Before we leave the 2017 Christian Science Hymnal, it's worth reminding ourselves of the wonderful benefits of knowing the hymns well, both words and tunes. They inspire, illumine, instruct, and they come to us in times of need.
Take hymn 441 for an example - Be Firm and Be Faithful. We are perhaps familiar with its musical setting as hymn 18 in the 1932 hymnal. The new setting here is equally stirring.
An interesting fact about this hymn is its footnote:
A copy of the 1898 Christian Science Hymnal which Mary Baker Eddy used in her home carries the following note, written in her own hand: "Sing often in The Mother Church the hymn 173" (no. 18 in the 1932 Hymnal."
The words are anonymous; the musical setting for 441 is by Fenella Bennetts. It's called Dauntless.
Here is verse one:
Be firm and be faithful; desert not the right;
The brave become bolder the darker the night.
Then up and be doing, though cowards may fail
Thy duty pursuing, dare all and prevail.
Thank you to book-clubbers who responded via email to some of the blogs this month. It shows how much the hymns are cherished!
Julie Swannell
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