Hymns Volume 1 – Simon Thoumire and Rory Matheson
Nine hymns, stripped back to their essence and given voice by two of Scotland’s most inventive musicians — Simon Thoumire on concertina and Rory Matheson on organ.
These are melodies most of us already know by heart — sung in churches, at funerals and weddings, learned in school assemblies — long before we ever thought about who wrote them or why. That familiarity is exactly the point. We chose to record these tunes because they are well-known hymns, but more than that, because they are simply beautiful melodies — the kind that would be recognised in most households, including our own. If they weren’t beautiful tunes, we wouldn’t still be singing them.
Thoumire and Matheson pair the reed and bellows of the concertina with the sustained breath of the organ, letting each melody unfold slowly and simply, without ornament or arrangement getting in the way.
*Hymns Volume 1* follows on from Thoumire’s previous recordings of *’God of Mercy and Compassion’* and *’Blessed Are You, Lord, God of All Creation’*, continuing an exploration of hymn tunes as some of the most enduring melodies.
It’s available on Bandcamp and all streaming media.
credits
released July 28, 2026
Simon Thoumire – English concertina (tenor treble Aeola)
Rory Matheson – organ