Hymns

It’s the fourth Sunday in Lent – Laetare Sunday. ‘Laetare’ is Latin for ‘rejoice’, and traditionally the day is a break in this otherwise austere season of the church calendar. Cheerful hymns in this… Audio

This week in Hymns on Sunday we’ve some communion hymns, a psalm from the Scottish Psalter, and we’ll hear some hymns from writers who are great examples that age is no barrier to doing new things. Audio

Celebrating St Patrick's Day (17 March) this week, with a selection of Irish hymns and traditional tunes including John Rutter's setting of the Irish Blessing: May the road rise to meet you. Audio

Hymns to mark the first Sunday in Lent, and a favourite setting of Psalm 23 (The Lord’s my Shepherd) by Scottish healer, mystic and poet James Leith Macbeth Bain – known to his peers as ‘Brother… Audio

You can hear a song by NZ hymn writer and composer Cecily Sheehy O.P. in this week’s programme, from her collection ‘Larksong’. And we mark Transfiguration Sunday with hymns including Immortal,… Audio

Written in the 1970s by Australian Catholic nun Sister Deirdre Browne, Come as you are is now sung throughout the world. Sister Deirdre says that the song’s appeal is simply its singability and its… Video, Audio

This week’s programme includes hymns that are based on or reference Psalm 150. “Praise the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary, praise him in his mighty heavens.” Audio

Two very different settings of verses from Romans Chapter 8 this week: “Nothing can separate us from the love of God”. And we’re completing our Summer Hymn Requests with hymns including Abide with me… Audio

This week’s listener requests include a Brendan Taaffe’s contemporary folk hymn To the hills, a harvest anthem by English composer John Rutter, and Isaac Watt’s well-loved hymn When I survey the… Audio

Charles Wesley’s hymn Love divine, all loves excelling is the choice of not one but three listeners in this week’s programme of Summer Hymn Requests. You can also hear Honour the dead, Shirley… Audio

This week’s listener requests include a contemporary setting of Psalm 23, a chorus from John Stainer’s oratorio The Crucifixion, and a 21^st century hymn by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend. Audio

What’s the link between the 19^th century hymn The church’s one foundation and composer Karl Jenkins’ 21^st century work The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace? Find out in this week’s programme of listener… Audio

It's a gentle start to this week's Summer Hymn Requests, with Eleanor Farjeon's Morning Has Broken sung by the Choir of King's College, Cambridge. Audio

Welcome to the first of our Summer Hymn Requests programmes, which begins with Carl Boberg's well-loved hymn How great thou art. Audio

Carols for the Fourth Sunday in Advent include Poverty Carol, It came upon a midnight clear, and New Zealand hymn writer Shirley Murray’s Star-child, earth-child. Audio

Rejoice! It's Gaudete Sunday, the Third Sunday in Advent (Gaudete is 'rejoice' in Latin). Hymns include Tell out my soul, and New Zealand carols From Pastures Green and Pohutukawa Carol. Audio

Hymns for the Second Sunday of Advent include Shirley Murray's Look toward Christmas! and Hail to the Lord's anointed. Audio

The season of Advent begins today – a time of waiting and expectation leading up to Christmas. Sing along to favourite Advent hymns including O come, Emmanuel and Come, thou long-expected Jesus. Audio

Christ the King Sunday is a 20th century addition to the church calendar, introduced by Pope Pius XI in the 1920s. We're marking it today with hymns including Rejoice! the Lord is King and Lord,… Audio

Marking World Day of the Poor in Hymns on Sunday this week. Pope Francis established this day in the Catholic liturgical calendar in 2017 - a Sunday set aside to reflect on how poverty is at the very… Audio