Be still, my soul

‘Be still, my soul’ was originally an 18th century German pietist hymn by Catharina von Schlegel. It was translated into English in 1862 by Jane Borthwick in Edinburgh. The tune we now associate the words with came from Finland by the composer Jean Sibelius, who wrote a patriotic symphonic poem called ‘Finlandia’. But it tookContinue reading “Be still, my soul”

All things bright and beautiful

‘All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small, all things wise and wonderful, the Lord God made them all.’ This is a hymn that celebrates the creation in which we live and which we are. It’s widely popular in churches, school chapels, and even beyond the church. Cecil Frances Alexander (1818-95), of ‘OnceContinue reading “All things bright and beautiful”

Thine be the glory

À toi la gloire Nothing shouts ‘Easter’ like this grand hymn at the end of an Easter Day service. The tune is taken from the oratorio ‘Judas Maccabaeus’ by that great German-turned-Englishman Handel. The text, however, was written in French by a Swiss minister Edmond Budry (1854-1932), and afterwards translated to English. Another twist toContinue reading “Thine be the glory”