Hymn Competition

 My younger brother Jonathan, partly inspired by Memento, but actually because he is mulishly determined to rekindle folk music in the breasts of his people, has instituted a hymn writing competition in the congregation. Really a fabulous idea to get the laity engaged in poetry and song.

The rules are simple:

  • Choose a tune in the public domain, ideally in one of our hymnals
  • Write 3-5 verses
  • Adhere to the metre of the tune
  • Don't be a heretic

Okay, so the last one is not a real rule, but its between the lines.


I’ve been writing a hymn a day this week, and my wife convinced me to start putting them on my blog, so the first 4 from this week are posted. I'll add another tonight.

She gave me both the challenge to use Thaxted, and then also to do one that alludes to The Good Samaritan. Shewoof told me to add more baptism to one of them, so it is not a solitary exercise.

My process is the same each time. I choose a topic, I choose a tune, and then I create a phrase to the tune that I think is at the heart of it. It sets the tone, then I mentally sketch out what points I want to make. I would not call it an outline, as the order changes sometimes as I discover I want emphasis and context to change.

The bones of the hymn take me 15 minutes to half an hour, I'll sing out phrases ex corde, especially after I have a couple verses in and know what I need to say. refining it might never stop. I spent a solid hour sanding the rough edges off of O Holy Ghost from Heav'n Descend.


I'm taking suggestions in terms of topic, tune, or cool bible references you'd like to see make it into a hymn.

Comments

  1. Jonathan CaseyApril 24, 2026 at 10:57 AM

    Reading through Esther, I think a vocational hymn themed that way would be quite lovely.
    -The Music Mule

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. WhimApril 24, 2026 at 1:50 PM

      You want to give me a tune? I think I already have the outline of a phrase. Haman destroyed by the tree of his devising is superb.

      Delete

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