Apologies to John Bell but I came across his 'Go silent friend' to the Londonderry Air last week. Hardly anyone there could get the top note so we all squeaked instead. This hymn seems to be becoming quite popular, so I must be an unfeeling Philistine.
It starts 'Go silent friend, (S/he's dead so his body hasn't got much choice and neither has his/her soul). Your life has found its ending... (stating the obvious) (the guy we sang it to last week was anything but silent when he was alive!)
and later, referring to "God who called you into being," "Now calls you hence, his accent still the same" (what accent would that be, then?)
and later 'Go silent friend, Forgive us if we grieve for you... (Forgive ??)
The fact you had to squeak is not the fault of the words; the tune has a wide melodic range, which means one has to think twice about transposing it down, but this could be done.
Yes - forgive. We should have hope in Eternal Life which should transcend grief, but often we fail here.
JW wrote:... 'Go silent friend, Forgive us if we grieve for you... (Forgive ??)
In Laudate the text appears as "... forgive us if we grieved you", which makes perfect sense.
What might make some people from the Emerald Isle cringe is the name given to the tune. I prepared a service sheet for the requiem of an Irish friend who died last year and her daughter played that tune in the course of the Mass on the violin. When the potential pitfalls in the name were pointed out, the priest retorted "Well you can't very well call it the Derry Air!" The title that eventually went into the sheet was "Irish Air from County Derry", which I have seen in no less authoritative a document than the programme for the Last Night of the Proms, where in recent years it has been made an honorary Sea Song.
This lovely hymn was sung at the funeral of Bishop Charles Henderson as his body was interred behind the high altar of St George's cathedral Southwark and the text we sang was "forgive us if we grieved you" which should be what John Bell wrote in the first place. I once sang special words to this tune at a farewell and had to be careful to start low enough! It works well in 5 flats with "I cannot tell" but I think "O brother man" should have Parry's "Intercessor" - it's a great melody in the minor. Sadly the Parry tune seems to be a preserve of Ancient and Modern. Interesting that "Common praise" omits "O brother man" - no doubt if it said "O brother/sister" it would be included! Similarly "Brother, let me be your servant" was changed to "Will you let me be your servant" which is actually a slight improvement.
This hymn seems to be becoming quite popular, so I must be an unfeeling Philistine. 
