Music & Hymns for Churches

Any organisation (including churches) in the UK who wish to use copyrighted music as part of an online streamed service (or activity) are required to have an appropriate license to legally allow them to do so. This is administered by PRS (Performing Rights Society) and is called a Limited Online Music License (LOML). It can be purchased directly from PRS, and to calculate the cost they will need to know estimates of your audience size (number of people viewing), the number of songs used in a service, and the number of services. There are also some reporting obligations, meaning that you may need to regularly submit a report to them about the number of tracks used, audience sizes and frequency of use. It only covers music streamed in and to the UK. If you use music without an appropriate license, and are found to be doing so, you may be subject to action against you by PRS or the copyright holder and / or a backdated claim for music already used.

Visit the PRS LOML page here:

https://www.prsformusic.com/licences/using-music-online/limited-online-music-licence

Click on the button below to download an advisory pdf guide with additional information:

Hymn Books

Each hymn in the hymnbook has a set of numbers just above it that gives its metre.

Examples are CM, 7.7.7.7; 8.7.8.7.D

CM = Common Metre; 7.7.7.7. shows 7 stanzas in each of four lines of the hymn; 8.7.8.7.D indicates stanzas of 8 and 7 on alternate of four lines of the hymn, but the D indicates this is doubled so that in fact the hymn has 8 lines.

You don’t need to worry about stanzas, just the number and letter coding.

Hymn Music

Either in the back or front of the music book there will be a metrical index. This will show the hymn number in the music book that is a particular metre. So that under for example 7.7.7.7. there will be a set of hymn numbers all of which have this metre. Every hymn tune with a specific metre can be used for and will fit the words of any hymn in the SNU hymnbook that shows this metre.

How to download suitable music

• Choose your hymn from the SNU hymnbook and note its metre. This should also indicate the number of lines per verse. So that if there are 4 sevens (7.7.7.7.) this indicates 4 lines per verse.
• If you know the name of the hymn tune you use this makes the job easier.

Go to a website that offers free midi file downloads below are two such websites:

www.smallchurchmusic.com

www.hymntime.com

• Either select the tune you want from the tune list or select a tune from the metre list.
• Check the options for the tune you have chosen as they offer different ones – Church Organ, Small Band, Choir etc. It is best to listen to the various options before you make your choice.
• Having chosen your hymn tune and having checked that it is for the number of verses you have. Download the MP3 file onto your computer.
• Depending on the audio system your church has you can either then play the MP3 file directly or convert it to CD format and put it onto a CD to use with a CD player.

A collection of songs selected with worship and Spiritualist philosophy in mind, and were written and recorded by Nick Weaver, who records under the name of The Big Heart. They appear here for use in your church with his kind permission, all rights reserved, and his encouragement to feel uplifted by his musicianship.

Tracks include: Love Is The Only Answer, Unity, The Love You Give, Heal Yourself, Draw Near, Soul fire Give All The Love You Can, Listen Beyond The Words, You Are My Strength, One Drum, One Beat, A New Idea Of Heaven, Let The World Awake To Love, All I Want

Watch a sample of Nick’s music in this special video:

Download the lyrics to Nick’s music by clicking on the button below.

A recording of backing tracks to a selection of popular hymns, recorded by Michael D Thomson of Stourbridge Spiritualist Church.

Track Listing:

CD1

1. Catch the Sunshine
2. Any Dream Will Do
3. Healing Hymn
4. Skye Boat Song
5. I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing (with backing beat)
6. I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing (without backing beat)
7. Let There be Peace on Earth
8. At the End of the Day
9. How Great Thou Art
10. St Anne
11. Lloyd

CD2

1. All Through the Night
2. Be Still my Soul
3. The Day Thou Gavest
4. Ode to Joy
5. Clementine
6. Beautiful Dreamer
7. Hand in Hand
8. Through the Portals Beaming
9. Marching
10. Sailing
11. Purer Yet and Purer
12. I Love to go a Wandering
13. I Dreamt I was a Shaft of Light (Composer. Michael D Thompson)
14. Love Changes Everything
15. Make me a Channel (Prayer of St Francis)
16. Thank you
17. When the Saints
18. Jerusalem (3 verses)