A Collection of Psalms & Hymns

Adapted for the Use of Parish Churches, with Several Chants Added Dedicated to the Archbishop of Canterbury Composed and arranged for Organ or Piano-Forte by Nathaniel Cooke Published by D’Almaine & Co., Soho Square, London – Price: 10 shillings

This elegant volume, first published around 1810, represents a devotional and musical offering tailored to Anglican parish life in early 19th-century England. It includes 73 hymns and psalm settings, many composed by Nathaniel Cooke, alongside selections by other composers from Brighton and surrounding areas. Later editions expanded the repertoire to include melodies by Haydn, Handel, Mozart, and even Beethoven, though the attribution of Beethoven’s involvement remains speculative—hence the “spurious” designation.

Nathaniel Cooke: A Forgotten Pillar of Brighton’s Musical Life

Born in Bosham (near Chichester) in 1773, Cooke studied music in London under his uncle Matthew Cooke, organist of St. George’s Church in Bloomsbury. His career flourished in Brighton, then known as Brightneinstone, where his Collection of Psalms and Hymns for the Brightneinstone Church Choir became a staple of Sunday worship for over 15 years.

In 1813, Cooke was unanimously elected organist of Brighton’s Parish Church by a public vote of 400 parishioners—a rare democratic gesture in ecclesiastical appointments. He held the post until his death in 1827, and was recognized in Sainsbury’s Dictionary of Musicians (1824) as one of the 100 most important musicians of his time.

Musical Highlights

Among the featured texts are:

• Psalm 41 – Broadwater “Happy the Man, whose tender Care / Relieves the Poor distress’d…” A compassionate invocation of divine mercy and social justice.
• Psalm 93 – Hastings “With glory clad, with strength arrayed / The Lord, that o’er all nature reigns…” A majestic celebration of divine sovereignty and cosmic order.

These settings reflect the Anglican tradition of metrical psalmody, where biblical texts are paraphrased into poetic stanzas suitable for congregational singing. The inclusion of chants such as Te Deum Laudamus, Jubilate Deo, Kyrie Eleison, Sanctus, and Doxology further enriches the liturgical scope of the collection.

Legacy and Preservation

The third edition, now digitized and curated by Luigi Bellofatto and the Centro Ricerche Musicali, offers a glimpse into the devotional soundscape of Regency-era England. Though Cooke’s name has faded from mainstream music history, his work remains a testament to the spiritual and communal power of sacred song.