The Rapturous Song Began:
John Watts and the Bicester Hymn Book
ISBN: 0-9542606-3-5

It is always interesting to find historical documents relating to a specific time and place. John Watts' three collections of hymns are no exception. He started with A Selection of Psalms and Hymns for the use of the Congregation assembling in the Parish Church of Bicester published in 1844, then he published the subsequent Supplement of 1872; and finally he produced A Century of Hymns forming a supplement to the Bicester Church hymn book. There are many ways these collections can be studied. One approach is to consider them as a fascinating source of insights into the personal life of a dedicated parson who was quick to proclaim his theology at every opportunity. Approaching them from another angle, we can also regard Watts' hymn books as a valuable source of material about the variety of hymns that were available to a singing congregation in the nineteenth century. What we find, in fact, is that a surprising number of the hymns that we continue to sing today were already available at that time. Finally, there is a third way of looking at Watts' collections and that is to study them as a source of information about the historical context in which they were written. Close inspection reveals a wealth of material about the cultural life of a market town in the middle of the nineteenth century. We find a town where it was possible to attend weekly concerts and literary meetings, purchase all kinds of musical instruments and sheet music; a town with a church and large congregation capable of raising a very considerable sum of money for the restoration of its own church, a centre for choral festivals with a choir of its own which used the latest hymn books. And, at the centre of all, we find a vicar dedicated to his congregation and community throughout thirty-eight years. In the book I shall be discussing all of these things, as well as looking in detail at some of John Watts' own texts and speculating on the tunes to which they might be sung. My examination of the Selection of Psalms and Hymns draws on evidence from a variety of historical sources including local papers such as the Bicester Advertiser, copies of the Parish Magazine from the mid-nineteenth century and census material. Also, I shall draw on early hymn books and place Watts' contributions within the context of Anglican Church music as it developed during the nineteenth century. Throughout the book, though, it is important not to lose sight of the spiritual leader peeping through. Always keen to be seen, J. W. Watts is a charismatic figure in the history of St. Edburg's Church.

See the cover?

Buy the book?

See pictures of the launch party?

Gillian Warson

E-mail: gillianwarson@lineone.net