early years witnessed the development of the Industrial Revolution and the growth of the British Empire. The apparent affection for hymns of the past continues here in Volume II with hymn-writers such as Cecil Frances Alexander, John Ellerton, John Henry Newman and John Greenleaf Whittier. The fact remains that throughout several generations the older hymns have been a source of comfort, peace and sometimes inspiration, and hence remain as ‘favourites’. More information on Volume II (ISBN: 0-9545046-2-3) Published by Grasshopper Publishing Limited, 2003 VOLUME III covers Hymns for Christmas, including many traditional favourites. Until the year 1700 or thereabouts, hymns as we know them hardly existed in the English Church. In that year, Nahum Tate is believed to have written one of the oldest hymns in our modern hymn books – While shepherds watched their flocks by night. Also included in this volume is a selection of Christmas readings. More information on Volume III (ISBN: 0-9545046-3-1) Published by Grasshopper Publishing Limited, 2004 VOLUME IV deals with The Hymns of Charles Wesley – one of our most prolific and best-loved hymn-writers and many a Charles Wesley hymn is to be found in our hymn books today. The Foreword has been contributed by The Revd. Dr. Leslie Griffiths, Superintendent Minister of Wesley’s Chapel in London and a former President of the Methodist Conference. Also included in this volume is a selection of readings from Wesley’s many unpublished poems. More information on Volume IV (ISBN: 0-9545046-4-X) Published by Grasshopper Publishing Limited, 2004 VOLUME V covers Hymns for Special Occasions such as Morning, Lent and Easter, The Holy Scriptures, Marriage, Baptism, Harvest, The Christian Life, The Life of the Nation, Evening, and Funerals and Memorial Services. Among the hymn-writers in this volume are William Cowper, Thomas Ken, Charles Kingsley, Rudyard Kipling and Anna Laetitia Waring. Also included is a Supplement of Readings for a variety of events in the life of the Christian Church. More information on Volume V (ISBN: 0-9545046-5-8) Published by Grasshopper Publishing Limited, 2005 VOLUME VI covers Hymns of Our Time and includes a Prologue by the well-known hymn-writer, The Revd. Dr. Fred Kaan as well as a Supplement of some of his much-loved hymns. Most of the hymns featured in Volume VI had their origin in the second half of the twentieth century when more hymns were written throughout the world than in the previous 250 years. Our hymn-writers span almost 150 years – from Frances van Alstyne (b.1820) to Fred Pratt Green (b.1903) to Timothy Dudley-Smith (b.1926) to Graham Kendrick (b.1950). More information on Volume VI (ISBN: 0-9545046-6-6) Published by Grasshopper Publishing Limited, 2006 VOLUME VII covers Hymns of the Great Composers with special emphasis on the selected hymn tunes and the background of their composers, together with references to the important part both they and the authors of the hymns have played, and continue to play, in the life of Church music. More information on Volume VII (ISBN: 0-9545046-7-4) Published by Grasshopper Publishing Limited, 2007 VOLUME VIII includes a particular emphasis on poetry, which the Scottish philosopher, writer, historian and poet, Thomas Carlyle called ‘musical thought’. It is appropriate, therefore that the Preface gives a ‘diagnosis’ of the role of poetry in the development of Christian hymns, as well as some explanation of Christian hymnody as an art form. Many of the authors included here are well-known poets, others less so, but all are masters of their art. More information on Volume VIII (ISBN: 978-0-9545046-8-2) Published by Grasshopper Publishing Limited, 2007 VOLUME IX includes a particular emphasis on prayer; Martin Luther considered that ‘music was a gift of God instilled and implanted in all creatures … nothing is without sound or harmony, but the human voice is the most wonderful gift of all.’. Indeed, it has been said that the one who sings ‘prays twice’. This publication is divided into Part I – hymns, Part II – Psalms and Canticles and Part III – extracts from Christian literature drawn from prose and poetry. More information on Volume IX (ISBN: 978-0-9545046-9-4) Published by Grasshopper Publishing Limited, 2008 VOLUME X has, at its heart, words of Scripture, which can be found within the hymns themselves or as a theme threaded through their verses. In fact, the importance of psalms and hymns and spiritual songs was highlighted by St. Paul himself, and two such references can be found in his Letters to both the Colossians and the Ephesians. The majority of the hymns included in this volume had their origin in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. More information on Volume X (ISBN: 978-0-9560664-0-4) Published by Grasshopper Publishing Limited, 2008 VOLUME XI includes just a few of the many hymns written in the century dominated by the industrious Victorians. In fact, it has been said that more Christian hymns flowed from this era than from all the previous years of Christian hymnody added together. For three centuries or so, the metrical versions of the Psalms (referred to as ‘the hymn book of the Bible’) had formed the bedrock of corporate worship - whether spoken or sung - in the Protestant Church. Although their importance was recognised well into the nineteenth century, the world was on the threshold of great change. More information on Volume XI (ISBN: 978-0-9560664-1-1) Published by Grasshopper Publishing Limited, 2009 VOLUME XII includes some of our most recently published hymns and hymn-writers ready to take up the challenge of the modern era - no doubt inspired by those who have come before them. Indeed, the output of hymns and their music has in no way diminished during the twentieth century, reflecting their continued relevance in our time. There is probably no finer medium that stirs the listener as much as hymn music in its immense variety and capacity for enjoyment. More information on Volume XII Each of these books is accompanied by a complimentary CD with recordings of all the hymns in the particular volume. In the case of Volume IX, some Psalms and Canticles are also included in the recording. Each volume is described more fully in its own page on this website. |
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2003
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