The Singing Church: The Hymns It Wrote and Sang
THE HYMNS IT WROTE AND SANG
By Edmund S. Lorenz, LL.D., Mus. Doc.
AUTHOR OF MUSIC IN WORK AND WORSHIP PRACTICAL HYMN STUDIES PRACTICAL CHURCH MUSIC CHURCH MUSIC
COKESBURY PRESS NASHVILLE
THE SINGING CHURCH Copyright, MCMXXXVIII By WHITMORE & SMITH
All rights in this book are reserved. No part of the text may be reproduced in any form without written permission of the publishers, except brief quotations used in connection with reviews in a magazine or newspaper.
Set up, electrotyped, printed, and bound by the Parthenon Press at Nashville Tennessee, United States of America
“ Be filled with the Spirit; speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. ” (Eph. 5: 18, 19.)
In preparing this discussion of the Christian hymn, it has been my ambition, not to be pre-eminently scholarly, but rather to be pre-eminently helpful. The current treatment of this phase of church worship is quite sufficiently thorough in its literary analysis and historical research; there is nothing but praise for this aspect of the study of the hymn in the many excellent treatises in America as well as in England.
The fathers of American hymnology, Professors Austin Phelps and Edwards A. Parks and Rev. Daniel L. Furber, set a good example to later hymnologists in their Hymns and Choirs in laying stress on the thought and sentiment of the hymns and in devoting nearly one-third of their study to “The Dignity and the Methods of Worship in Song,” discussing choirs, congregational singing, organs, and many other practical phases in the use of hymns. They gave little consideration to the historicity of individual hymns; that viewpoint had not risen above the horizon.
Later works have given more attention to the historical background. The work of Dr. Louis F. Benson, the greatest hymnologist America has produced, cannot be too highly commended for its scholarly thoroughness and indefatigable research. His The English Hymn and The Hymnody of the Christian Church should be found in the library of every minister. Other valuable American treatises on hymns are Ninde’s Story of the American Hymn , Gilman’s Evolution of the English Hymn , Reeves’ The Hymn as Literature , Marks’ Rise and Growth of English Hymnody , and Tillett’s Our Hymns and Their Authors , all of which are most helpful and illuminating discussions bearing on the literary and historical aspects of Christian hymns. On the other side of the sea are other most valuable studies of the hymn. Horder’s The Hymn Lover is particularly fresh and inspiring. Others are instructive regarding the individual hymns, such as Josiah Miller’s Singers and Songs of the Church , John Telford’s The Methodist Hymn-Book Illustrated and Evenings with the Sacred Poets , and W. T. Stead’s Hymns That Have Helped . Supreme above them all is Julian’s Dictionary of Hymnology , which is a stupendous work of vast comprehensiveness and indefatigable industry, the last word in the history and critical study of Christian hymns of all lands and all Christian ages.
Edmund S. Lorenz
---
INTRODUCTION
THE PLACE AND IMPORTANCE OF THE HYMN
THE SINGING CHURCH
I. DEFINITION OF THE HYMN
II. THE HYMN MUST BE POETRY
III. THE WRITING OF HYMNS
IV. THE LITERARY QUALITY NOT TO BE OVERESTIMATED
I. THE CHANGES IN OUR HYMNS
II. PRINCIPLES OF EQUITY INVOLVED IN THESE CHANGES
III. EFFECT OF CHANGES ON QUALITY
IV. ANALYSIS OF CHANGES MADE
I. ITS RELATION TO GOD
II. RELATION TO THE SINGER
THE SINGING CHURCH
I. SACRED SONG IN THE NEW CHRISTIAN CHURCH
I. EARLY GREEK HYMNS
II. THE LATER GREEK HYMNS
I. THE BEGINNINGS OF LATIN HYMNODY
II. EARLY LATIN HYMN WRITERS
III. GREAT LATIN HYMNS
IV. MEDIEVAL DEVOTIONAL POEMS
V. MEDIEVAL POPULAR HYMNODY
I. PRE-REFORMATION VERNACULAR HYMNS
II. LUTHER’S RELATION TO GERMAN HYMNODY
I. THE RISING STANDARD OF LITERARY VALUES
II. THE GOLDEN AGE OF GERMAN HYMNODY
III. THE PIETISTIC HYMN WRITERS
IV. GERMAN REFORMED HYMNODY
V. TRANSITION TO RATIONALISTIC HYMNS
VI. RATIONALISM IN HYMNODY
VII. HYMNS OF RENEWED RELIGIOUS LIFE
VIII. HYMNS OF PIETISTIC TYPE
I. CALVIN’S CONCEPTION OF CONGREGATIONAL SINGING
II. CALVIN’S FOLLOWERS MORE EXTREME
III. MAROT’S SUCCESSFUL VERSIONS
IV. DEVELOPMENT OF THE GENEVAN PSALTER
V. ENGLISH PSALM VERSIONS BEFORE STERNHOLD
VI. VERSION OF STERNHOLD AND HOPKINS
VII. THE SCOTCH VERSION
VIII. ROUS’ VERSION
IX. TATE AND BRADY’S “NEW VERSION”
X. AMERICAN PSALMODY
XI. THE VALUE OF THE PSALM VERSIONS
I. THE EARLIEST ENGLISH HYMN
II. ENGLISH HYMNODY SUBMERGED BY REFORMED PSALMODY
III. ENGLISH LITERARY IDEALS UNFAVORABLE TO HYMN-WRITING
IV. THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE TECHNIC OF WRITING SINGING HYMNS
V. THE IDEAL OF THE SINGING HYMN REALIZED
I. THE HYMNIC NEED OF THE TIME
II. THE LIFE OF WATTS
III. WATTS AS A HYMN WRITER
IV. WATTS’ ARGUMENTS FOR THE HYMN
V. WATTS’ INSISTENCE ON PRACTICABILITY
VI. THE INESTIMABLE VALUE OF WATTS’ HYMNS
VII. CONTEMPORARIES OF WATTS
I. THE INFLUENCE OF WATTS ON THE WESLEYS
II. THE HOME OF THE WESLEYS
III. THE MORAVIAN INFLUENCE
IV. JOHN WESLEY
V. CHARLES WESLEY
VI. CHARLES WESLEY’S HYMNS QUITE SUBJECTIVE
VII. WATTS AND CHARLES WESLEY
VIII. THE ISSUES OF THE WESLEYAN HYMNS
IX. THE METHODIST TUNES
X. INFLUENCES OPPOSING THE WESLEYAN HYMNS
XI. OTHER METHODIST HYMN WRITERS
XII. CALVINISTIC-METHODIST HYMN WRITERS
XIII. BAPTIST HYMN WRITERS
I. RISE OF SPIRITUAL LIFE IN THE ENGLISH CHURCH
II. EARLY COLLECTIONS OF EVANGELICAL HYMNS
III. EVANGELICAL HYMN WRITERS
IV. HYMN WRITERS OF THE ROMANTIC SCHOOL
V. CONTEMPORARY HYMN WRITERS
VI. MINOR HYMN WRITERS
VII. THE HYMNS OF THE OXFORD MOVEMENT
I. THE TRANSITION FROM PSALMODY TO HYMNODY
II. THE INTRODUCTION OF WATTS’ HYMNS
III. THE BEGINNINGS OF AMERICAN HYMNODY
IV. COLLECTIONS OF AMERICAN HYMNS
V. EPISCOPAL HYMN WRITERS
VI. UNITARIAN HYMNODY
VII. LATER ORTHODOX HYMN WRITERS
THE SINGING CHURCH
I. IMPORTANCE OF THE STUDY OF HYMNS
II. PERSONAL ADVANTAGES OF SUCH STUDY OF HYMNS
III. THE PRACTICAL VALUES OF INDIVIDUAL HYMNS
IV. THE MINUTE STUDY OF HYMNS
V. A STUDY OF METHODS OF USE
VI. A STUDY OF THE TUNES
I. THE HYMN AS A MEANS TO AN END
II. ANALYSIS OF PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF HYMNS
III. THE USE OF HYMNS FOR CREATING RELIGIOUS INTEREST
IV. THE HYMN AS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR TEACHING TRUTH
V. HYMN SERMONS AND HYMN SERVICES
VI. THE USE OF HYMNS IN EMERGENCIES
I. SELECTION SHOULD SECURE UNITY OF SERVICE
II. SUGGESTIVE SELECTIONS OF HYMNS
III. IMPORTANCE OF THE TUNES
I. THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF HYMNS
II. THE TREATMENT OF HYMNS
EPILOGUE
REFERENCES AND NOTES
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER I
CHAPTER II
CHAPTER III
CHAPTER IV
CHAPTER V
CHAPTER VII
CHAPTER VIII
CHAPTER IX
CHAPTER X
CHAPTER XI
CHAPTER XII
CHAPTER XIII
CHAPTER XIV
CHAPTER XV
CHAPTER XVI
CHAPTER XVII
CHAPTER XVIII
CHAPTER XIX
CHAPTER XX
CHAPTER XXII
GENERAL INDEX
INDEX OF HYMNS
THE CONTENTS
Transcriber’s Notes
