Hymns

Grimethorpe seek divine musical inspiration as they showcase the great hymns through the ages...

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Grimethorpe Colliery Band
Conductor: Philip McCann
SP&S Recordings: CDSFZ141
Total Playing Time: 68.37 

The word hymn derives from the Greek ‘humnos’, and was originally a term originally applied Greek pagan religious songs. It was not until much later that it became associated with Latin Christian song (‘hymnus’) and in particular songs of worship, written in strophic or metrical verse, in lines of regular length.

Through antiquity their inspiration and purpose has varied for liturgical occasions – from Latin hymns sung at the Divine Office or Protestant hymns making use of Gregorian melodies, through to the psalm tunes of Calvinism, the development of less rigid formality by John and Charles Wesley and Methodism, to its culmination through the Victorian Anglo-Catholic initiative that saw the publication in 1861 of ‘Hymns, Ancient & Modern’.

In more modern times the development of ‘Worship Songs’ has further broadened the scope of the traditional form so that today, the hymn itself encompasses many genres and styles.  

Purist form

In its purist form, the hymn remains a potent example of musical beauty – so simple, yet so powerful in construction. It is of course the words that have meaning to those who have appropriate religious belief, but the simple lyricism of the music can on its own stir the soul.

Brass bands have of course played hymn tunes from the dawn of their own existence (and not always very well it must be said) and in terms as a vehicle of improving the foundation stones of good ensemble, intonation, appreciation and understanding of the melodic line, they are nigh on perfect.

Potent symbol

The 'Red Hymn Book' is as a potent a symbol of musical conformity and expression to brass band players as Chairman Mao’s 'Little Red Book' is to Communist apparatchiks.

With this enjoyable release Grimethorpe provide 19 examples of the ostensible simplistic hymn tune, in a variety of arrangements and transcriptions from leading brass band composers and arrangers.  They also play them very well indeed too.

Not all are strictly hymns at all (you would be stretching things a very long way to describe Nicholas Brodszky’s ‘I’ll Walk with God’ as such), but all have a practical, spiritual inspiration. 

Inventiveness

The inventiveness of some of the arrangements does at times dilute the original simple beauty of the thematic material, but even with the added padding the emotional core remains intact.

Stylistically there is interest in the approach the varying arrangers take. Some of the pieces are heavy and ornate, almost Catholic in their musical descriptions, whilst others more introvert and subdued – perhaps reflective of the words of the hymns themselves.  

The more well known items remain impervious to change however, whilst others certainly benefit from the intelligent and subtle variations of style placed within them.

Crafted

Less well known worship songs such as, ‘As the Deer’ and ‘Reflections In Nature’ are fresh and lovingly crafted, whilst the upbeat ‘Shine, Jesus Shine’ is a fine example of the modern twist of the informality that now attracts the more evangelically minded to modern Christian services.

Grimethorpe are on good form throughout the recording (with a couple of females faces in the ranks too) with a warm ensemble sound allied to a genuine appreciation of the melodic line. MD Philip McCann makes sure that the melodic phrasing is authentic too – something not all bands and their conductors appreciate at times, and he can take a great deal of credit for keeping the band playing with exemplary cohesion from start to finish. Each piece is very well delivered. 

The overall quality of the production is very good indeed – from insightful sleeve notes from Julian Bright to the recording ambience created at Huddersfield University by that mastercraftsman, Brian Hillson.

Iwan Fox

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