Codrington College

To: Clergy and People

From: The Bishop

Whitsuntide greetings!

Please see below for your information and action. Please encourage members of your congregations to participate.

From: The Principal of Codrington College -The Rev’d Dr. Michael Clarke.

Codrington College is currently in its 275 th year. It houses the oldest library in the region, an
extensive collection of religious materials from the Caribbean; however, there is a vital aspect of
Caribbean religious response that is missing; Caribbean music. The Library is therefore
embarking on a project to create a Caribbean Hymnody Repository at the College.

This project seeks to acquire, catalogue and categorise, on an ongoing basis, all Caribbean
worship music, either as hymns, performance pieces or mass settings. The main criteria is that all
material be written by a Caribbean person in a Caribbean genre. Various persons across the
region have in the past created and continue to create material, most of it is not compiled or
collated in an easily accessible place. In many instances, most of the work is unknown and
popular only in the immediate area, or even local congregation. Much is buried as it could not
compete with that arriving out of the United Kingdom and the United States of America. It is
expected that due to the diverse ethnicities of the Caribbean work will be presented in multiple
languages. Material up to and including the year 2020 is being requested.

The success of this project will depend heavily on the support of churches across the region
promoting the initiative and sharing in the various congregations the information. In submitting
works the lyrics, music score and any audio will be required

Please share with your congregations.

With every good wish and God’s blessings!

Sincerely

The Rt. Rev’d C. Leopold Friday
Bishop of the Windward Islands