RSCM Service Book and competition for 400th anniversary of KJV
A new festival service book to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the 1611 King James Bible has just been published by the Royal School of Church Music (RSCM). The influence of the King James Bible (also known as the “Authorised Version”) has been felt both within church worship, and outside the church on literature and the English language itself. The Word Revealed is a complete service of readings, reflections and prayers and also contains a selection of hymns, songs and anthems. It is intended for special church services or at choral festivals during 2011.
The publication of the King James Bible in 1611 was a landmark event that has reverberated down the centuries. The festival service book aims to set it within a historical and liturgical context, and traces the story of the Bible in the English language, as well as its place in Christian life and worship. Writing in the Introduction, the joint compilers, Peter Moger (Precentor of York Minster) and Charles Taylor (Dean of Peterborough Cathedral) comment that the influence of the King James Bible has been felt in ways too numerous to list. They write; “It is still read regularly in Christian worship and, even where it is not, many of its cadences remain through those translations which have sought to maintain its resonances.”
The Word Revealed was commissioned by the King James Bible Trust, and contains a varied range of music including hymns, worship songs and anthems of varying difficulty, some specially written for the festival. It includes works by Philip Wilby and David Ogden, Adrian Batten, and Thomas Hewitt Jones as well as Stuart Townend and a chant from the Taizé community. Two popular oratorio choruses have also been included; ‘And the Glory of the Lord’ from Handel’s Messiah, and ‘How lovely are the messengers’ from Mendelssohn’s St Paul.
The festival service is in five parts, each reflecting a particular stage in the story of the Bible’s translation and use, from the Early Church and the publication of the King James Bible itself and the ruling that it should be “appointed to be read in churches”, to more recent translations such as the New Revised Standard Version and The Message. Performance notes are available on the RSCM website www.rscm.com where the text can be downloaded for inclusion in an order of service.
The RSCM is also marking the 400th anniversary by co-sponsoring a composition competition with the Royal College of Music and Westminster Abbey, as one of a number of celebrations during this year organised by the King James Bible Trust. The closing date for the competition is 31st January 2011.
The Word Revealed may be purchased from RSCM Music Direct:
Price: £7.95 (£5.96 to RSCM affiliates) ISBN: 978-0-85402-184-0 Tel: 0845 021 7726 Email: musicdirect@rscm.com Online: www.rscm.com/shop