God the Lord, the King Almighty

‘The Judge breaks silence’—Kidner. First published in 1981 by the journal Reformation Today to illustrate a feature on Psalmody, this text (written at Limehouse, 1978) also illustrates the value of mutual criticism—in this case between Christopher Idle and the author of the article, David Preston. Its next appearance was in BP, where it was set to Roberts’ IN MEMORIAM, also retained here. V10 (in this text, retained at 2.6) is justly famous; Anne Proctor wrote that whether in Africa or England, countryside or city, ‘it brings a sense of proportion in the midst of modern problems’ (The Christian Household, 1950). The Psalm prompted Isaac Watts to his thunderous version in nine stzs of six 10-syllable lines, and then an extended 15-stz revision in 10 10 10 10 11 11. Four stzs of the second of these are chosen for PHRW, including stz 2, ‘No more shall atheists mock his long delay; his vengeance sleeps no more; behold the day …’ Confusingly, hymn tunes by Maker, Stainer and Sullivan share the name IN MEMORIAM. Caradog Roberts’ tune, being the most recent, probably has less claim to the title. But it was written in memory of the composer’s friend Harry Evans of Dowlais, one of the best choral conductors of his time; as yet it is better known in Wales than beyond, but Alan Luff (Welsh Hymns and their Tunes) says it is Roberts’ one tune ‘that rises to the heights’. It is also used at 443 and 492.

b Bromley, Kent 1938. Eltham Coll, St Peter’s Coll Oxford (BA, English), Clifton Theol Coll Bristol; ordained in 1965 to a Barrow-in-Furness curacy. He spent 30 years in CofE parish ministry, some in rural Suffolk, mainly in inner London (Peckham, Poplar and Limehouse). Author of over 300 hymn texts, mainly Scripture based, collected in Light upon the River (1998) and Walking by the River (2008), Trees along the River (2018), and now appearing in some 300 books and other publications; see also the dedication of EP1 (p3) to his late wife Marjorie. He served on 5 editorial groups from Psalm Praise (1973) to Praise!; his writing includes ‘Grove’ booklets Hymns in Today’s Language (1982) and Real Hymns, Real Hymn Books (2000), and The Word we preach, the words we sing (Reform, 1998). He edited the quarterly News of Hymnody for 10 years, and briefly the Bulletin of the Hymn Society, on whose committee he served at various times between 1984 and 2006; and addressed British and American Hymn Socs. Until 1996 he often exchanged draft texts with Michael Perry (qv) for mutual criticism and encouragement. From 1995 he was engaged in educational work and writing from home in Peckham, SE London, until retirement in 2003; following his return to Bromley after a gap of 40 years, he has attended Holy Trinity Ch Bromley Common and Hayes Lane Baptist Ch. Owing much to the Proclamation Trust, he also belongs to the Anglican societies Crosslinks and Reform, together with CND and the Christian pacifist Fellowship of Reconciliation. A former governor of 4 primary schools, he has also written songs for school assemblies set to familiar tunes, and (in 2004) Grandpa’s Amazing Poems and Awful Pictures. His bungalow is smoke-free, alcohol-free, car-free, gun-free and TV-free. Nos.13, 18, 21, 23A, 24B, 27B, 28, 31, 35, 36, 37, 48, 50, 68, 78, 79, 80, 81, 83, 85, 89, 92, 95, 102, 108, 109, 114, 118, 119A, 121A, 125, 128, 131, 145B, 157, 176, 177, 193*, 313*, 333, 339, 388, 392, 420, 428, 450, 451, 463, 478, 506, 514, 537, 548, 551, 572, 594, 597, 620, 621, 622, 636, 668, 669, 693, 747, 763, 819, 914, 917, 920, 945, 954, 956, 968, 976, 1003, 1012, 1084, 1098, 1138, 1151, 1158, 1159, 1178, 1179, 1181, 1201, 1203, 1204, 1205, 1209, 1210, 1211, 1212, 1221, 1227, 1236, 1237, 1244, 1247, 5017, 5018, 5019, 5020.