This is the hymn tune Abbot's Leigh, then repeated with my descant. This is the tune for 3 hymns in the 1982 hymnal: 379, 511, 523 and as 280 and 282 in the Episcopal Wonder, Love and Praise Hymn Supplement, and probably in many other hymnals.  The tune was written by Cyril Vincent Taylor in 1941 when he was working for the Religious Broadcasting Department of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The tune was originally written as an alternate  tune to the hymn text "Glorious Things of thee are spoken," which was usually sung to the tune "Austria," a wonderful tune by Franz Josef Haydn but happened to be the tune used by Germany for their National Anthem. 

Choir directors: contact me for the sheet music.

Descant To Abbot's Leigh LATEST Verse And Descant 5Apr2024

Sonata for recorder trio

Over twenty English hymn texts have been set to DUKE STREET, the signature setting being Isaac Watts' Jesus shall reign where'er the sun. Watts (1674-1748) was a prodigy as scholar and preacher, and a significant percentage of his prolific collection of hymns was written almost entirely in a two year period. Widely liked by the full theological spectrum of his day - from ecclesiast to nonconformist - he wrote generally to elevate sung praise, and some were written specifically as responses to his sermons. 

DUKE STREET was first published anonymously in Henry Boyd's Select Collection of Psalm and Hymn Tunes (1793), and later credited to John Hatton (1710-1793) in William Dixon's Euphonia (1805). Other than that he lived in Duke Street, in the township of Windle in Lancaster, England, virtually nothing is known about Hatton, who composed several other hymn tunes of lesser note.

Score is free at https://hymndescants.org/duke-street

Jesus shall reign wheree'r the sun (DUKE STREET)

This 1929 tune by Gordon Slater is named after St Botolph, whose name became the root of the modern name 'Boston' (from Botwul's Town), which lies in the precincts of the Lincoln Cathedral where Slater was organist and choirmaster for 36 years. The text is by omnivorous learner Henry Alford, an academic who started out as vicar of a small parish and finished his career as dean of Canterbury Cathedral. Another of his hymns is 'Come ye thankful people, come.' Free score to this descant is at https://hymndescants.org/st-botolph

We walk by faith (ST BOTOLPH)

Hymn tunes with the 'Old' assignation are those that appeared Sternhold and Hopkins' The Whole Booke of Psalmes, and the tune for Psalm CXX, now OLD 120TH, appeared without attribution in 1569 - the 20th year of publication. Initially, the Psalms were rendered without tunes into the standard meter for ballads - now, common meter - so they could be sung to familiar tunes; this particular Psalm, however, is in a very uncommon 66.66.66 meter.

"Hail to the Lord who comes" is John Ellerton's devotional retelling of the Nunc dimittis, with Christ's first visit to his temple very unlike the one it prefigures: no shouts proclaim him nigh. This hymn is appointed for the February 2 liturgical feast day usually known as Candlemas,

Free score at https://hymndescants.org/old-120th

Hail to the Lord who comes (OLD 120th)

During his lifetime, Isaac Watts (1674 – 1748) helped shift hymns from metrical Psalms to devotional hymns - in no small measure owing to the quality of his poetry. He wrote over 600 hymns, spread across seven volumes. Rachel Tillay observes that Watts "insisted that hymns should be freely composed and not just hold to the letter of Scripture; and that hymns should give straightforward expression to the thoughts and feelings of the singers and not merely recall events of the distant past." Carl Daw notes the poet's use of oppositional word pairs such as gain/loss, contempt/pride; like Matthew Arnold several centuries prior, Daw considers that When I survey the wondrous cross (1707) may be the best of Watts' oeuvre. The hymn was permanently bound to ROCKINGHAM in Hymns Ancient & Modern (1861). Free score to this arrangement at https://hymndescants.org/rockingham

When I survey the wondrous cross (ROCKINGHAM)

(Free organ scores: hymndescants.org) Audio demos of descants and reharmonizations of hymn tunes. (All audio files being updated through 2024.) (Most are CC-BY-NC-ND license, free for church or any non-commercial use. All other rights reserved.)

I write choral and solo settings of psalm texts, church service music, descants and hymn reharmonizations.  Background in classical choral music, Episcopal (Anglican) tradition, and South Indian classical music. St. Albans School, Wesleyan University. Psalms posted here include: 4, 6, 15, 18, 19, 22, 23, 25, 34, 36, 39, 47, 48, 49, 51, 54, 66, 72, 91, 100, 115, 130, 146, 148. Some were commissioned. At least half have been performed. Most of the uploaded compositions are Finale audio simulations but some are recordings of performances. Contact me for more information. I'm happy to share the sheet music with choir directors.

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