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A house of praise:Collected hymns 1961 - 2001A HOUSE OF PRAISE If we cannot yet call Bishop Dudley-Smith the cream of the 20th-century hymn writers, it is because he now spans two centuries and sets the 21st off to a richly rewarding start. If 'Tell out, my soul' and 'Lord, for the years' are already classics, later work may yet be equally valued and more be published, even written. In the 20 years since his first published collection, Lift Every Heart, three slimmer 'supplements' appeared; this book harvests the main output, adds another 50 and, with some hymns discarded or emended, reaches 285 in all. Unlike earlier volumes, it arranges them not alphabetically but under nine themes, one of which comprises 45 metrical psalms or psalm-portions, from Psalm Praise to Praise! Text numbers usefully match page numbers; then come 176 pages of meticulous, often fascinating notes, and ten indexes which include recordings, translations, tunes and metres. Reading through from page one may not be the best approach unless you have a great appetite for Christmas! The first 46 cover Advent, Christmas and Epiphany, with texts appearing on family Christmas cards since 1968. This part of the seasonal section, like others for Baptism or Saints' Days, indicate an Anglican mind. More significantly, his work is consistently biblical and Christ-centred; 'evangelical' need not mean shallow, trite, repetitive or illiterate. The author confesses that 'I was, and remain, unmusical'; yes - and no! He unwittingly demonstrates that the most effective and worthy hymns (Watts and Wesley onwards) generally come from authors who are not composers. They are Scripture-driven, not keyboard-, guitar- or drum-driven. Many fine musicians are drawn to write tunes for 'TDS' precisely because his skilled verbal harmonies cry out to be sung. And pondered; hence the ancillary material introducing a great company of other writers, some more saintly than others, whose work the author enjoys. Many names suggest paths which readers will want to explore. Some material is familiar; new discoveries abound. I have space to enthuse over two, the contrasting 'Upon a tree the sin of man' and 'O God, whose all-sustaining hand', for civic occasions. One is a profoundly simple poem on a favourite evangelical theme; the other, a widely useful contribution for an evangelical blind-spot. This resource would enrich every church. Many Christians will also find it a devotional and literary treasure-store. Christopher Idle,
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