Church Hymnary, Third Edition (1973)
Known as CH3, the 1973 hymnary was more than a new edition, it was an entirely new compilation. It appeared in Oxford University Press, and contained 695 items. When it first appeared, it was widely criticised for omitting many favourite hymns ("By cool Siloam's shady rill" was a prominent example), but it introduced many modern hymns like "Tell out my soul" which soon became popular - albeit to the tune "Woodlands" rather than the prescribed tune "Mappersley" which is rarely, if ever, used.
CH3 included those metrical psalms (or sections of psalms) which were most frequently used and thus effectively replaced the psalter in most congregations, though a version with the full psalter at the front was also printed. All the metrical psalms in the volume were expanded with a trinitarian doxology which the Psalter had printed separately; as a result, these suddenly came to be used far more frequently than ever before.
The volume is structured thematically under eight sections each (except the last) with a number of subsections:
- Approach to God
- The Word of God: His mighty acts
- Response to the Word of God
- The sacraments
- Other ordinances
- Times and seasons
- Close of service
- Personal faith and devotion
The distinctive plain red cover set CH3 apart from the previous hymnbooks and psalters, which all had dark blue-black bindings.
Like RCH, CH3 also had a handbook: John Barkley, Handbook to the Church Hymnary Third Edition, OUP 1979. Its commentaries are less full and scholarly than those of Moffatt and Patrick, but more closely tailored to the needs of worship preparation.
Read more about this topic: Hymnbooks Of The Church Of Scotland
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