Timothy Dudley-Smith: A life in three scenes

Julia Cameron  |  People
Date posted:  15 Aug 2024
Share Add       
Timothy Dudley-Smith: A life in three scenes

LtoR: Timothy Dudley-Smith and John Stott (photo: David Gill)

RT REVD TIMOTHY DUDLEY-SMITH OBE: 1926-2024

Timothy Dudley-Smith will be remembered best for his rich contribution to hymnody. He is widely-regarded as the greatest modern hymnwriter of the 20th and early 21st centuries. At his 90th birthday celebration, Pam Rhodes, presenter of BBC Songs of Praise, described his popularity as springing out of ‘his understanding of the human condition’.

Bishop Timothy’s first hymn, ‘Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord’ was only ever intended as a poem. Leafing through a review copy of the New English Bible (NT) one morning, he reached for a pencil to attempt to turn the Magnificat into poetry. It took, as he later reflected, about 45 minutes. The hymn would appear in hundreds of hymn collections around the world. His ‘Lord, for the Years’ was sung at the Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II and in many Millennium events.

Share
< Previous article| People| Next article >
Read more articles on:   obituary  /  music
Read more articles by Julia Cameron >>
UK & Ireland
Westminster Declaration will call on politicians to reflect

Westminster Declaration will call on politicians to reflect

A major new initiative – the 2025 Westminster Declaration – is set to call on politicians to reflect on the …

Features
Cambodia 50 years on: Stories from the killing fields

Cambodia 50 years on: Stories from the killing fields

It is 50 years since the brutal Khmer Rouge seized power in Cambodia. Their genocide resulted in the …

New here?

Register and get three free articles each month!

Register

Subscribe

Enjoy our monthly paper and full online access from just £18/year

Find out more