I Sing A Song Of The Saints Of God
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"I Sing a Song of the Saints of God" is a
Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...
written in Britain by Lesbia Scott and first published in 1929. The hymn is little-known in Britain, not featuring in the Anglican ''
New English Hymnal ''The New English Hymnal'' is a hymn book and liturgical source aimed towards the Church of England. First published in 1986, it is a successor to, and published in the same style as, the 1906 ''English Hymnal''. It is published today by SCM Ca ...
'', but has become very popular in the United States – particularly in the Episcopal Church, where it has been incorporated into the ''Episcopal Hymnal 1940''. The hymn is especially recommended for corporate worship on
All Saints Day All Saints' Day, also known as All Hallows' Day, the Feast of All Saints, the Feast of All Hallows, the Solemnity of All Saints, and Hallowmas, is a Christian solemnity celebrated in honour of all the saints of the church, whether they are know ...
.


The story behind the hymn

Lesbia Scott (1898–1986) composed a number of children's hymns which she sang to her own children as a young mother in her twenties. She wrote both the words and the tunes and in 1929 published them in a collection, ''Everyday Hymns For Little Children'',''Everyday Hymns For Little Children'', The Society of SS Peter & Paul Ltd., London, 1929 which she also illustrated. Each hymn was devised for a different occasion, and one of them, "Saints' Days", found its way to the United States and was set to a new tune ("Grand Isle") composed especially for it by retired Episcopal priest John H. Hopkins, Jr. (1861-1945)hymnary.org
/ref> who was the son of the Rev. Theodore Austin Hopkins and the grandson of the first bishop of Vermont, also named
John Henry Hopkins John Henry Hopkins (January 30, 1792 – January 9, 1868) was the first bishop of Episcopal Diocese of Vermont and the eighth Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. He was also an artist (in both watercolor and ...
; and nephew of
John Henry Hopkins Jr. John Henry Hopkins Jr. (October 28, 1820 – August 14, 1891) was an American clergyman and hymnodist, most famous for composing the song " We Three Kings of Orient Are" in 1857 (even though it does not appear in print until his ''Carols, Hymns ...
, author and composer of "
We Three Kings of Orient Are "We Three Kings", original title "Three Kings of Orient", also known as "We Three Kings of Orient Are" or "The Quest of the Magi", is a Christmas carol that was written by John Henry Hopkins Jr. in 1857. At the time of composing the carol, Hopki ...
". "Grand Isle" was written in 1940 and named for the community on the island of the same name in
Lake Champlain , native_name_lang = , image = Champlainmap.svg , caption = Lake Champlain-River Richelieu watershed , image_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = , location = New York/Vermont in the United States; and Quebec in Canada , coords = , type = , ...
in
Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...
where Hopkins lived in his retirement. In this setting it was incorporated into the ''Episcopal Hymnal 1940'', under the title of its first line. It has been retained in the subsequent ''
The Hymnal 1982 ''The Hymnal 1982'' is the primary hymnal of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. It is one in a series of seven official hymnals of the Episcopal Church, including ''The Hymnal 1940''. Unlike many Anglican churches (including the ...
'' as Hymn #293, after its proposed removal for "lack of theological profundity" that prompted a letter-writing campaign to keep it. The hymn also appears in the 1974 ''Book of Worship for United States Forces'' as Hymn #444 and in the
United Methodist The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelic ...
''1989 Hymnal'' as Hymn #712 (with some altered words), the 1990 ''Presbyterian Hymnal'', and the NACCC's 2006 ''Hymns for a Pilgrim People''.


Popularity

The hymn remains a popular favourite with American churchgoers who have grown up with it. In a 2003 survey of 'desert island' hymns run by the website
Anglicans Online Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the l ...
, the hymn was voted 14th. The hymn was used as the signature tune of the BBC Scotland radio programme Fireside Sunday School in the 1960s running through until December 1970 when the programme ended. It was sung by the Scottish Junior Singers who participated in the programme.


References

{{authority control English Christian hymns 1929 songs Children's songs 20th-century hymns