We are coming to the end of our liturgical church year and will start a new church year with the first Sunday in Advent on November 28.
During this harvest season we will be using Hymn 424 (For the Fruit of All Creation) as our Hymn of Praise after the opening sentences and collect. Our prayer book gives us the option to sing “Glory to God in the Highest” or some other song of praise and we plan to use this hymn until Advent.
The text of “For the Fruit of All Creation” was written by (1903 -2000) who was a British Methodist minister and a prolific hymn writer. Hymn tune was written by Francis Jackson (b. 1917) Francis Jackson recently celebrated his 104th birthday and I notice that many musical colleagues are using some of his music in his particular honor this year. He appears to be in good health and even still plays though not so much in public as he used to. He spent much of his life in York Minster since he was a child chorister there and later he was appointed as music director and organist, a post he held for 36 years.
I have had the privilege of meeting this beloved legend on more than one occasion. He is a charming man and much loved by his many choristers and musicians who have played his music.
Hazel Somerville