Come and Praise
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Come and Praise[1] is a hymnal published by the BBC and widely used in collective worship in British schools. The hymnal was compiled by Geoffrey Marshall-Taylor with musical arrangements by Douglas Coombes, and includes well-known hymns such as “Oil in My Lamp”, “Kum Ba Yah” and “Water of Life” as well as Christmas carols and Easter hymns.[2]
Two volumes were published: Come and Praise in 1978,[3] and Come and Praise 2 in 1988.[4][5] The hymns from both volumes were published together in The Complete Come and Praise in 1990 alongside a words-only edition.[6] Both volumes were published in connection with BBC School Radio in order to support teachers in leading group singing, particularly in schools without a dedicated music specialist or accompanist. Their use coincided with the continuing practice of collective worship in maintained schools in England and Wales, which was later reinforced in legislation including the Education Reform Act 1988.[7]
Popularity and reception
The first volume of Come and Praise sold over two million copies and was described by the editor Geoffrey Marshall-Taylor as being "music for the people". Because of its extensive use in school assemblies from the late 1970s onwards, the collection became familiar to several generations of pupils in the United Kingdom.[8]