Erik Routley, recognized as probably the foremost hymnologist of the twentieth century, wrote this text for this tune. (There are no other tunes in this unusual meter, although there are some in 9.8.9.8. in a different rhythm.) The words are a paraphrase of Psalm 98.

Born in Brighton, England, on October 31, 1917, Routley went at age 18 to study classics at Magdalen College, Oxford University. Further work at Mansfield college led to the M.A. in 1943 and B.D. in 1946. The thesis for this latter degree was later published as The Church and Music, 1950. When he earned a PhD. In 1952, once again the excellence of his thesis warranted publication as The Music of Christian Hymnody, 1957. He chose to completely rewrite this work as his “final statement in the matter,” and published it in 1981 as The Music of Christian Hymns, a most comprehensive and perceptive survey of the whole range of music and hymns from the lainsong of the Middle Ages down to the present.

Routley’s first pastorate was the Congregational church of Wednesbury. During this time he served as editor for Congregational praise, 1951, and married Margaret Scott, a violinist. For 11 years, 1948 to 1959, he was a lecturer, chaplain, director of music and librarian at Mansfield College. This period saw the writing of nine more books, mostly about hymns and church music, and the beginning of a 27-year stint as editor of the Bulletin of the British Hymn Society. Returning to pastoral work in 1959, he went to the Augustine-Bristo Church in Edinburgh, Scotland. While he was there, 13 more books flowed from his fertile mind and prolific pen, including his most successful one, Hymns Today and Tomorrow, 1964.

Routley made two tours of the United States, in 1062 and 1966, out of which grew two more books, Words, Music, and the Church, and Music Leadership in the Church, both published by Abingdon. He visited this country eight more times before making it his permanent home.

For a time he was pastor at St. James Church, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, where he was involved with the production of two hymnals, Hymns for Celebration, 1974 and Cantate Domino, 1974. He was elected president of the Congregational church in England and Wales for the year 1970-1971.

In 1975 he accepted a call to Princeton Theological Seminary, but after a few months moved over to become professor of church music at Westminster Choir College, Princeton, New Jersey. After 1978 he was also director of chapel, which he characterized as an “unfairly ideal situation” (The Hymn, 1981). Using his vast knowledge of hymnic repertoire and consummate skill as a communicator, he led the gifted music students in chapel worship services that were creative and memorable. He once told his class in hymnology, “I am more interested in the people who sing the hymns than in the hymns themselves, and you will never do any good if you are interested only in hymns. You must be interested in people.” As a leader of congregational song, he always took seriously the potential of a gathered group of people to sing with musical sensitivity.

While at Princeton he edited Westminster Praise, 1976, a supplement for the chapel, and Ecumenical Praise, 1979, and was a consultant for a new hymnal for the Reformed Church in America, Rejoice in the Lord, 1984.

Historians will no doubt regard Routley as the most dominant influence on twentieth-century church music. He died at Nashville, Tennessee, on October 8, 1982.

His other contributions to SDAH are: No. 356, “All Who Love and Serve Your City,” and No. 571, SHARPTHORNE, for “What Does the Lord Require?”

RENDEZ A DIEU (Render to God) is one of those strong, singable tunes that came from the genius of Louis Bourgeois (see SDAH 22)  and his work on the French Genevan Psalter, 1551. It was first published with Psalm 118 in La Forme des Prieres, Strasburg–the date is variously given as 1542, 1543, 1544, and 1545. Bourgeois either adapted it from an older melody or composed it himself.

Claude Goudimel (c. 1505-1572) was born in Besancon, France, he first appeared as a composer in Paris about 1549. He lived among the Hugenots at Metz and died in the massacre of those faithful ones at Lyons, August 27, 1572. His chief contribution to the music of Protestantism was his harmonizations appearing in the Genevan Psalter (see also SDAH 22). For a hymnal that contains 28 of Goudimel’s harmonizations and 32 texts from various editions of the Genevan Psalter, see Hymnal for Colleges and Schools, edited by E. Harold Geer, 1956.Russell Schulz-Widmar was born July 29, 1944, at Harvard, Illinois, to immigrant parents. He learned to love good hymn singing at St. John’s Lutheran Church, Hebron, Illinois. He attended Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, Indiana, and earned the Master of Sacred Music at the School of Sacred Music, Union Theological Seminary, New York City. His Doctor of Musical Arts is from the University of Texas at Austin. He served on the editorial boards for a number of recent hymnals and was the chairman of the music committee for the Episcopal Hymnal 1982,  which was published in 1985. He has written articles and reviews for The Hymn, Journal of the Hymn Society of America. At this writing (1986) he is adjunct associate professor of church music at the Episcopal Theological Seminary, visiting lecturer in church music at the Presbyterian Theological Seminary, and, with his wife, joint director of music at the United Methodist church, all in Austin, Texas. He wrote to the editors of SDAH, “I am delighted you’re using my adaptation of RENDEZ A DIEU and am especially pleased that I  appear on the same page with Erik Routley!”