Aspiring hymn researcher Abiodun Falode, who was recently invited to the annual conference hymn society of Great Britain, Ireland, said the experience and relationship gained at the event has been instrumental to his quest to become an expert.
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According to him, it would help him gain insight into what other hymn composers, researchers in his field in the area of music have been researching.

The will also help him discover more about the world of composition and research as he strive to become an expert in the field.

Sharing his experiences after attending this year’s conference which was held from 18th of July to 21st of July, in the United Kingdom, Falode said it was just an honour to meet hymn researchers and academics and teachers from Europe, Asia, African and American.

According to him, “Some of the people I met were actually really impressed by the level of collaboration and teamwork within my degree and even asked me for advice on how they could encouraged it within their own organizations.
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“If there was one thing that I was not expecting from this year conference 2023,it was that professors, hymn scholars, composers, guest speakers were impressed by my playing as the official pianist for the conference where I was saddled with a responsibility of being an accompanist during some of the session and festival of hymn concert.”

Some of his performances at the conference includes; African music composition of Edna soyannwo and Thomas Ekudayo Phillips; Festival of hymns held in Bishop Grosseteste,Lincoln; Conference early morning devotions; Short piano recital during short plenary session on Western composer.

His visit to UK 2023 also gave him an opportunity and recognition to perform as the guest organist at Church of Ascension, Plumbstead; UK concert organized by Church organ projects in Nigeria inconjuction with plumbstead church of Ascession; Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) Jesus house, Brent cross Uk; 1Holy Trinity Totteham, Phillip lane,UK.

For him it was worth to attend the 2023 conference which was a very enriching and worthwhile experience as a member of the society.

He expressed gratitude to the executives of the HSGBI for accepting him as one of the member and for the invitation to attend this year conference.

“I was truly inspired by the people I met and their dedication to improving compositions and cultural exchange across all levels.”
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The Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland (HSGBI),was founded in 1936 for the purpose of encouraging study and research in hymnody, promoting good standards of hymn-singing, encouraging the discerning use of hymns and songs in worship and sponsoring relevant publications.

The Hymn Society is ecumenical, its members being drawn from a wide spectrum of Christian tradition and practice.

Members come from all over the world and include leaders of worship and church musicians, writers of words and tunes, people interested in editing hymn-books, scholars and researchers, as well as those simply wishing to use hymns with greater understanding. The Hymn Society is administered by an executive committee.

It is a diverse group of people, all sharing an interest in hymns. There are about 450 individual members (and over 50 subscribing libraries and other institutions).

Some have a special interest in words and/or music, there are hymn writers, composers, hymn book editors, while many members are responsible for the choice of hymns in worship, others are hymn enthusiasts or simply enjoy singing hymns.

Meanwhile struggling a bit at the conference as there were so many professors, scholars, composers, researchers because he looked younger and less experienced than the remaining attendees, but this didn’t bother him.

According to him, “A quick look around our Annual Conference reveals the presence of professors, students, hymn and song writers, composers, music directors, pastors, hymnal editors, publishers, song leaders, and more.

“We have also seen a growing diversity in age, race, sexual orientation, and gender identity. These are all people who value both scholarship and practice and can’t imagine being involved in one without the other.”
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Conference speakers include
Robert Canham,A short but merry life-celebrating the life and hymns of joseph Addison; Polly Falconer, Calypso in Hymn and Worship; Andrew Pratt, Visual images in Hymnody; Nancy Graham,Erik Routley for the 21st century; Phil Price, Hymns for the Little and Flock, The Hymn trandition of the plymouth.

According to him, “One of the sessions I attended brought hymn text writers together to celebrate and critique our work. The facilitator Dr.Gillian Warson led us in a conversation about why we write hymn texts. Responses included: hymn texts stay with us because the music embeds the words in our memories; new texts reclaim familiar tunes with peace and justice themes; hymn texts are gifts to our Creator; hymn texts celebrate the wonder and mystery of life; hymn texts are healing. We sang and critiqued the hymns submitted before the conference.

“I submitted one of my unpublished hymns in progress. Warson and others in the sessions expressed appreciation for the feminine imagery and pronouns in this hymn. Also, they talked about the need for more hymns on the Holy Spirit. My hymn, they said, could be used for Pentecost and ordinations as well as for services on themes of calling and justice. They also gave me valuable critique that has helped me revise several lines.

“I definitely gained a lot from the experience and feel more prepared to continue my research and composition of music having gained more insight about my field. In fact ,I would highly recommend others in the area of music and hymn composition to join and attend the conference because not only do they provide you with an opportunity to meet researchers and composers at the forefront of their field, but they also allow you to discover what is important and significant about hymn composition at large.
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