An unbeliever can enjoy a good hymn as much as the next man, as many have testified. (G.B. Shaw, D.H. Lawrence, Kingsley Amis, and E.O Wilson come to mind. Not sure about Bert Russell; but the religious side of his family were some minimalist nonconformist sect IIRC, and so probably disapproved of hymns anyway.)
This week is Fleet Week in New York City. I attended a Fleet Week function on Wednesday, watched the ships sailing up the Hudson, and hobnobbed with some naval and USMC personnel — most enjoyable and instructive.
At no point, however, did I get to hear the Navy Hymn, which is in my personal Top Five. I cannot let this stand.
Beautiful hymn indeed.
Thank you, dear Bradlaugh !
Your F.r.
Gorgeous. As a secular conservative aesthete, I was wondering if “Ave Maria” was on your Top Five list. Renata Tebaldi’s rendition is ravishing.
So that’s the song I heard on that one Monty Python episode!
A stirring arrangement of that hymn can easily bring a lump to this old atheist’s throat. Apparently, I am helpless to feel otherwise. Stanford neuroscientist Robert Sapolsky says people’s openness to new types of music tends to wane in their late 30’s. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5652676
So, if it stirred you when you were young, it will stir you all your life. Thank goodness for iPods so I can secretly listen to gospel music even as I mock the irrationality that inspired it.
That was very nice! From a cynical agnostic, Thank You!
As a lovely anachronistic expression of artistic license, that hymn is the one used in the chapel scene in the recent film version of Moby Dick:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IctEOuPGddM
The anachronism is that the hymn was written after Moby Dick was published.
Some of the very finest 20th century hymns (and other music appropriate for the religious service) were composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams, a non-believer.
Damn–only punched because I mistakenly thought it was a “missing hymen” being discussed and, thus, found the comments bewildering.
Sorry.
The last volume of the still underrappreciated evo- bio genius William Hamilton’s collected papers has both a eulogy by Dawkins and the– I, raised Papist, assume C of E– hymn (with music) sung at his funeral. I confess I rather like the juxtaposition.