Percy Dearmer (1867–1936)

This is, I suppose, a "classic" in its way, although it is now mainly a curiosity.

Dearmer wrote this book from what everyone but himself would consider a distinctly "Sarum" position, deriving vestments and ceremonial from the Uses in England (not only Sarum but York and other local uses) prior to the Reformation, basing it on the Ornaments Rubric and a concern for following exactly what was formally allowed thereby. Much of that use, of course, overlapped with the more Roman-style ceremonial show more represented by Ritual Notes (and, of course, Society-of-Sts.-Peter-and-Paul parishes used Fortescue in any case) and was of general application, but the rest was never taken up by the majority of even "high" parishes, as it was seen as antiquarian in tone.

As the 20th century progressed, and especially after the debacle of the 1928/29 Prayer Book, it became the norm for the majority of Anglican parishes, in one way or another, to ignore not only the strict rules regarding ceremonial, however interpreted, but even the text of the BCP as established. Once parishes felt free of those sorts of constraints the relative fussiness of Dearmer's approach became less appealing.

There's still quite a lot in this book that is useful, but it's useful only when used by someone who, essentially, already knows it and its competition and is using it as a quick reference or a refresher. Otherwise it's mainly of historical (and, to a degree, nostalgic) significance. show less

The church choir I am in uses the English Hymnal, and what a delight it is to know you are often singing an alto part "harmonised by Ralph Vaughan Williams", and as like as not a tune he adapted from a folk song. Thank heaven he and his friends went around collecting these wonderful old tunes before they died out.

Definitive source for traditional Christmas songs. Contains many carols and hymns not usually collected in popular modern books.

Perhaps in WARM's Australia, these songs are well-known. But in the United States most of them were virtually unknown until Martin Shaw's Chorale started singing them and this book gave people access to the music. And I would say that the majority would still be rarely used here in the U.S. Much of this music is drawn from early sources though rearranged in a more modern idiom. There are also a number of songs that express sentiments that go as well with neo-paganism as they do with show more Christianity. show less