History

"Sing of the Lord's Goodness" was written in 1981 by Ernest Sands (1949-2016), an English Roman Catholic priest who composed both its text and tune. Sands was a founding member, in 1969, of the St Thomas More Group, a collective formed to write and promote new music for Roman Catholic worship; fellow members included the composer Bernadette Farrell, and the group's songs went on to appear in songbooks published in both the United Kingdom and the United States. The text and music of this hymn are copyrighted to Ernest Sands and published by OCP (Oregon Catholic Press).

The hymn opens "Sing of the Lord's goodness, Father of all wisdom" and moves into a refrain beginning "Come, then, all you nations", set to a text meter of 12.7.12.7 with refrain in the key of E minor. Its praise draws on themes found in Psalms 100, 117 and 150 — God's mercy, faithfulness, and ongoing work of new creation. Musically, the hymn is unusual among congregational songs for being written in 5/4 time; commentators have repeatedly noted its resemblance to Dave Brubeck's jazz standard "Take Five", which gives the piece its distinctive, energetic, syncopated feel.

The hymn's most notable public moment came in 1991, when it was performed at the enthronement of George Carey as Archbishop of Canterbury, a use that helped cement its place as one of the best-known hymns of praise from the modern era across both Catholic and Anglican worship. It has since been included in some twenty hymnals and songbooks on both sides of the Atlantic, among them Journeysongs.) and Singing the Faith.

Performance

This 2024 recording by St. Martin's Voices, drawn from their 'Contemporary Worship with Lyrics' series, presents "Sing of the Lord's Goodness" in a 2 minute 28 second setting with on-screen lyrics, designed for congregational singalong use.

Sources: hymnary.org · hymnology.hymnsam.co.uk · music.churchofscotland.org.uk · sixmaddens.org · cjmmusic.com · ocp.org

About St Martin's Voices

The recording on this page is sung by St Martin's Voices, the professional vocal ensemble based at St Martin-in-the-Fields, the church on Trafalgar Square in London. One of the UK's most versatile professional choirs, they sing for services, concerts and broadcasts — including on BBC radio and Classic FM — and have released a number of acclaimed recordings.

Their hymn recordings are made freely available to Anglican parishes through the Church of England's A Church Near You Resource Hub, produced by Andrew Earis, Director of Music at St Martin-in-the-Fields, in collaboration with the Royal School of Church Music.