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I Will Not Sing Alone - Songs for the Seasons of Love

Reviewed by Barbara Skilton.

The words and music of John Bell and the Iona Community feature in the worship of many churches of all traditions today - and rightly so. Here is a new collection of seventeen songs. Bell has written or arranged traditional tunes for each of them: the words of several are his also, with some collaboration from Graham Maule and some use of traditional texts (most strikingly W H Auden’s  “The Flight into Egypt” and a new tune for “I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say”).

The book is beautifully laid out and includes useful notes on the background to the texts and some suggestions for appropriate occasions and seasons for their use. Churches will find here an excellent mixture of songs suitable for teaching the congregation (such as “O Jesus Sweet”) and some challenges for choirs and music groups to tackle, with harmonies and parts clearly presented (as for “I am the Vine”).

There are songs here on themes which are not often approached - such as the death of a baby (“A Cradling Song”) and the onset and reality of war (“If the War Goes On”).

I am looking forward to introducing these songs to my own congregation and music group as they will enrich our worship and give breadth and depth to our repertoire of songs.