"Cranbrook", also known as "Northampton", is a hymn tune composed in the 1790s or early 1800s by
Thomas Clark (1775–1859), a
cobbler
Cobbler(s) may refer to:
*A person who repairs, and sometimes makes, shoes
Places
* The Cobbler, a mountain located near the head of Loch Long in Scotland
* Mount Cobbler, Australia
Art, entertainment and media
* ''The Cobbler'' (1923 fil ...
from
Canterbury
Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour.
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of ...
, and is best known as the tune to the
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...
"national anthem" "
On Ilkla Moor Baht 'at
"On Ilkla Moor Baht 'at" (English language, Standard English: ''On Ilkley Moor without a hat'') is a folk song from Yorkshire, England. It is sung in the Yorkshire dialect and accent, Yorkshire dialect, and is considered the unofficial anthem o ...
".
The tune was originally published in ''A Sett of Psalm & Hymn Tunes with some Select Pieces and an Anthem'' in 1805 as a setting for "Grace 'tis a charming sound" by
Philip Doddridge
Philip Doddridge D.D. (26 June 1702 – 26 October 1751) was an English Nonconformist (specifically, Congregationalist) minister, educator, and hymnwriter.
Early life
Philip Doddridge was born in London the last of the twenty children of ...
, but soon became more widely known as a tune for "
While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks" by
Nahum Tate
Nahum Tate ( ; 1652 – 30 July 1715) was an Irish poet, hymnist and lyricist, who became Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, Poet Laureate in 1692. Tate is best known for ''The History of King Lear'', his 1681 literary adaptation, adaptation ...
. The tune is 86.88.666 but is commonly used with lyrics in
common metre Common metre or common measure—abbreviated as C. M. or CM—is a poetic metre consisting of four lines that alternate between iambic tetrameter (four metrical feet per line) and iambic trimeter (three metrical feet per line), with each foot con ...
(86.86). In order to fit, the third line is sung twice and the fourth three times as in "Grace 'tis a charming sound", "While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks" and "On Ilkla Moor baht 'at".
Thomas Clark was a regular visitor to
Cranbrook, Kent
Cranbrook is a town in the civil parish of Cranbrook and Sissinghurst, in the Weald of Kent in South East England. It lies roughly half-way between Maidstone and Hastings, about southeast of central London.
The smaller settlements of Sissing ...
in the 1790s, and may have composed the tune there, possibly with the help of a local schoolmaster, John Francis. Clark later became a choirmaster and composed many other tunes for churches and Sunday Schools.
Music
External links
*
CRANBROOK Hymnary.org (tune usage in various hymnals)
*
*{{cite web , title=While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By Night (arr. Trepte) , url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TM_m8LJrD2c , language=en - to this tune, sung by
Ely Cathedral Choir
These sites about the author of the tune may also be useful:
* https://web.archive.org/web/20120731094423/http://www.hymntime.com/tch/bio/c/l/a/clark_t.htm
* http://www.wgma.org.uk/Articles/Clark/article.htm
Hymn tunes