O God, Our Help in Ages Past
William Croft (ST ANNE)
Recording
St Paul's Cathedral Choir, Huw Williams (organ), John Scott
- Album
- Remembrance
- Year
- 2003
- Length
- Period
- Hymn
- Listen
Painting
Thomas Cole
View of Schroon Mountain, Essex County, New York, After a Storm, 1838
The piece
Isaac Watts paraphrased Psalm 90 in this hymn for The Psalms of David Imitated (1719), and John Wesley later changed its opening word from "Our" to "O". The tune ST ANNE, attributed to William Croft, first appeared in 1708 and takes its name from St Anne's, Soho, where Croft was organist.
The recording
St Paul's Cathedral Choir recorded it under John Scott in the cathedral in January 2003, with Huw Williams at the organ and a descant by Scott, for an album of music for remembrance. Gramophone called the album "a lasting souvenir of a moving occasion".
Other recordings
The Gabrieli Consort & Players under Paul McCreesh sing it with large forces on An English Coronation, 1902-1953 (Signum, 2019).