0:00:03 > 0:00:05Prepare yourselves for a musical treat,
0:00:05 > 0:00:08as we tell the stories behind some of our best-loved hymns,
0:00:08 > 0:00:11old and new. And talk to the modern hymn writers,
0:00:11 > 0:00:13following in the footsteps of the greats.
0:00:13 > 0:00:15Welcome to Songs Of Praise.
0:00:39 > 0:00:43This week's programme is all about hymnody, the art of hymn writing.
0:00:43 > 0:00:44And I meet one of Britain's
0:00:44 > 0:00:48greatest modern hymn writers, Graham Kendrick.
0:00:48 > 0:00:50Really, I suppose, my main influences
0:00:50 > 0:00:52are the Baptist hymn book and the Beatles.
0:00:52 > 0:00:56Pam Rhodes talks to Roman Catholic hymn writer Bernadette Farrell.
0:00:56 > 0:00:58The hymns have to challenge us,
0:00:58 > 0:01:01because to express the gospel in song
0:01:01 > 0:01:05means then we carry it with us into our lives.
0:01:05 > 0:01:07And we have some favourite hymns,
0:01:07 > 0:01:09including many from this magnificent building,
0:01:09 > 0:01:11the Royal Albert Hall in London.
0:01:20 > 0:01:22We begin with one by Isaac Watts,
0:01:22 > 0:01:25the man known as the father of English hymnody.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28Now, the great Charles Wesley is reported to have said
0:01:28 > 0:01:30he would've given up all of his own work
0:01:30 > 0:01:33just to have written this one piece we're about to hear now,
0:01:33 > 0:01:35sung by the 5,000-strong congregation
0:01:35 > 0:01:37at the Royal Albert Hall.
0:04:24 > 0:04:26I'm about to meet the modern hymn writer
0:04:26 > 0:04:29who changed the course of Christian music in the UK.
0:04:30 > 0:04:34Graham Kendrick was a trailblazer in the 1970s and '80s,
0:04:34 > 0:04:38but his own hymn-writing hero is from the 1800s,
0:04:38 > 0:04:40which is why I've come to Wesley's Chapel
0:04:40 > 0:04:43and the Museum of Methodism to meet Graham,
0:04:43 > 0:04:46whose music is sung by Christians all over the world.
0:04:48 > 0:04:52Whose work do you admire, in terms of hymn writers?
0:04:52 > 0:04:56Charles Wesley, I think, really, comes out for me, on top.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59They are outstanding, you know, hymns.
0:04:59 > 0:05:03Where would Christmas be without Hark The Herald Angels Sing?
0:05:03 > 0:05:08You know, these amazing... O For A Thousand Tongues To Sing.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11They still resonate with us today.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14And I think the reason is because it's the same experience.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17You know, this man who lived several hundred years ago,
0:05:17 > 0:05:18had his experience of God,
0:05:18 > 0:05:21and people are still having that experience
0:05:21 > 0:05:23of meeting God for themselves and coming to faith.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30And it was said of Wesley, that when you sang one of his hymns,
0:05:30 > 0:05:34he was able to have you step into the story.
0:05:34 > 0:05:38So you were there with Jesus and the disciples,
0:05:38 > 0:05:43in Galilee, with the fishermen on the lake.
0:05:43 > 0:05:48He kind of, with his poetic gift, he could take you into the story,
0:05:48 > 0:05:51and make you feel like you were there, it was your experience.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54Now, we're about to hear Love Divine.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56What does that mean to you?
0:05:56 > 0:05:58Well, of course, many memories
0:05:58 > 0:06:02of weddings and even funerals where it's sung.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05It has that kind of classic, timeless feel about it.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08I particularly love the way it ends.
0:06:08 > 0:06:13In fact, I have here my very own Baptist Church Hymnal
0:06:13 > 0:06:15which I had when I was a child.
0:06:15 > 0:06:17It was given to me when I was seven years old.
0:06:17 > 0:06:19- It's in great condition.- Yes.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22- You've been using it a lot? - Probably should've been used more, I don't know.
0:06:22 > 0:06:26But I love the way the hymn lands on these words.
0:06:26 > 0:06:30"Changed from glory into glory, till in heaven we take our place,
0:06:30 > 0:06:33"Till we cast our crowns before thee,
0:06:33 > 0:06:36"Lost in wonder, love and praise."
0:06:36 > 0:06:37I think in many ways,
0:06:37 > 0:06:39it sums up what I'm trying to do as a songwriter,
0:06:39 > 0:06:44and what Charles Wesley did a thousand times better than me,
0:06:44 > 0:06:48to just get us caught up in the wonder of God's love,
0:06:48 > 0:06:50and the wonder of who Christ is.
0:09:19 > 0:09:23Catholic hymn writer Bernadette Farrell began composing in the 1970s
0:09:23 > 0:09:26to try to bridge the gap between traditional hymns
0:09:26 > 0:09:30and the changing tastes of modern, young Christians like herself.
0:09:30 > 0:09:32And as Pam Rhodes has been finding out,
0:09:32 > 0:09:34young people continue to inspire her.
0:09:35 > 0:09:39PAM RHODES: Bernadette's hymns often reflect modern challenges,
0:09:39 > 0:09:43such as the protection of the environment and social justice.
0:09:43 > 0:09:44And she's a big admirer of
0:09:44 > 0:09:47the achievements of this inner-city school in South London.
0:09:47 > 0:09:51The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53It's a wonderful, diverse community
0:09:53 > 0:09:56of about 600 girls.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59There are nearly 50 languages spoken.
0:09:59 > 0:10:03And prayer is part of the rhythm of the community
0:10:03 > 0:10:06here in the school and also for big services over at the cathedral.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09# Share God's spirit today. #
0:10:09 > 0:10:14You write both the words and the music. How does that work for you?
0:10:14 > 0:10:18It's an interesting process and it varies a lot.
0:10:18 > 0:10:20Sometimes it takes a long time.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23Other times, you know, you're walking out of the door
0:10:23 > 0:10:27and you get an idea and have to write it down as quick as anything.
0:10:27 > 0:10:32Some people use computer programmes, but I find by the time I've switched
0:10:32 > 0:10:34it on, I've lost the idea,
0:10:34 > 0:10:38so I'm back in he Dark Ages with pencil and paper.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41I think, I reflect on the Scriptures,
0:10:41 > 0:10:44sometimes a melody will come,
0:10:44 > 0:10:49but I'm never satisfied until the text will stand alone
0:10:49 > 0:10:51without the melody.
0:10:51 > 0:10:56# There is nowhere on Earth... #
0:10:56 > 0:11:00What are you feeling as you write, is it spiritual?
0:11:00 > 0:11:01That varies enormously.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04Sometimes it's just sheer frustration!
0:11:04 > 0:11:09Other times, it's very much a focus on the community that I'm serving,
0:11:09 > 0:11:11and that I'm writing for.
0:11:11 > 0:11:15And I think if I can write for the local situation,
0:11:15 > 0:11:17then perhaps that will strike a chord occasionally
0:11:17 > 0:11:19with other people.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22# For you... #
0:11:22 > 0:11:24You write very singable melodies,
0:11:24 > 0:11:28but often the words are quite gritty, quite challenging.
0:11:28 > 0:11:32Should our hymns challenge us?
0:11:32 > 0:11:34The hymns have to challenge us
0:11:34 > 0:11:39because we're called as a community and we sing together.
0:11:39 > 0:11:41So, to express the gospel in song
0:11:41 > 0:11:45means then we carry it with us into our lives.
0:11:45 > 0:11:49How much does the reaction of people who sing your hymns matter to you?
0:11:49 > 0:11:51It's very humbling to hear from people
0:11:51 > 0:11:53who have connected with a hymn,
0:11:53 > 0:11:55or who have found that a song
0:11:55 > 0:11:59helps them through a particular journey in their lives.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05Just a few days ago, I heard from a friend
0:12:05 > 0:12:07who's a chaplain in a high-security jail
0:12:07 > 0:12:10and he leads the worship there.
0:12:10 > 0:12:15And he called to tell me that the first time he'd really heard the men
0:12:15 > 0:12:19singing out loud was in Christ Be Our Light.
0:12:19 > 0:12:23And I found that incredibly moving that people who've lost everything
0:12:23 > 0:12:27could still find a way to express their hope.
0:12:27 > 0:12:29And that's what it's about for me,
0:12:29 > 0:12:33that we can share and express our Christian hope.
0:14:35 > 0:14:38Our next hymn combines the poetry of William Blake
0:14:38 > 0:14:40with the uplifting music of Sir Hubert Parry.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42First performed in 1916,
0:14:42 > 0:14:45it was later adopted by the Suffragette movement.
0:14:45 > 0:14:49And in 1924, it became the anthem of the Women's Institute.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07Our next British hymn writer was awarded an OBE
0:17:07 > 0:17:12for services to hymnody, and his work is universally known.
0:17:12 > 0:17:16But as Pam Rhodes found out, he claims to be totally unmusical.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20Did you always want to be a hymn writer?
0:17:20 > 0:17:24No, because I thought it was a closed book to me.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27I love poetry and still do,
0:17:27 > 0:17:30but we were a very unmusical family.
0:17:30 > 0:17:35So, when I became a Christian, I would love to have written hymns,
0:17:35 > 0:17:38but thought it was a closed book to me because I had no music.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41So what did you do about providing music
0:17:41 > 0:17:43for the many texts you went on to write?
0:17:43 > 0:17:47Well, I owe a great deal to various people.
0:17:47 > 0:17:49To Michael Baughan, in particular,
0:17:49 > 0:17:53who wrote tunes for some of my early hymns.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56Hymns often read like prayers, don't they?
0:17:56 > 0:17:59Are they prayers, are they forms of worship?
0:17:59 > 0:18:01They're certainly forms of worship.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04I think it's the Roman Catholics who had a great saying,
0:18:04 > 0:18:07"The family that prays together stays together."
0:18:07 > 0:18:12And I say, "The family that sings together clings together."
0:18:12 > 0:18:16People sometimes say they learn more of their faith through their hymns
0:18:16 > 0:18:18than from what they hear in church.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21I don't really believe that, not if the preaching's any good,
0:18:21 > 0:18:25but I do think that because hymns are memorable,
0:18:25 > 0:18:27they can stick in the memory
0:18:27 > 0:18:30and come to people's mind when they need them.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33What is the first hymn that you ever wrote?
0:18:33 > 0:18:36I was reading a review copy of the new English Bible,
0:18:36 > 0:18:39I was editing a Christian magazine.
0:18:39 > 0:18:45And in that, reading Mary's song, the Magnificat, we have,
0:18:45 > 0:18:48"Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord!"
0:18:48 > 0:18:49"Oh," I said, "That's verse."
0:18:49 > 0:18:54So I wrote a few verses on it, almost, you could say, for fun.
0:18:54 > 0:18:59A few weeks later, a friend of mine - who was beginning work on what was
0:18:59 > 0:19:02to become the Anglican Hymn Book, a brand-new hymn book -
0:19:02 > 0:19:05said to me, "Timothy, you're a literary sort of chap,
0:19:05 > 0:19:10"have you written any hymns?" So I explained, "No."
0:19:10 > 0:19:12Again, that could've been the end of it.
0:19:12 > 0:19:14But he went on and said,
0:19:14 > 0:19:17"Have you written any verse that might make a hymn?"
0:19:17 > 0:19:22"Well," I said, "I did write four little verses from the Magnificat,
0:19:22 > 0:19:23"I think I could find them."
0:19:23 > 0:19:27So, anyway, cutting a long story short, I found them, I showed them,
0:19:27 > 0:19:31he took them, they put them into their new book,
0:19:31 > 0:19:35and that was the beginning when I began to think that
0:19:35 > 0:19:39this might be a door that God was opening for me.
0:19:39 > 0:19:40So now, let's hear the hymn
0:19:40 > 0:19:44that launched Timothy's career as a great British hymn writer.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02Earlier this month, Christians came together
0:22:02 > 0:22:04for a weekend of workshops, seminars and services
0:22:04 > 0:22:08at City Gates Pentecostal Church in Ilford.
0:22:08 > 0:22:09Budding hymn writers were given tips
0:22:09 > 0:22:12by leading worship leaders from across the country.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15And you may recognise one or two familiar faces.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18We need to fill them with truth
0:22:18 > 0:22:21and we need to have a heart for the people of God.
0:22:21 > 0:22:23There's lots of things, really, that you could say
0:22:23 > 0:22:25that could help you write.
0:22:25 > 0:22:29Practise how to write phrases, practise how to be creative,
0:22:29 > 0:22:32so, practise how to describe things that you see.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35Think about how they sound, they smell, they taste,
0:22:35 > 0:22:37and just do that on a different piece of paper.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40And then as you begin to develop those skills,
0:22:40 > 0:22:42they can come in to you when you're writing.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45Your desire to develop musically has to be so strong
0:22:45 > 0:22:50that when you're doing it, it would override everything else.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52Pitfalls I found, and I fell into as well,
0:22:52 > 0:22:54trying to be like someone else.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56Sometimes, you don't realise.
0:22:56 > 0:23:00And speaking to so many writers myself on my journey,
0:23:00 > 0:23:04one of the things they do, they write what they feel.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07And then you try and copy them, and you can't.
0:23:07 > 0:23:09You're just not going to sound the same.
0:23:09 > 0:23:14If there's anything I would say, any advice I would give to new writers
0:23:14 > 0:23:15is just be yourself.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17If you find that you've hit a wall,
0:23:17 > 0:23:21or you find that people don't like a particular thing that you've done,
0:23:21 > 0:23:25you can stay down there or you can get up and try again.
0:23:25 > 0:23:27Make every syllable, every word count.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30And if people don't enjoy singing the song, just write a stronger one.
0:23:30 > 0:23:34Shared experience is massive, in terms of songwriting.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37And that's probably one of the things that we look to most,
0:23:37 > 0:23:40is not to write on your own, but to write together.
0:23:40 > 0:23:43And we love the co-write, it seems very popular at the minute,
0:23:43 > 0:23:47whether it's in the pop charts or whether it's in Christian music.
0:23:47 > 0:23:49It does mean you're less likely
0:23:49 > 0:23:52to end up with something that people don't like.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55Our next hymn is a famously successful collaboration
0:23:55 > 0:23:58from hymn writers, Stuart Townend and Keith Getty.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01It was the first song they wrote together over 15 years ago,
0:24:01 > 0:24:03and remains their most popular.
0:26:35 > 0:26:37# Worship Christ, the Lord... #
0:26:37 > 0:26:40Earlier, modern hymn writer Graham Kendrick
0:26:40 > 0:26:44revealed how he was inspired by the work of Charles Wesley.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47Now, he gives us an insight into his own hymn writing
0:26:47 > 0:26:50including his modern classic, Shine, Jesus, Shine.
0:26:50 > 0:26:55I'm trying to take the ancient gospel and put it in songs,
0:26:55 > 0:26:59mixing experience and poetry and theology,
0:26:59 > 0:27:01and putting it in people's mouths,
0:27:01 > 0:27:03so they can sing the truth.
0:27:03 > 0:27:05You know, really, I suppose
0:27:05 > 0:27:08my main influences are the Baptist Hymn Book and the Beatles.
0:27:08 > 0:27:10And it was more that Beatles era,
0:27:10 > 0:27:14where I started to want to sing my faith.
0:27:14 > 0:27:16And I was discovering there was much more to worship
0:27:16 > 0:27:18than just standing up and singing hymns.
0:27:18 > 0:27:20There was more to be known in the spirit,
0:27:20 > 0:27:23there was more heart and passion and experience.
0:27:23 > 0:27:27I didn't feel I had much personal experience of God, you know.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30Well, I found...
0:27:30 > 0:27:33that personal experience in a much deeper way.
0:27:34 > 0:27:37And that was a trigger for songs
0:27:37 > 0:27:41which you would much more say, "That's a worship song.
0:27:41 > 0:27:46"That's not a song about God, that's a song to God."
0:27:46 > 0:27:47So, this is the '70s and '80s.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50What was happening in the church at the time?
0:27:50 > 0:27:54The '70s was a time of great sort of innovation in the church.
0:27:54 > 0:27:56People were experimenting with community,
0:27:56 > 0:27:57there was a lot of talk about
0:27:57 > 0:28:00experiencing God through the Holy Spirit,
0:28:00 > 0:28:02being filled with the Holy Spirits.
0:28:02 > 0:28:04# Gave your life to set me free... #
0:28:04 > 0:28:08Shine, Jesus, Shine - what do you remember about writing that?
0:28:08 > 0:28:11It was one of many songs. I certainly didn't spot
0:28:11 > 0:28:14there was anything special about it at the time.
0:28:14 > 0:28:17It was just three verses - it didn't have a chorus.
0:28:17 > 0:28:22And I remember trying it out, and getting very kind of... "Hmm..."
0:28:22 > 0:28:24But the chorus is the key part, isn't it?
0:28:24 > 0:28:27Exactly. It was underwhelming!
0:28:29 > 0:28:33You know, at that time, there was a great mood of a kind of rising hope,
0:28:33 > 0:28:35and a sense that, as Christians,
0:28:35 > 0:28:38we could really make a difference in the world.
0:28:38 > 0:28:40It was a sense of moving out.
0:28:40 > 0:28:46And so, I guess, the chorus just sort of fell together, you know.
0:28:46 > 0:28:50The phrase "Shine, Jesus, shine," I don't know where it came from,
0:28:50 > 0:28:54but it arrived at the right moment.
0:28:54 > 0:28:55And, you know, the chorus unfolded
0:28:55 > 0:28:58probably in quite a short period of time.
0:28:58 > 0:29:01The verses probably took me hours and hours, but the chorus
0:29:01 > 0:29:04came together quite quickly, and there it was.
0:29:04 > 0:29:09It wasn't until I started to use it that I noticed how people
0:29:09 > 0:29:11were kind responding to it, as a prayer.
0:29:11 > 0:29:14"Shine, Jesus, shine," so it's like a verb.
0:29:14 > 0:29:18You know, "Jesus - the light of the world."
0:29:18 > 0:29:20Then, it's all about action.
0:29:20 > 0:29:23"Fill this land with the Father's glory.
0:29:23 > 0:29:26"Blaze, Spirit, blaze, set our hearts on fire.
0:29:26 > 0:29:28"Flow, river, flow, flood the nation..."
0:29:28 > 0:29:33Not just the nation, but "the nations, with grace and mercy.
0:29:33 > 0:29:36"Send forth your word and let there be light."
0:29:36 > 0:29:37It's all about action.
0:29:37 > 0:29:40And that was where we were at at the time.
0:29:40 > 0:29:44And so, it became an anthem for the rising church movements.
0:29:49 > 0:29:52# Storms of life may brew... #
0:29:52 > 0:29:55We'll hear Shine, Jesus, Shine in a moment,
0:29:55 > 0:29:57but first an update on a brand-new hymn writer
0:29:57 > 0:30:00we featured on Songs Of Praise before Christmas.
0:30:00 > 0:30:03Andrew Gardiner is a Baptist minister from Plymouth
0:30:03 > 0:30:07and has been writing his first hymns while battling cancer.
0:30:07 > 0:30:11Andrew's most recent worship song is I Am Held By You.
0:30:11 > 0:30:14# It's the only place to be
0:30:14 > 0:30:17# What I once knew by faith... #
0:30:17 > 0:30:18And the good news is,
0:30:18 > 0:30:22this month it reached the top of the religious UK iTunes chart.
0:30:26 > 0:30:30Next week, the Reverend Kate Bottley brushes up on her first aid skills
0:30:30 > 0:30:31with St John Ambulance,
0:30:31 > 0:30:36and discovers their origins in the ancient religious order of St John.
0:30:36 > 0:30:39And JB Gill meets a remarkable Good Samaritan.
0:30:39 > 0:30:41But now, we return to the Royal Albert Hall
0:30:41 > 0:30:44and the Big Sing orchestra raising the roof
0:30:44 > 0:30:47with Graham Kendrick's wonderful hymn Shine, Jesus, Shine.
0:33:42 > 0:33:45CHEERING AND APPLAUSE