ANNOUNCING THE WINNERS OF THE PRATT GREEN TRUST
2024 Hymn Competition
"CELEBRATING CREATION IN ALL ITS DIVERSITY"
The response to the call for entries to the competition was a joy to witness. Over 150 submissions from around the world showcased a rich mix of creativity, tradition, culture and style; but all united in leading God's people to appreciate and celebrate creation.
Our judging panel were impressed by the high standard of the entries (despite the fact that choosing winners became all the more difficult!), and are delighted to be able to announce the following results in each of the categories.
Category 1 - Original Text to a Well-known Melody
Creation's Glory Shines
in distant worlds of light,
the cosmic dance of galaxies,
the star-filled skies of night.
It runs through all the earth
in atom, cell and gene,
worlds no less wondrous in their power
because they are unseen.
2. This radiant orb of blue
rotating through dark space
is home to countless forms of life
and all the human race.
Its fabric is fine spun;
each individual strand
part of a precious tapestry
of water, air and land.
3. Creation’s beauty sings
in leaf and stem and root,
in cloud and sunshine, rain and wind,
in forest, flower and fruit.
It sings on snow-clad peaks,
in wooded dales below,
in islands set in shimmering seas,
in rushing rivers’ flow.
4. Inspire us, living Word,
in whom all things cohere,
to cherish and protect the earth
and hold its creatures dear.
Encourage us to face
the future, unafraid
to tread more gently on this earth.
and love what you have made.
- Excellent
- This is good.. very well authored and compiled. Will be appreciated in worship.
- Poetic and accessible
- This fine text is beautifully complemented by the Bach tune, Ich halte treulich still.
- Excellent ideas and poetic style. A moving insight in to the beauty and vulnerability of creation in our day - and how we need to act for the future.
Colin Thompson (born 1945) read French and Spanish at Oxford (1964-8), then Theology (1968-70). He completed his doctorate on the mystical poetry of the Spanish Carmelite St John of the Cross in 1974; meanwhile, he was ordained to the ministry of Word and Sacrament in the Congregational Church of England and Wales in 1971 (since 1972 the United Reformed Church). He held a post-doctoral post at Christ Church, Oxford from 1974-8, before being appointed University Chaplain at the University of Sussex (1978-89). In 1989 he returned to Oxford to take up the Tutorial Fellowship in Spanish at St Catherine’s College, until retirement in 2011. He was Senior Proctor of the University for the year 2010-11, an office first recorded in 1248. He has been Associate Minister at Wheatley United Reformed Church, just outside Oxford, since 2000. His principal research interests lie in the Spanish Golden Age and he has published widely on the poetry and prose of the period, as well as on its visual culture. Two of his three monographs deal with St John of the Cross, while the third is a study of the Augustinian poet and theologian Fray Luis de León. He continues an active programme of research and publication in retirement.
Category 2 - Original Text to an Original Melody
Maker, We Praise You (Feel The Balmy Breezes Blow)
Hear the simple swallow song
Perfumed air from earth below
Summer days warm and long
Children playing in the light
God’s creation fills our sight
Maker, we praise you
Blazing red and golden hues
Drifting gently to the ground
Sunset fades to harvest moon
See the birds southward bound
Fires warm the cooling air
Autumn brings it’s finest fare
Maker, we praise you
Howling chill of winter air
Whistles out a mournful tune
Stillness falls as earth prepares
Sealed away like a tomb
Yet a landscape filled with snow
Has a beauty all its own
Maker, we praise you
Spring revives the sleeping earth
Seedlings stretch up from the ground
All creation giving birth
Breaking dawn full of sound
Colors spreading through the land
Nature moves at Your command
Maker, we praise you
- This is a joy, a beautiful hymn, a gentle tune with great harmonies, a real plus and the words are outstanding, one's heart is warmed and I wanted to hear it again at once. An outstanding contender
- Idyllic
- Beautiful melody and excellent text. Blends perfectly. Simple, accessible, inclusive prayer-refrain at the end of each verse. Theologically sound. Inspiring and memorable. Stays with you.
- An appreciative hymn of praise
- Hauntingly beautiful
David Hill has been a lifelong composer for the church, writing and arranging hymns, choral works, and worship songs. Born in West Virginia, he began accompanying hymns for his local church congregation as a twelve-year-old. In 2015 He earned his doctorate in piano performance.
Susan Goforth has written poetry, liturgies, music and lyrics for the church for the past two decades. During this time she received her Masters degree in Worship Studies. Her love of church music grew from singing in her church choirs.
David and Susan met in an online community for writers of church music called the 12 Song Challenge. Together they have written numerous traditional and contemporary works for the church and were recently featured in Journey to Resurrection, a new album by Jubilate.
David currently resides in Newport News, VA, and Susan resides in Tulsa, OK.
Category 3 - Original Melody to a Fred Pratt Green Text
Spirit of Peace
And adoration leaves no room for pride,
It is as though the whole creation cried:
Alleluia!
2 How often, making music, we have found
A new dimension in the world of sound,
As worship moved us to a more profound
Alleluia!
3 So has the Church, in liturgy and song,
In faith and love, through centuries of wrong,
Borne witness to the truth in every tongue:
Alleluia!
4 And did not Jesus sing a Psalm that night
When utmost evil strove against the Light?
Then let us sing, for whom he won the fight:
Alleluia!
5 Let every instrument be tuned for praise!
Let all rejoice who have a voice to raise!
And may God give us faith to sing always:
Alleluia!
Words: Fred Pratt Green (1903–2000) © 1972 Stainer & Bell Ltd
- What a refreshing entry. I loved it.
- An unusual style amongst the entrants
- A very approachable and enjoyable tune for a congregation to sing with a catchy rhythm. It offers a refreshing contrast with the other tunes to which these lyrics are known.
Abraham Cáceres (Dr. Abe) was born and raised in the capital of Puerto Rico - New York City. He listened and danced to the music of Tito Puente and Ray Barretto when they were unknown musicians playing in church basements. Improvisation, a core characteristic of Afro-Latin music, is composing on the fly, and was part of his experience growing up. In a sense, as he learned to improvise, he was composing before he learned to put dots on the page as a classically trained pianist, organist and ethnomusicologist. Rhythmic play, also a characteristic of the Afro-Latin tradition, is evident in the new setting of these inspired lyrics.
One of Dr. Abe's passions is intergenerational music making. He has a collection entitled, "All Are Welcome! Feel the Spirit! Eight World Music Choral Anthems for Youth, Adults, and Congregation." This book is available on Amazon, and some of my other work is available at www.WorldHouseMusic.org. He is eager to add choral parts to this new hymn setting so it, too, can be a vehicle for intentional intergenerational choral/corporate worship.
