George Ratcliffe Woodward

Short Name: George Ratcliffe Woodward
Full Name: Woodward, George Ratcliffe, 1848-1934
Birth Year: 1848
Death Year: 1934

Educated at Caius College in Cambridge, England, George R. Woodward (b. Birkenhead, Cheshire, England, 1848; d. Highgate, London, England, 1934) was ordained in the Church of England in 1874. He served in six parishes in London, Norfolk, and Suffolk. He was a gifted linguist and translator of a large number of hymns from Greek, Latin, and German. But Woodward's theory of translation was a rigid one–he held that the translation ought to reproduce the meter and rhyme scheme of the original as well as its contents. This practice did not always produce singable hymns; his translations are therefore used more often today as valuable resources than as congregational hymns. With Charles Wood he published three series of The Cowley Carol Book (1901, 1902, 1919), two editions of Songs of Syon (1904, 1910), An Italian Carol Book (1920), and the Cambridge Carol Book<?cite> (1924). Much of the unfamiliar music introduced in The English Hymnal (1906) resulted from Woodward's research. He also produced an edition of the Piae Cantiones of 1582 (1910) and published a number of his translations in Hymns of the Greek Church (1922).

Bert Polman

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Woodward, George Ratcliffe, M.A. of G. & C. College, Cambridge; B.A. in honours 1872, M.A. 1875. Has held several curacies and two benefices, and is now (1907) Curate of St. Mark's, Marylebone Road, London. He has translated a number of hymns from the German and Latin, which are included in his Songs of Syon, 1904.

--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, New Supplement (1907)

Wikipedia Biography

George Ratcliffe Woodward (27 December 1848 – 3 March 1934) was an English Anglican priest who wrote mostly religious verse, both original and translated from ancient authors. The best-known of these were written to fit traditional melodies, mainly of the Renaissance. He sometimes harmonised these melodies himself, but usually left this to his frequent collaborator, composer Charles Wood.

Texts by George Ratcliffe Woodward (38)AsAuthority LanguagesInstancessort descending
Ave Maria, gratia plena, So spoke the archangelGeorge Ratcliffe Woodward (Author)1
Dearest Jesus, we are here, To be in thy word instructedGeorge Ratcliffe Woodward, 1848-1934 (Translator)English1
Ho paŝtistoj Betlehemaj!George Ratcliffe Woodward (Translator (into English))1
Unto us a boy is bornGeorge Ratcliff Woodward (Translator, v. 2)English1
Ah! Lord God, the world's CreatorGeorge R. Woodward (Translator (from Latin))English2
An Infant lay within a shedGeorge R. Woodward (Translator (from German))English2
Beside the flood of BabylonG. R. Woodward (Author)English2
Come, all ye creatures of the LordGeorge Ratcliffe Woodward (Translator)English2
Ding dong! Plenas en ĉiel'George Ratcliffe Woodward (Author)Esperanto2
Eastern monarchs, sages threeGeorge Ratcliffe Woodward (Author)English2
Go, happy soul: thy days are endedGeorge Ratcliffe Woodward (Author)English2
Hail, Easter bright, in glory dight!George Ratcliffe Woodward (Translator)English2
Ho bela paska tag'! Nun paŝu, hom', al belo!George Ratcliffe Woodward (Author)Esperanto2
Is this that body, Jesus, sayGeorge Ratcliffe Woodward (Author)2
Jesu, all holyGeorge Ratcliffe Woodward, 1848-1934 (Author)English2
Jesu, joyaunce of my heartGeorge Ratcliffe Woodward (Translator)English2
Jesus Christ is risen, The feast, good Christians, therefore keepGeorge Ratcliffe Woodward (Paraphraser)English2
Jesus Christ, of heaven KingGeorge Ratcliffe Woodward (Translator)English2
Make thee ready, as best thou art ableGeorge R. Woodward (Translator (from Greek))English2
Nowell! Nowell! Good news I tellGeorge R. Woodward (Author)English2
O thou sweetest Source of gladnessGeorge Ratcliffe Woodward (Translator)English2
To redeem a race forlornGeorge Ratcliffe Woodward (Author)English2
Today doth blossom Jesse's stemRev. G. R. Woodward (Author)English2
What! no anthem for my Maker?G. R. Woodward (Translator)English2
Whate'er betide, God is my guideGeorge Ratcliffe Woodward (Author)2
Alleluia, praise the Lord, Be His holy name adoredGeorge Ratcliffe Woodward (Author)English3
Come, listen to my story, Christus natus hodieG. R. Woodward (Author)English3
Hail! Jesus Christ, blessed for ayeG. R. Woodward (Translator)English3
My Jesus, pierced for Love of meGeorge Ratcliffe Woodward (Author)English3
What, ye ask me, is my prizeG. R. Woodward (Translator)English3
Christ, the Lord hath risenGeorge Ratcliffe Woodward (Author)English4
Now woods and wolds are sleepingRev. George R. Woodward (Translator)English4
The world itself is blithe and gayGeorge Ratcliffe Woodward (Author)English4
Ding dong! merrily on highGeorge Ratcliffe Woodward (Author)English7
Blessed Jesus, we are here, At thy call, Thy presence owningGeorge Ratcliffe Woodward (Translator)English8
Praise ye the Lord, ye servants of the LordGeorge Ratcliffe Woodward, 1848-1934 (Translator)English10
Shepherds in the field abidingGeorge Ratcliffe Woodward (Author)English10
This joyful Eastertide Away with sin and sadness!George R. Woodward, 1848-1934 (Author)English56

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