Hear Us, O Lord, As We Voice Our Laments

Performance Notes:

• The following article is from the Psalter Hymnal Handbook.

Tune Information:

LANGRAN (also known as ST. AGNES) was composed by James Langran (b. London, England, 1835; d. London, 1909) and first published by Novello in a pamplet in 1861 as a setting for the hymn text "Abide with Me." Several other texts have also been set to the tune, which is one of Langran's best. Sing it in parts, perhaps unaccompanied on one or more stanzas.

Langran studied organ as a youth but did not receive his Bachelor of Music degree from Oxford until he was forty-nine years old. He had several organist positions–the longest was at St. Paul's Church, Tottenham, England, from 1870 to 1909. He also taught music at St. Katherine's Training College for Schoolmistresses (1878-1909). Music editor of the New Mitre Hymnal (1875), Langran composed around fifty hymn tunes and contributed several of them to early editions of Hymns Ancient and Modern.

Other Resources:

• Visit hymnary.org for more information on this song and additional resources.
• The following are alternative accompaniments for this tune, LANGRAN.

Alternative Harmonization for Organ and Descant Resources:

• McKinney, Howard D. Preludes for Fifty-Five Well-Known Hymn Tunes. J. Fischer 9770 [1967]
• Noble, T. Tertius. Free Organ Accompaniments to One Hundred Well-Known Hymn Tunes. J. Fischer 8175 [1946]