A podcast of hymns, history and (dodgy) harmonies.
Me (Sam) and Aron are a couple of millennial Christians in Gabalfa Baptist Church, Cardiff who have discovered the joy of singing hymns. We have made it our project to refresh some epic old hymns we've discovered.
Each week on the pod we pick on an old hymn which we have tried to refresh (often by writing a new melody for it, sometimes adding a chorus...), we chat about the original hymn writer and at finally we sing our arrangement of that hymn.
Any questions email music@gabalfa.co.uk
S2E3 - Jesus The Name High Over All (Charles Wesley)
Listen to Jesus The Name High Over All by Gabalfa BC Music - https://youtu.be/2f5VpOqnPOQ?si=n8uWfUrV86bDYPtP
How haven't we covered Charles Wesley yet?! Well, we make right that wrong on this episode.
Also, Aron reacts to a worship related vid that has done the rounds on insta, Sam chats about a chord sequence he uses all the time (it's even got a name) and as ever there's some questionable singing at the end.
Hope you enjoy!
Watch this ep on YOUTUBE - https://youtu.be/qI91mIZ5xYU
27 Jan 2024
S2E2 - NEW EP SPECIAL | The Mercy Seat: Ascension EP
We have released a new EP - The Mercy Seat: Ascension EP
Listen now:
In this episode we discuss how these 6 tracks came to be. We chat through the recording of the songs, the motivation behind writing an EP based on Christ's ascension and the artwork Aron created for it.
May these songs cause us to pray and rejoice in our ascended Lord Jesus!
4 Jan 2024
S2E1 - Approach My Soul The Mercy Seat (John Newton)
Check out Approach My Soul by Gabalfa BC Music - https://open.spotify.com/track/6QylhzJOabdBDBI8mqbGWV?si=4c5a8ac04b894309
We're back with a new series of Hymnology 101!
We recorded this first epi way back in August (hence the shorts and general summer vibes!)
In the pod we chat about a song we put out in May last year, it's a reworking of a John Newton hymn. Aron delves into the life, testimony and hymn-writing of John Newton and at the end we sing our version of Approach My Soul The Mercy Seat.
Any correspondence email sam.smith@gabalfa.co.uk
22 Nov 2022
#10 - Pat Sczebel (who wrote His Forever and Jesus Thank You)
Our final episode for a while - but it's a corker!
We chat to Pat Sczebel who for many years was a part of Sovereign Grace Music.
At Gabalfa we love singing a hymn Pat wrote called His Forever (Jesus Friend of Sinners) - https://open.spotify.com/track/6nFLIsVqzj69ptt3IjySjM?si=39f27effa07543da
We chat to about the writing of that hymn, Pat's walk with Jesus and other hymn related stuff.
Any questions, email me at sam.smith@gabalfa.co.uk
10 Nov 2022
#9 - Eric Schumacher & David L. Ward (who wrote "Not In Me")
It's another Zoom / special guest Hymnology pod.
Eric and David wrote the modern hymn "Not In Me". It's a favourite of ours and we have sung it lots at Gabalfa. It beautifully portrays the truth that our only hope of righteousness is not in ourselves but only in Christ Jesus who died and rose for us!
Check that hymn out here - https://open.spotify.com/track/2gKJGVpbCxCkNKMwnMS523?si=bcd0cc3255514833
or here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mXY3Y-1i-Y
We chat to Eric and David about this particular hymn and what they've learnt about writing hymns together and other stuff too.
Hope you enjoy!
29 Sept 2022
#8 - Kevin Twit (Indelible Grace Music)
It's our first zoom podcast and it's with the OG of putting new tunes to old hymn texts - Kevin Twit, the founder of Indelible Grace Music.
We chat about how he got into (what he calls) 'retuning' old hymns, the hymns we sing by IGM at Gabalfa, how to help others to retune hymns and more.
Hope you enjoy listening!
Check out Indelible Grace Music on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/0HoHU8SXe0g9jJGOfL8rDq?si=TkwFeU9JQ427Iv2kD7etcg
Here's a playlist of the songs we sing by them at Gabalfa Baptist Church - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/47dBlvP9I5hfSLGlpFoz9s?si=e4a3803a67d04ff8 (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/47dBlvP9I5hfSLGlpFoz9s?si=e4a3803a67d04ff8)
Check out some of our own hymns as well - https://open.spotify.com/artist/73ehDjHso3qFTTdbh9JawH?si=bZjN7tgeSjq9mpL03Ql9WQ
20 Jun 2022
BONUS! - A Better Story EP (The Making Of)
It's a bit of a different episode this week!
Aron and I discuss the making of Gabalfa's new EP - A Better Story.
We recently started singing all the songs on the EP at our Church Holiday at Hill House in Somerset and it was great to sing them together!
But...
Why make an EP? Why did we choose these songs for this project? Who was involved and how did it work?
You can listen to A Better Story EP here - https://open.spotify.com/album/468ZqXhEk6s4gYtbaaLwwR?si=71CmLIFxTCOOdo91PAcSlQ
And watch the vids on youtube - https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJGsxc_8Fw16piRpgXzPtNT4RFPPjLw6I
As ever, any questions, hit me up at sam.smith@gabalfa.co.uk
*Apologies for the bit of background / white noise in the background. Some tech difficulties there!
12 Jun 2022
#7 Great High Priest We See Thee Stooping [Gethsemane] (Joseph Hart)
It's been 3 months since we've done a pod! But we're back with a podcast about Joseph Hart, and 18th century pastor and hymn writer. The hymn we've reworked of his is Great High Priest We See Thee Stooping (we've called it Gethsemane as it's less of a mouthfull and that's where the song is set!).
You can hear a recorded version we made of this hymn here - https://open.spotify.com/track/0e3bbmae8ubRBeEl4trwq7?si=717e85aa8be34017 and here - https://youtu.be/IB5TvkKmrE0
Any questions email me at the usual sam.smith@gablafa.co.uk
29 Mar 2022
#6 - Sol Fenne (20schemes music)
Sam chats with Sol Fenne of 20schemes music whilst at the 20schemes weekender in March 2022.
Sol has written some great modern hymns to serve the 20schemes church plants.
You can check out their latest album "Hymns in Hard Places" here - https://open.spotify.com/album/3rT7F8E83eKCAtRgXwC9BD?si=FOHYb7cZTQmzlJu2fCKF0g&utm_source=copy-link (https://open.spotify.com/album/3rT7F8E83eKCAtRgXwC9BD?si=FOHYb7cZTQmzlJu2fCKF0g&utm_source=copy-link&fbclid=IwAR14gmtahzrz-0nP9jz7bpfvOFGCwkfbjvaxyRHv9yYFu7dKExecxwN3gK0)
We chat about hymns in general and get some background on the hymns he has written.
Hope you enjoy!
22 Mar 2022
#5 - Onward March All Conquering Jesus (William Williams)
At last, we speak about a Welsh hymn-writer - and William Williams is perhaps Wales' most well known in Wales' history. Aron speaks about the great man and we sing our own arrangement of one of his hymns.
8 Feb 2022
#4 - I Know That My Redeemer Lives (Samuel Medley)
Samuel Medley has a fascinating story and he wrote some great hymns. Aron informs me of it and we sing our take of one of his hymns.
1 Feb 2022
#3 - Give Me Christ Or Else I Die (William Hammond)
Aron has put a melody to an old hymn by William Hammond. Hammond's lyrics don't mess around! What made him write such direct, meaty rich hymn lyrics? Sam and Aron discuss and then sing!
25 Jan 2022
#2 - I Lay My Sins On Jesus (Horatius Bonar)
Horatius Bonar has left us many amazing hymns. I Lay My Sins On Jesus is one we have added a new melody and chorus to. We discuss Bonar's story, what drew us to this hymn in particular and how we went about renovating it for our church. Then of course, we sing it!
Check out the recorded version of the song we did - https://open.spotify.com/track/0IL4VpyAai8gqlbxrUkwQh?si=qprAzPxGQqWzyX9uFd9d6g
OR
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ovz12kpOaeU
18 Jan 2022
#1 - Why Do I Fear In Unbelief (Augustus Toplady)
In what's really the first proper Hymnology pod, Aron and I talk about a hymn writer who's written a couple of hymns we have tried to refresh - Augustus Toplady.
We end with singing our take on his hymn "From Whence This Fear and Unbelief".
Check out our official recording of this song here - https://youtu.be/e9lPzxTcVxk
Email me at music@gabalfa with any questions you may have.
Listen to Gabalfa BC Music here - https://open.spotify.com/artist/73ehDjHso3qFTTdbh9JawH?si=CTK3RUDGSIW5Vkf7aOT7ng
11 Jan 2022
Intro - How Two Millennials Discovered The Joy of Singing Hymns
Welcome to our new podcast!
As something of an intro - me (Sam) and Aron (two millennial Christians) discuss how we discovered the joy of singing old hymns in church-life and try answering the age-old question "what even is a hymn?!". We also chat about the project we've been working on of refreshing & rearranging some old hymns that we could sing them sing them with our church family.
Thanks for listening! Any questions email music@gabalfa.co.uk
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