Hymn Marathon

This year we are seeing how many of the hymns in Ancient and Modern Hymns: Songs for Refreshing Worship can be sung across Music Sunday. As well as choir and congregation favourites this is an excellent opportunity to try something different!

If you are going to try something new, why not learn it before the day so that it can be sung as confidently as strong favourites?

If this isn’t your hymn book, you can still join in with Music Sunday as you can be as flexible as possible about how you mark the day – just make sure you tell us what you are doing by registering your event or emailing development@rscm.com

God the Holy Trinity

God the Holy Trinity is a beautiful, short anthem that the RSCM commissioned from Joanna Forbes L’Estrange, leading choral music composer, for Music Sunday in 2019. It is simple but effective, and can be easily incorporated in and Music Sunday and Trinity Sunday service. It’s flexible nature means that you can use it with whatever resources you have available.

For more insight into this piece, please click HERE to read the composer’s notes, and to purchase the music which is available as printed copies or a download.

There will be a free event to hear Joanna talk about the piece on Wednesday 7th May. For more information click HERE.

Play the Organ Year

Focus on the organ to combine with Play the Organ Year. You might choose to hold an organ concert to show off the instrument, hold a sponsored organ playing marathon or create other opportunities for different types of organ encounter. Check out our online shop for our organ catalogue. There are other ideas for organ encounters on the Play the Organ Year section of the website of the Royal College of Organists.

Host a Special Service for Music Sunday

In the past, various churches have organised their Music Sunday services in different ways;

• • Invite members of the choir and musicians to lead different parts of the service
• • Ask the Director of Music to speak about how he or she makes the music choices
• • Ask the choir and/or congregation to choose the hymns, or even all of the music
• • You could choose to sing one of this year’s Music Sunday anthems (see below)
• • Why not join with other local churches to put on a large service together?
• • Use this link to access the Music Sunday recommended music choices and readings for 2023
• • We will be uploading a complete service here soon that you can adapt to suit your own circumstances.

However you decide to celebrate Music Sunday, remember to register your event so that we can acknowledge your involvement.

Register your events

Put on a concert

There are so many possibilities according to your local circumstances! Large or small, formal or informal, could you combine with other local groups? One of our favourites of the last few years was a Pimms and Pipes event!

To help you with publicity why not use our poster template in the toolkit. There are lots of ideas as well in the publicity guide.

Resource Toolkit