London, England - Traditional religious classics, including Love Divine and Amazing Grace, have trounced "happy clappy" offerings in a battle to find Britain's favourite hymn.
The historic songs, some of which can trace their roots back to the Middle Ages, dominate a shortlist of 20 favourites selected by viewers of the BBC's Songs of Praise. Only four were written in the last 50 years and one of those has lyrics that were inspired by a poem by St Francis of Assisi.
Among those which made the top 20 were the favourites of public figures such as Michael Howard, who chose I Vow to Thee My Country, and Gordon Brown, who opted for William Blake's Jerusalem, in a special edition of the programme aired in January. More than 10,000 viewers voted.
Michael Wakelin, the executive producer of Songs of Praise, said that the traditional bias in the "very rich and varied list" was only to be expected. "It takes a long time for a hymn to settle into the national consciousness," he said. "For a classic hymn you need a very substantial piece of music and a very substantial piece of poetry. I think modern hymns will take their place eventually, but they are battling with the likes of Charles Wesley."
The shortlist is likely to prove highly controversial - not least because of the much-loved songs that have not made it to the final round of voting. We Plough The Fields And Scatter and All Things Bright and Beautiful, among the most performed songs in Britain, both failed to make the final list. By contrast, Jerusalem and I Vow To Thee My Country, which many worshippers contend are not hymns, made it to the final 20. Originally entitled Fight for the Right, Jerusalem was a favourite of the suffragette movement and has subsequently become the anthem of the Women's Institute.
But I Vow To Thee My Country has actually been banned in some churches. In August the Bishop of Hulme, the Rt Rev Stephen Lowe, asked local churches to prohibit it because it expressed "inappropriate sentiments for Christians to hold".
He said the hymn was a "dangerous" example of rising English nationalism.
Ann Widdecombe, the Conservative MP and a practising Catholic, said: "Strictly speaking, Jerusalem and I Vow to Thee My Country are not hymns. But I am not particularly dismayed that they are on the list. I think I Vow to Thee My Country is there because it is one of the very few outlets for patriotism which we still have left in the country."
Miss Widdecombe's favourite, How Great Thou Art, which was inspired by a Swedish folk melody, made the list.
"It is about the majesty of God," she said. "It is not petitioning or asking for anything, it is merely celebrating God's glory."
Andrew Motion, the Poet Laureate and an Anglican, said that his favourite was The Day Thou Gavest Lord is Ended, which was also a favourite of Queen Victoria's. "The hymns that I tend to like best do have a sort of intimacy and melancholy," he said.
"The clappier hymns I find less sympathetic. It is not that I think sadness is more fruitful or more appropriate than happiness, it is just that going to church to me has always been an occasion for going inwards as well as outwards."
Prunella Scales, the actress, cited All The Saints, which did not make the list, as her favourite. "We call it 'Pom! All the Saints' in our house because it starts out with such a great beat," she said. "I am fairly middle of the stump so I do not mind the traditional nature of the list."
Many of the songs on the list, such as Great Is Thy Faithfulness and Guide Me Oh Thou Great Redeemer, are perennial favourites at weddings and funerals. Others, such as Praise My Soul The King of Heaven, which was sung at the Queen's wedding in Westminster Abbey in 1947, and I Vow to Thee My Country, which was performed at the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997, have provided the backdrop for state occasions.
Eight made it into the final top ten when the BBC ran a similar exercise in 1993. But two from that list, The Lord Is My Shepherd and The Old Rugged Cross seem to have fallen out of favour with viewers.
Joel Edwards, the head of the Evangelical Alliance, said that the striking thing about the list was the number of hymns that had been out of fashion for decades, but which were now enjoying a new lease of life. "There are about three hymns on the list which are enjoying a recent resurgence," said the Rev Edwards.
"I don't think And Can It Be and Be Thou My Vision would have made it on to the list a few years ago. I think modern Christians like songs which make a connection with the past. These songs fulfil that sort of function."
Shine Jesus Shine, which was written in 1986, by Graham Kendrick, is the strongest contender among more modern offerings.
Viewers of Songs Of Praise will be invited to choose the nation's favourite hymn next month and the winner will be named in a broadcast in October.