Shirley Erena Murray (née Cockroft; 31 March 1931 – 25 January 2020) was a New Zealand hymn lyrics writer. Her hymns have been translated into numerous languages and are represented in more than 140 hymn collections.

Biography

Born in

Invercargill Invercargill ( , mi, Waihōpai is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. The city lies in the heart of the wide expanse of t ...

and raised a Methodist, she was educated at Southland Girls' High School, and earned a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

degree with honours in

classics Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

and French from the

University of Otago , image_name = University of Otago Registry Building2.jpg , image_size = , caption = University clock tower , motto = la, Sapere aude , mottoeng = Dare to be wise , established = 1869; 152 years ago , type = Public research collegiate u ...

. She later worked as a teacher and researcher.Shirley Erena Murray
''The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology''. Retrieved 9 December 2013 After marrying

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

minister John Murray in 1954, she eventually moved to Wellington where John was minister for the St Andrew's on the Terrace from 1975 to 1993. Her hymn writing started in the 1970s and often used the congregation of St Andrew's as a testing place for the hymns. Many different composers have put music to her hymn texts. Her hymns have been translated into several European and Asian languages and are represented in more than 140 hymn books around the world. In addition to New Zealand, they are particularly used in North America. Among her most known hymns are "Hymn for Anzac Day", "Where Mountains Rise to Open Skies", "Our life has its Seasons", "Star Child" and "Upside Down Christmas".Amanda Wells (December 2009
Hymn writer stresses the power of words
Spanz Magazine. Retrieved from Presbyterian.org on 9 December 2013 Professor and hymn writer Colin Gibson, who has set music to some of her songs, described Murray's hymns in 2009 as "distinguished by their inclusive language and their innovative use of Māori, their bold appropriation of secular terms and their original poetic imagery drawn from nature and domestic life, but equally by the directness with which they confront contemporary issues." In the 2001 Queen's Birthday Honours, Murray was appointed a

Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have ren ...

, for services as a hymn writer. In 2006, she became a fellow of the

Royal School of Church Music The Royal School of Church Music (RSCM) is a Christian music education organisation dedicated to the promotion of music in Christian worship, in particular the repertoire and traditions of Anglican church music, largely through publications, tr ...

. She received an honorary doctor of literature degree from the University of Otago in 2009. The same year, she was named a fellow of the

Hymn Society in the United States and Canada The Hymn Society in the United States and Canada – founded in 1922 as The Hymn Society of America and renamed in 1991 – is a not-for-profit organization for those people who: * believe that congregational song is an integral component of worsh ...

.University of Otago to honour hymn writer

. 1 December 2009. Retrieved 9 December 2013 Murray lived with her husband at

Raumati Beach Raumati Beach is a beach community on the Kapiti Coast of New Zealand's North Island; located 60km north-west of Wellington, and about 10 km north of Raumati South. It is immediately to the south-west of the larger town of Paraparaumu. The Ma ...

near Wellington. The couple had three children and six grandchildren. She died on 25 January 2020.

Publications

*''In Every Corner Sing'' (1992)Murray, Shirley Erena
Hope Publishing. Retrieved 9 December 2013. *''Every Day in Your Spirit'' (1996) *''Faith Makes the Song'' (2003) *''Touch the Earth Lightly''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Murray, Shirley 1931 births 2020 deaths Christian hymnwriters New Zealand Presbyterians Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit People from Invercargill University of Otago alumni 20th-century New Zealand women writers 21st-century New Zealand women writers 20th-century New Zealand writers 21st-century New Zealand writers Women hymnwriters People educated at Southland Girls' High School