JERUSALEM
Charles Hubert Hastings Parry (b. Bournemouth, England, 1848; d. Rustington, Sussex, England, 1918) originally wrote JERUSALEM in 1916 for the William Blake text “And Did Those Feet in Ancient Time” (which refers to the [new] Jerusalem being built on English soil). It was published in sheet form in 1916, and its first publication in a hymnbook was in A Students’ Hymnal (1923). The Federation of Music Competition 281 THE PSALMS, BIBLE SONGS, AND HYMNS Festivals adopted JERUSALEM as their national hymn. The tune gained additional popularity through its use in the 1981 film Chariots ofFire. Majestic and dignified, with a fine climax in the last long line, JERUSALEM calls for strong unison congregational singing and forceful organ accompaniment. Singing the entire psalm calls for antipho ny: have everyone sing stanzas 1,4, and 7; alternate groups can sing stanzas 2-3 and 5-6 respectively. Parry was a major force in the revival of music in England in the late nineteenth century. He received an excellent musical education at Eton College and Exeter College, Oxford. Because his father did not want him to assume a musical career, he worked for Lloyd’s Register of Shipping for three years. But ultimately his interest in music prevailed: he taught music at the Royal College of Music from 1883 to 1918 and at Oxford University from 1900 to 1918. Parry composed chamber music, piano and choral pieces, and English songs and symphonies. A cofounder of the Oxford University Music Club, he co Liturgical Use: As a processional psalm in Reformation services; many other occasions in Christian worship.