William Henry Monk
Musical editor of Hymns Ancient and Modern and composer of the tune Eventide
Related
Who he was
William Henry Monk (1823–1889) was an English organist, choirmaster and editor. He was born in London, worked for years as a church organist there and taught the organ at King's College. In 1861 he became musical editor of Hymns Ancient and Modern, a book that went on to sell in millions and became the standard hymnal of the Church of England. His tune Eventide, written for Abide with Me, was printed in it and is his most widely sung piece.
His place
He worked in a period when publishing and parish worship were both expanding. In the mid-nineteenth century English church music was uneven and every hymnal used its own tunes; Hymns Ancient and Modern fixed words to tunes, standardised the harmony, and let churches across the country sing the same music. Monk's task was to sort, transpose and harmonise a mass of tunes from different sources so that congregations could actually sing them.
What to hear
Listen first for the shape of four lines. Eventide is a classic four-line tune: the first two lines rise, the last two fall back, and the melodic peak arrives in the third line, so hear how the whole feeling is pushed up and then set down. Then listen for harmonic support. The congregation sings the top part while the organ plays the other three, so follow how the bass makes a short cadence at the end of each line. Finally listen for where the language falls. The same tune set to words in another language shifts the accents, so hear how the singers adjust.
Key works
- The tune Eventide, standard pairing for Abide with Me
- Hymns Ancient and Modern (1861), as musical editor
- Tunes including St Denys and St Ethelwald
- Organ music and church choral music
Influence
Hymns Ancient and Modern fixed the practice of one tune per text, and most English-language hymnals afterwards were laid out the same way. Eventide became one of the most frequently sung tunes in the language, returning at weddings, funerals and memorial services. Monk's name is less visible than a composer's, but a good share of what English churches sang every week passed through his hands.
Listen in the library
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Sources
- 蒙克生平、伦敦教堂管风琴职位与《古今圣诗集》编辑工作，参 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians 的 Monk 条；本文为原创表述
- 维多利亚时代赞美诗集与 Eventide 曲调 1861 年的刊行，参通行英国赞美诗研究；实例说明为本站听辨提示
Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.