Singing songs of expectation

The most immediately obvious feature here is the rearrangement of the opening lines from Through the night of doubt and sorrow, and the closing ones where stzs 7 and 8 change places and a new ending is provided. Other editors before Praise! have noted that this was a rather gloomy beginning to an essentially cheerful hymn, and a slightly inadequate ending to a generally strong one. The original text, ‘a powerful battle-song’ (Companion to Hymns and Psalms), was the Danish of Bernhardt S Ingemann written in 1825, Igjennem Nat og Traengsel, in four 8-line stzs published in 1859. These include references to both Golgotha and Paradise. Soon afterwards, Sabine Baring- Gould was asked by Richard F Littledale (somewhat patronisingly?) ‘to look through the Danish Hymnal and see if any merited translation … I did three or four from the Danish …’ Dr Littledale was then preparing The People’s Hymnal, where the English translation appeared shortly, in 1867. SBG revised it for the 1875 A&M, but all subsequent editors have found difficulties with even this ‘improved’ version. Some end with stz 6 (Songs of Praise), omit one or more of the earlier ones (HTC, Hymns and Psalms etc), or drop the hymn altogether (GH). Many of the lines here (but not stz 1) are adopted from HTC, which however is limited to 5 stzs. The final line is also a Jubilate contribution, but in HTC concludes the penultimate stz; NT language here replaces the problematic ‘till we rest beneath its shade’. Earlier lines which are reworded here as in other books are ‘brother clasps the hand of brother’ (2.3); and ‘Onward, therefore, pilgrim brothers,/ onward with the cross our aid’ (8.1–2). Smaller changes include ‘eager’ for ‘earnest’ (4.3; HTC has ‘urgent’), ‘song’ for ‘strain’ (5.1); ‘bursting from’ for ‘rending of’ (7.2) and ‘tears’ for ‘toil’ (7.4).

Although it appears only rarely in N American books, it was the Canadian Common Praise (1998, unconnected with its British A&M namesake) which led the way in reversing the 1st and 3rd lines; this version has ‘trusting God, we march together’ at 2.3, but ends at stz 6. Although the hymn has been dubbed ‘the church’s Tipperary’ (after the 1914–18 world war song ‘It’s a long way to Tipperary’) and may have more vigour than depth, it clearly draws on Exodus imagery as well as adding to the number of hymns founded on Ephesians 4:4–6—see eg 577 and 579. Until recently it has uniquely represented Denmark in British hymnals, the author and his translator being among the most prolific Christian writers of their day in their respective languages.

Martin Shaw’s MARCHING was composed for the hymn and included in Additional Tunes and Settings in use at St Mary’s Primrose Hill, NW … in 1915. Archibald Jacob wrote that it is ‘solidly constructed of two long phrases, each embracing two lines of text, the movement of the second being mainly an inversion of that of the first …’ (Songs of Praise Discussed). Before then (and in some books still) the favourite was often J B Dykes’ ST OSWALD. If eight 4-line stanzas ever seem monotonous, it is even possible to alternate the two tunes, stz by stz—so long as due warning is given and both are played in compatible keys. Although one authority claims that Shaw’s tune is now ‘almost inevitable’, other hymnals opt hopefully for Parry’s RUSTINGTON (132) or T J Williams’ EBENEZER (325), while the Canadian preference is for HOLY MANNA, in 8787D.

b Exeter, Devon 1834, d Lew Trenchard, nr Tavistock, Devon 1924. Clare Coll Cambridge (BA, MA 1856); he taught briefly at the choir school of St Barnabas Pimlico, London, and then as Headmaster of Hurstpierpoint Coll in W Sussex until his ordination (CofE) in 1864. He became Curate of Horbury nr Wakefield, W Yorks, for 2 years, with responsibility for the mission district of Horbury Bridge; incumbencies at Dalton (nr Thirsk, N Yorks) and E Mersea (Essex) followed, but his most notable parish ministry began in 1872. On the death of his father in that year he succeeded to the title and property of Lew Trenchard (now one word) in Devon and in a 3-centuries-old tradition became its Squire and Rector, and later a JP; in his time the parish never contained as many as 300 adults.

While there he published many volumes of verse and prose including historical, biographical, devotional and fictional works, some in a colourfully entertaining style; he would write continuously while standing for long periods (like Toplady before him, not far distant but not much understood) at his high study desk. These included a lavishly-produced The Life of Napoleon Bonaparte, 15 vols of Lives of the Saints, Curious Myths of the Middle Ages, 2 vols of folk-songs and one of carols, followed by two books of reminiscences. By 1896 at least 22 of his novels were advertised in Messrs Methuen’s list, many with colourful titles and most into 2nd or subsequent edns. He was one of the earliest folk-song collectors, and his view of carols was permanently changed as he was teaching a smoothed-out Victorian text to Yorkshire mill-girls c1865; they burst out with ‘Nay! We know one a great deal better nor yond!’ and proceeded to teach him the authentic version. But Christmas, he believed, was celebrated better in warm and colourful churches than in cold and dark streets.

Baring-Gould was a ‘high’ Anglican, keen to distinguish the orthodox Catholic faith from Romanism and popery. Church Songs was published in 1884, co-edited like some of his other books with H F Sheppard. SBG’s hymns could be either stirring and gentle, with a special appeal to children of his generation as with the once highly popular Now the day is over. Indeed, just as W W How provides us with both nos.429 and 585, so Baring-Gould has given us 575 and Sing lullaby. And the former of these (like Cowper’s 256 and Monsell’s 883) is frequently quoted in all kinds of secular literature and popular journalism alike. Like some other notable Victorians (Wm Morris, Anthony Trollope etc), Baring-Gould also made the journey to Iceland, where realism generally overcame romance. He died at home 4 weeks short of his 90th birthday, and while he seems in many ways a larger-than-lifesize survivor from a different age, his hymns are still being sung; CH and GH both feature two, while 4 are included in the N American Hymnal 1982 and the Irish Church Hymnal of 2005. In translation they are in use in E African Swahili books and elsewhere worldwide. In 1957 William Purcell published Onward, Christian Soldiers: a life of SB-G, Parson, Squire, Novelist, Antiquary, 1834-1924. This included a handsome frontispiece illustration, and a perceptive introduction by John Betjeman who called him ‘a born story-teller’ of ‘uncompromising amateurishness’. Nos.575, 588.

b Thorkildstrup (or Tockildstrup) on the island of Falster, Denmark 1789, d Sorø, Zealand (Sjaelland), Denmark 1862. The son of a Lutheran pastor, he fought in the defence of Copenhagen against the British a year after entering the Univ there; one result was the destruction by fire of his early writings. Following graduation his literary career was maintained for some years by a grant for residence in Walkendorf’s Collegium. After using a travelling scholarship from 1820 to 1822, he returned to become Lector (or Prof) of Danish Language and Literature at the Academy of Sorø. His hymns, one of which has made its mark in English translation, appeared in two main collections in 1822 and 1825 (enlarged 1843), and in 1855 he compiled the church hymnal Psalmebog. As well as these he also wrote poems, songs, stories for children and a series of patriotic historical romances set in medieval times. His collected works were published in 34 vols, and on his 70th birthday the children of Denmark presented him with a large golden horn decorated with figures from his stories and verses. No.588.