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Listen to hymn-writer Bishop Timothy Dudley-Smith on...

  • The King James Bible of 1611
  • The 150th anniversary of Hymns Ancient & Modern
  • The text of his hymn for the Harold Smart Composition Competition

Since writing the words of the hymn 'Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord' fifty years ago,  Bishop Timothy Dudley-Smith has arguably become one of the best-known hymnwriters of our time. He has over 300 hymn texts to his credit. Born in 1926, he was educated at Tonbridge School, Pembroke College Cambridge, and trained for the priesthood at Ridley Hall. His hymn-writing continued through a series of clerical appointments - the most senior being as Bishop of Thetford from 1981 until his retirement eleven years later.

During 2011, Bishop Timothy is being honoured with the RSCM's highest honorary award, that of Fellow of the Royal School of Church Music (FRSCM). Here you can hear Bishop Timothy discussing several topical subjects; the impact of the King James Bible and Hymns Ancient and Modern, both of which have significant anniversaries this year.

Bishop Timothy has also written the set text for this year's Harold Smart Composition Competition. Entrants should set three verses of his new hymn 'How shall we sing salvation's song'. On this page you can hear him talking about his own experience of hymn-writing, and the essential ingredients for a good hymn. Click on the appropriate link below for more details of the competition.

Podcast 1 - the King James Bible

Podcast 2 - Hymns Ancient & Modern

Podcast 3 - Harold Smart Composition Competition

If you are a Windows user you can also save the MP3 files to your computer by right-clicking on the link text. (There are other options available if you use another operating system.)

This podcast was produced for the RSCM by Stuart Robinson and is a WSR Media Ltd production.