Songs of Praise Factsheet

Presented by
Stephanie Hughes

Conducted by
John Bell

With
Musicians and congregational from the English Reformed Church

MUSIC/HYMNS

All My Hope On God Is Founded
Source: BBC Songs of Praise Hymnbook No. 281 (ISBN 0191473251)
Words: Robert Bridges (1844-1930
Tune: Michael
Music: Herbert Howells (1892-1983)

Jesu Joy Of Man’s Desiring
Source: Sheet music widely available
Music: Bach Cantata BVW 147

Fairest Lord Jesus
Source: The Church Hymnary - Third edition - Oxford University Press
Words: Munster Gesangbuch, 1677
Music: Silesian Melody form Schleswige Volkelieder, Leipzig 1842

Silence My Soul
Source: Wild Goose Worship Group
Music: John Bell

Te Ensalzaré Señor
Source: Wild Goose Worship Group
Music: John Bell

Tell Out My Soul
Source: BBC Songs of Praise Hymnbook No. 281 (ISBN 0191473251)
Words: Timothy Dudley-Smith (b1926)
Tune: Woodlands
Music: Walter Greatorex (1877-1949)

Stephanie Hughes filmed on location in Amsterdam
For information on the English Reformed Church visit website: www.ercadam.nl

In one of the oldest parts of Amsterdam, Begijnhof, is a square of houses which originally belonged to a community of lay Catholic nuns, the Begijn who cared for the sick and educated the poor. In the square is Amsterdam’s oldest house, dating from the 14th century. It is one of the few wooden buildings to survive the fire which destroyed the city.

The Begijn chapel was built around 1390 then rebuilt in the 1490s after the fire. It was closed by the Town Council during the reformation, or adjustment as it was known in Holland, and given to the city’s English speaking worshipers in 1607. There has been English language worship here continuously since then, except during the war years.

The community which worships here is drawn from English language speakers throughout and around the city. For many English is a second language. Not many people speak Dutch and English links a worldwide community. The breadth of experience this creates means the Christian community benefits from the challenges of a wide variety of interpretation and understanding of faith. It's a dynamic, questioning, thoughtful, young and caring community. Unusually for Songs of Praise, all contributors (except Brother Luc) are members of this one congregation.

Some musicians are from the wider city, but many are members of the congregation also. The church is a focal point for musicians. Set in a square sheltered from traffic noise and with excellent acoustics, it is a fine performance venue for chamber groups. Amsterdam is a world centre of excellence for baroque music. Many of the city’s finest musicians have played here. The baroque composer and violinist Locatelli is buried in the church.

Conductor – John Bell. John is a Church of Scotland minister. As a young graduate he was assistant minister in the English Reformed Church, but is now living in Glasgow, and leads the Wild Goose Worship Group. WGWG is a group of 5 full time singers who gather music from around the world and adapt it for other cultures. They also write music for worship which is published in the UK, US, Australia and Scandinavia. WGWG publications can be sourced from The Iona Community, The Pearce Institute, 840 Govan Road, GLASGOW, G51 3UU. Tel: 0141 445 4561, www.iona.org.uk

The Rev John Cowie is a Church of Scotland Minister who moved to Holland from Fife 11 years ago to be minister of the English Reformed Church.

Ravind Sangha was brought up in both Sikh and Christian cultures, and was working as a musician in Australia when after a trip to the Great Barrier Reef he felt inspired to seek the whole new world he had never seen or experienced. He came to Amsterdam to be at the heart of baroque playing, and has stayed.

Fiona Campbell studied at St Mary’s Music School in Edinburgh, then Manchester then Amsterdam. She plays violin in the Amsterdam Chamber Orchestra, and in a small chamber group which appears regularly in the English Reformed Church. She also teaches privately. The pupils you see in the programme meet weekly in the home of two of the children in Breuklin outside Amsterdam. Fiona has also regularly been to Mostar in Bosnia to help children learn music at Pavarotti Centre there.

Gerda Zyp is from Friesland. She was brought up in the Dutch Reformed Church. She studied medicine and volunteered to work with Medecin Sans Frontiers in Tanzania and Sri Lanka. She returned to pursue her training as a surgeon, and is now on the board of MSF in Holland.

Brother Luc leads the Christian community of 30 people at Oudezijds 100.
e-mail:info@oudezijds100.nl www.oudezijds100.nl.
They provide homes for people who need sanctuary temporarily, and run a medical and social work centre to support many clients, mostly refugees and asylum seekers.

Peggy Krol. Peggy is American, but having come to do a placement with the Oudezijts community she married a Dutchman and has stayed. She works as a social worker for the Oudezijts community.

Hollandia Nova is a group of musicians formed around the instruments given to Ravind Sanga by an Australian instrument maker. Inside each instrument he has written ‘this instrument is never to be sold, but only freely given’. The baroque instruments, made from wood from an old Swiss cheese factory, are slightly different in shape and tone, and are played at a slightly lower pitch than normal.

Kamerkoor Amsterdam is an Amsterdam based choir.
Kamerkoor Amsterdam
p/a Ingrid Löwenthal
Javakade 506
1019 SC Amsterdam
Tel. +31 (0)20 4196282

© 2001 BBC