Awaked from sleep we fall before thee,
God of love, and chant the praise the angels raise,
O God of might, above:
Holy, Holy, Holy! Thou art God adored!
In thy pitying mercy show us mercy, Lord.
As at thy call I rise,
shine on this mind and heart,
and touch my tongue, that I among
thy choir may take my part:
Holy, Holy, Holy! Trinity adored!
In thy pitying mercy show me mercy, Lord.
The Judge will come with speed,
and each man’s deeds be known;
our trembling cry shall rise on high
at midnight to thy throne:
Holy, Holy, Holy! King of Saints adored!
In the hour of judgement show us mercy, Lord.
Greek, trans. Robert Maude Moorsom (1831-1911)
Information from Mike O’Connor (Email 04/12/2022)
The names of hymn tunes and chants are an interesting subject. A great many 19th century Cornish church organists were also choir masters and wrote hymn tunes, chants, anthems and carols, often of a high standard. It’s thanks to Cornish church choirs that many traditional carols, now thought of as ‘English mainstream’ were preserved, having been largely forgotten in the middle England but treasured and preserved in Cornwall. Cornish polyphonic carol writing is exceptional – Merritt being the best known of course, but there were some 50 others writing carols in the 19th century.
Sometimes hymn tunes or tunes for metrical psalms were named by local composers after local places – the tunes ‘Zennor’ and ‘Constantine’ are examples. But quite often composers from elsewhere named a tune after a place they went on holiday, or a parish at which a friend was the rector. Those tunes usually tell us more about the composer and his world than the place the tunes were named after.
Gerrans Music
Meter: 6 6 8 6 11 11
Composer: Arthur Henry Brown
Born: July 24, 1830, Brentwood, Essex,
Died: February 15, 1926, Brentwood, Essex
Used for Hymns Ancient and Modern 474, “Awaked from Sleep we Fall” https://youtu.be/-LHRB64sW98
Almost completely self-taught, Brown began playing the organ at the age 10. He was organist of the Brentwood Parish Church, Essex (1842-53); St. Edward’s, Romford (1853-58); Brentwood Parish Church (1858-88); St. Peter’s Church, South Weald (from 1889); and Sir Anthony Browne’s School (to 1926). A member of the London Gregorian Association, he helped assemble the Service Book for the annual festival in St. Paul’s Cathedral. He supported the Oxford Movement, and pioneered the restoration of plainchant and Gregorian music in Anglican worship.
Brown edited various publications, including the Altar Hymnal. His other works include settings of the Canticles and the Holy Communion Service, a Children’s Festival Service, anthems, songs, part songs, and over 800 hymn tunes and carols.
Census data: all in Essex. Connection to Cornwall unknown
A.H. Brown was a prolific composer of hymns
Emma Campbell (Email 06/01/2023)
I think you probably have the whole of the top line of Gerrans – like Ruan Highlanes, it would be repeated each verse. What you don’t have is the harmony. That could be written down somewhere but I know that the evensong choir at St Gerrans in Bill Richards’ day was something they called a Sanky choir? – like the shouts, they harmonised as they wanted. They didn’t read music.