Hymns on Sunday

Hymns from across the centuries this week, from Bernard of Clairvaux's 12th century poetry to NZ hymn writer Jocelyn Marshall's God of Ages written for a Millennium hymn competition. Read more Audio

Church musician William Shrubsole is best known for the hymn tune ‘Miles Lane’. He was a “one tune man”, wrote composer Ralph Vaughan Williams, but what a “superb” tune it was. You can hear it set to… Read more Audio

It's a 21^st century classic to begin this week’s programme: In Christ Alone, written by Stuart Townend and Keith Getty in 2001. Read more Audio

It's straight in with the big tunes today - Arthur Grimshaw's hymn Sing to the Lord a joyful song, to the tune 'Jerusalem' by Hubert Parry. Read more Audio

You can hear hymns based on the psalms in this week’s programme, including All people that on earth do dwell (Psalm 100), O God, our help in ages past (Psalm 90), and I to the hills will lift mine… Read more Audio

19th-century lawyer and politician Robert Grant only wrote a few hymns, but there's one you'll still find in many hymnbooks today: O worship the king. Sing along in this week's programme. Read more Audio

It's Sea Sunday today, remembering and celebrating those whose workplace is the sea with hymns including Eternal Father (the 'Navy Hymn') and Will your anchor hold. Read more Audio

You might think the life of a 19^th century hymn translator was pretty uneventful. Not so for John Mason Neale, who translated our first hymn in this week’s programme, Christ is made the sure… Read more Audio

Celebrating the season of Matariki this week, with hymns in te reo Māori and hymns of remembrance. And we mark the Feast of St Paul. Read more Audio

Two hymns inspired by Psalm 23 ‘The Lord’s My Shepherd’ in this week’s programme. Both from the 1800s, one is by a British professor of music, John Goss, the other is by Joseph Gilmore, an American… Read more Audio

Methodist leader John Wesley had some good tips for singing hymns, including this one: "Sing lustily and with good courage. Beware of singing as if you were half dead, or half asleep; but lift up your… Read more Audio

The New Zealand Youth Choir features in this week’s programme, singing Wairua tapu (a hymn to the Holy Spirit by Ngapo Wehi) and the African-American spiritual Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen. Read more Audio