Are the Canticles of the Office ever replaced by hymns?

Obviously, the BCP doesn't say that you can sing a hymn instead of, e.g., the Te Deum, but because the content of a traditional service is ultimately at the priest's (and bishop's) discretion, is it something that was ever done in practice?

 

My experience is that, particularly at Morning Prayer, whichever is the shortest of the canticles is the one in regular use. Morning Prayer as a richly adorned service has largely gone by the wayside.

The te deum is generally considered a piece best left to those parishes which can muster some semblance of a choir. Also, our attention deficit society tends to think te deum and benedicite omnia opera are arduously long.

 

We need a return to beauty and traditionalism.

 

Honestly, the Benedicite is too much for even me, liturgy junkie that I am!

 

Charles Wheatly (died 1742) in his Rational Illustration of the Book of Common Prayer of the Church of England, gives the following note in Chapter 3, Section 13, part IV:

So some in Wheatly's time were using metrical paraphrases of the psalms provided as alternative canticles.

 

Ever heard or sung the Benedicite by Naylor? Brilliant! This is just a snippet - the whole thing is a stonking good sing! You'll need to unmute it on the right hand side of the video to hear the sound.
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Computer speakers (though mine are decent ones, with sub) don't do it any justice. Wish I could be there.

 

Okay. That's significantly more magnificent than the version I ever got my organist to play.

 

I sang this the first time 66 years ago in a 24 strong parish choir with a 4 manual organ accompanyment. It's LONG but such joyful fun to sing especially the gloria and Amens at the end of the marathon. By which time the congreagation have all gone home.
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