Do you have a favourite hymn or hymns ?

[WildRosie]

I'm not remotely religious so asking this question probably makes me a hypocrite but anyway. Most of us were exposed to the rite-of-passage primary school dirges such as When A Knight Won His Spurs (I'm not sure that's even a hymn) and The Golden Cockerel but I'd be surprised if the likes of these featured in a Christian Church service. But, to answer my own question, I think Abide With Me is my favourite, followed closely by Morning Has Broken. I concede these might be popular choices but I don't know that many hymns to begin with .

As many schools no longer have assemblies (pre COVID) children will miss out on the joy of hymn singing .

Dear Lord and Father of Mankind as sung by the lovely Neil Hannon:

I must admit I still have my school hymn book (Catholic)

Bind us together
He's got the whole world
Go tell it on the mountain

I'm getting so many flashbacks here.

I don't suppose anyone knows Salve Regina or Regina Coeli? My passwords are often in Latin 😁

@DrCoconut

Some of it depends on the tune. Like "And can it be" needs to be Sagina. Love divine - Blaenwern. While shepherds watched - Cranbrook. The hymns for my 3 DC's christenings were carefully chosen for their words according to the situation or how I was feeling at the time. One more step along the world I go for DS1. I'd recently left his father and we were literally going from the old things to the new. Praise to the lord, (the almighty the king of creation) for DS2. It's majestic and talks about being protected and looked after. Now thank we all our God for DS3, talks about being blessed from our mothers arms, and beyond.

Those are lovely ones for christenings. I used to be in a church choir and recall some very judgey pants being hoiked under the cassocks for the couple who chose "the creed and the colour and the name don't matter" for their child's christening

Oh Holy Night
Lord of the Dance

Contemporary: You Raise Me Up
As the Deer
Traditional: How Firm A Foundation
(Baptist) Amazing Grace
Bless This House

When a knight won his spurs
Jerusalem
Lord of all hopefulness
Oh Jesus I have Promised (modern arrangement)
Praise my Soul the king of heaven
The Lords my shepherd

Haven't been to church in years and years except for the Carol Service and my Mums Funeral. I'm not religious at all but I lived singing hymns....

Oh and 'I vow to thee my country' (world in union music)

I don’t know many hymns in English but Gwahoddiad and Llef are my two favourites. My mother, my best friend and I can belt out a hymn (harmonies and all) at the drop of a hat! Shamefully most of the English hymns I know are all Christmas carols!

Sang a lot of hymns in my CofE schools, but I also really like The Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing Battle Hymn of the Republic.

"The Peace of God" or "For The Beauty Of The Earth" by John Rutter... both lovely

10,000 reasons although I think that’s a worship song not a hymn!

It's made me quite wistful reading all these. I'd happily go back to church to sing the old fashioned hymns though I must confess I'm not keen on happy clappy stuff or sermons and things. Though I wouldn't mind the old version of the creed and the Lord's Prayer.

Jerusalem, with a mighty organ playing.

Let all mortal flesh keep silence. I think I love the darkness and tone of it.

Actually dear lord and father of mankind too

I am not of any Christian faith but was brought up to be. It stirs warm memories for me

I’m not at all religious but always loved Oh Jesus I Have Promised at primary school. Just looked it up on YouTube and it was the Hatherop Castle tune we sang it to.
Dear Lord and Father of Mankind is beautiful.

Thinking back to primary school, I’ve still got my hymn book stored away upstairs. We used to have hymn singing practice as a whole class once a week in the 1970s.
I’ve found a pic online, anyone else remember this?

Athiest (humanist) here but brought up in a staunch Baptist household.
Hugely fond memories of belting out 'How Great Thou Art' with my Gran on the piano.
I also love Dear Lord and Father of Mankind because the words are beautiful (and actually part of a long poem called 'The Brewing of Soma')
But all time favourite... Be Still my Soul, to the music Finlandia. Mostly for the last line 'When tears and change are past, all safe and blessed we shall meet at last' Just beautiful.
I love hymns... shame I'm an athiest!

This, because it was my grandmother's favorite.

Lord of the dance
Make me a channel of your peace
Morning has broken
All things bright and beautiful

Strong desire to sing hymns now here ! Imagining a karaoke type event - imagine walking by busy pub with hymns being belted out ! My neighbours would be astonished if I was heard doing this from home (atheist). I am fairly astonished that I’m about to search you tube and may hum along !
Lovely thread op.
Music of all sorts has been so important for my own mental health this year.

And can it be
I love it, but it has become something of a family funeral hymn. It was sung rousingly at both my grandparents funerals and others I've been to. If it's sung in a normal service now, I always have a wobble.

Hymns karaoke would be great!

Coincidentally my son mentioned assembly yesterday and I asked if they sang hymns at school and he said no which made me sad. He’s only in Y7 so it may be a COVID thing but DD is in Y9 in another school and her school doesn’t include hymns in assembly. All of these beautiful tunes lost and the pleasure of singing together - not in a choir but in a daily act of community.

I’m an atheist but these hymns mean so much to me. They are actually the only glimpse I have into spirituality.

Morning has broken
There was one I can't remember if it's called this but 'oh Jesus I have promised' loved that one. All sung at secondary school. I have never been to church.

Does anybody....ANYBODY remember a hymn called ‘Waves are beating’????

I can remember all but two lines, but I’m googling it it seems it doesn’t exist!? I’m sure I didn’t dream it!