Handbook to
The Mennonite Hymnary

By
Lester Hostetler, B. D.
Coeditor, The Mennonite Hymnary

General Conference of the Mennonite Church of North America
Board of Publications
Newton, Kansas
1949

Copyright, 1949, by the General Conference of Mennonites,
Board of Publications
Printed by the Brethren Publishing House, Elgin, Illinois

TO
ALL WHO LOVE THE HYMNS OF THE CHURCH
AND
DESIRE TO SING THEM
WITH
THE SPIRIT AND THE UNDERSTANDING
THIS BOOK
IS DEDICATED
IN
GRATITUDE AND LOVE

CONTENTS

PAGE [PREFACE] ix [EXPLANATORY NOTES] xi [INTRODUCTION TO OUR HYMNS AND TUNES] xii

NOTES ON THE WORDS AND MUSIC OF THE HYMNS HYMNS WORSHIP Praise and Adoration [1]-18 Morning [19]-27 Evening [28]-40 Close of Worship [41]-45 GOD THE FATHER His Majesty and Power [46]-47 Maker of Heaven and Earth [48]-53 His Love and Mercy [54]-64 JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD His Advent [65]-69 His Birth [70]-86 His Epiphany [87]-91 His Life and Ministry [92]-99 His Triumphal Entry [100]-101 His Passion [102]-112 His Resurrection [113]-116 His Ascension [117]-124 His Coming Again [125]-130 THE HOLY SPIRIT [131]-139 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE The Call of Christ [140]-144 Penitence and Confession [145]-147 Faith and Vision [148]-154 Peace and Joy [155]-159 Guidance and Protection [160]-169 Love and Gratitude [170]-179 Prayer and Communion [180]-189 Loyalty and Steadfastness [190]-194 Trials and Temptation [195]-198 Aspiration and Hope [199]-204 Purity and Uprightness [205]-211 Consecration and Stewardship [212]-220 Service and Brotherhood [221]-231 Inner Life [232]-239 HYMNS OF COURAGE AND COMFORT [240]-259 THE LIFE ETERNAL [260]-266 THE KINGDOM OF GOD [267]-272 THE CHURCH General [273]-277 The House of God [278]-282 The Lord’s Day [283]-288 The Holy Scriptures [289]-292 The Ministry [293]-297 Sacraments and Rites Consecration of Children [298]-300 Baptism of Believers [301]-302 The Lord’s Supper [303]-311 Marriage [312] Burial of the Dead [313]-316 The Communion of Saints [317]-319 Church Unity [320]-323 CHRISTIAN MISSIONS [324]-342 NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL LIFE The Nation [343]-349 World Friendship and Peace [350]-357 THE CHRISTIAN HOME AND FAMILY [358]-363 SPECIAL SERVICES Mother’s Day [364] Farewell Service [365] Our Forefathers [366]-369 Hospital Sunday [370] Temperance Sunday [371] Labor Day [372]-374 THE SEASONS Harvest and Thanksgiving [375]-378 New Year [379]-383 Winter [384] Spring [385] Summer [386] Autumn [387] SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES [388]-390 YOUTH [391]-402 BOOK TWO HYMNS FOR CHILDREN {Praise} [403]-405 {Nature} [406]-410 {Christmas} [411]-414 {Easter} [415] {Loyalty and Consecration} [416]-421 {Prayer} [422]-435 {Missions} [436] BOOK THREE GOSPEL SONGS [437]-504 BOOK FOUR THE CHURCH YEAR IN CHORALES Call to Worship [505]-508 Praise [509]-520 Advent [522]-524 Christmastide [525]-527 (New Year) [528] Epiphany [529]-530 Lent [531]-540 Eastertide [541]-545 Whitsuntide [546]-548 The Church and Missions [549]-552 {Morning} [553]-555 {Evening} [556]-557 General [558]-574 BOOK FIVE METRICAL PSALMS [575]-600 BOOK SIX RESPONSES, CHANTS, DOXOLOGIES, AND AMENS {Responses} [601]-609 {The Lord’s Prayer} [610] {Offertories} [611]-612 {Benedictions} [613]-614 {Doxologies} [615]-618 {Amens} [619]-623

PAGE [PRINCIPAL WORKS CONSULTED] 395 INDEXES [(1) Index of Scripture Texts] 400 [(2) Topical Index of the Metrical Psalms] 402 [(3) Composers and Sources of Tunes] 402 [(4) Authors, Translators and Sources] 407 [(5) Alphabetical Index of Tunes] 412 [(6) Original First Lines of Translations] 417 [(7) Index of First Lines] 419

PREFACE

The aim of this book is to serve as a companion to the Mennonite Hymnary. It seeks to explain, as far as possible, the origin of the words and music of every hymn in the Hymnary.

The great lyrics of the church, contributed by every age since the days of the apostles, are a precious heritage, and a source of inspiration and power. This work is intended to foster an understanding of and love for our hymns, new and old, and to stimulate the time-honored and blessed practice of congregational singing in the church today.

The Handbook may be found useful as an aid (1) in the private study of hymns or their use in family devotions; (2) in selecting suitable hymns for the many and varied services of public worship; (3) in preparing special music services or hymn sings where such occasions are planned to improve the singing in the church; (4) for study groups in hymnology in churches and schools. The historical development of hymnology may be followed in the brief “[Introduction to Our Hymns and Tunes].”

The author has endeavored to make the work as comprehensive as possible without overburdening the reader with too many details. Many hymns have interesting stories connected with their origin and use while others, equally valuable, were just written, without drama or incident, the poet scarcely knowing how or why, except that the Inner Voice spoke. The apocryphal tales which have been circulated concerning some hymns have been studiously avoided. The aim has been to include only such material as seems to bear genuine marks of authenticity. The bibliography of “Principal Works Consulted,” found elsewhere in the book, indicates the main sources.

The original versions of translated hymns are not always readily available and for that reason they are reproduced in the Handbook. Translated hymns are usually selections from a much larger number of stanzas and it is often instructive to be able to study the whole structure of the original work.

Acknowledgements. I wish to acknowledge valuable help received from the following and to express hereby my gratitude to them: to Dr. Robert McCutchan, author of Our Hymnody, who generously responded to my request for information on a dozen or more hymns on which I had no data; to Dr. Henry Wilder Foote, of Harvard University, author of Three Centuries of American Hymnody, for biographical material on several hymn writers, and the use of books from his private library; to Dr. Reginald McAll, Executive Secretary of the Hymn Society of America for helpful material; to Dr. Ruth Messenger, Archivist for the Hymn Society of America, who furnished nearly all the Latin originals, and the Italian original of Savonarola’s hymn, and information concerning these hymns; to Dr. Armin Heussler, author of a forth-coming handbook to the Evangelical hymnal, for material on several of the chorales; to Wm. Runyan of the Hope Publishing Company, and to Dr. John Trowbridge of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles, for information concerning several of the gospel songs; to Dr. Cornelius Krahn who made the rich hymnic treasures of the Mennonite Historical Library at Bethel College available to me; to the late Rev. C. E. Krehbiel who loaned me material from his private library for this work but did not live to see its completion; to B. Bargen for help in preparing the manuscript for publication; to Mrs. Beatrice Buller for reading the manuscripts and proofs of the German chorales; to my wife, Charity Steiner Hostetler, who read all the manuscripts and proofs and whose constant interest and assistance were indispensable; and to others, too numerous to mention, who in any way facilitated the completion of the work.

The book, written during spare moments of a busy pastorate, is sent forth with the prayer that, in spite of errors and imperfections, it may inspire all who use it to sing with greater devotion the praises of Him who loved us and redeemed us.

Lester Hostetler

The Parsonage

Bethel College Mennonite Church

North Newton, Kansas

January 20, 1949

EXPLANATORY NOTES

In the interest of brevity and to avoid repetition, certain recurring words are abbreviated:

Hymnary is used for Mennonite Hymnary.

c. (circa) means approximate date.

Tr. is prefixed to the names of all translators.

Anon. (anonymous) means without any name acknowledged, as that of author or composer.

The word “Number” has been omitted: thus Hymn 22 means Hymn No. 22.

Cf. means compare. (Latin: confer).

The original texts of German hymns found throughout the Handbook, especially in the section of Chorales, Book IV, are the versions used in one or more of the following works: Gesangbuch mit Noten, (Berne, Ind., 1890); Gesangbuch der Mennoniten, (Canadian, 1942); The Handbook to the Lutheran Hymnal, (Concordia Pub. House, 1942); Gesangbuch zum gottesdienstlichen und häuslichen Gebrauch in Evangelischen Mennoniten-Gemeinden, (Konferenz der süddeutschen Mennoniten zu Ludwigshafen a. Rh. 1910); and Knapp, Evangelischer Liederschatz. Many variations occur in the texts as found in these versions, the explanation of which would require a much greater knowledge of German hymnody than the author possesses. An effort has been made to bring the spelling into conformity with the modern German practice of omitting the “h” where it was formerly used with the “th”; the use of “ss” instead of “sz”; and printing the initial letter of the pronouns referring to Deity, in lower case rather than with capitals.

AN INTRODUCTION TO OUR HYMNS AND TUNES

With Illustrations From the Hymnary

[1. Definition of a Hymn.] [2. The Beginnings of Christian Song.] [3. Hymns of the Eastern Church: Greek and Syriac.] [4. Hymns of the Western Church: Latin.] [5. Hymns of the Bohemian Brethren.] [6. Hymns of the Reformation: The German Chorales.] [7. Hymns of the Reformation: The Metrical Psalms.] [8. Psalm Versions.] [9. English Hymnody.] [10. American Hymns.] [11. The Gospel Songs.] [12. Women Hymn Writers.] [13. Mennonite Hymnody.] [14. Antecedents of the Mennonite Hymnary.] [15. The Translation of Hymns.] [16. Church Unity in the Hymn Book.] [17. Hymn Meters.] [18. Hymn Tunes.] [19. John Wesley’s Rules for Singing.]

1. Definition of a Hymn.

St. Augustine, 354-430, gave a definition of a hymn, which has been widely accepted:

A hymn is the praise of God by singing. A hymn is a song embodying the praise of God. If there is merely praise but not praise of God it is not a hymn. If there be praise, and praise of God, but not sung, it is not a hymn. For it to be a hymn, it is needful, therefore, for it to have three things—praise, praise of God, and these sung.

A recent definition, accepted by the Hymn Society of America, is that of the late Carl F. Price:

A Christian hymn is a lyric poem, reverently and devotionally conceived, which is designed to be sung and which expresses the worshiper’s attitude toward God, or God’s purposes, in human life.

L. F. Benson, America’s foremost hymnologist, defines a hymn in these simple words:

The Christian hymn ... is a form of words appropriate to be sung or chanted in public devotions.

A hymn is to be sung by a congregation. Its message must be simple, not subtle. It must read well and sing well. In modern usage, the hymn is not limited to the praise of God but includes other moods of worship such as resignation and consecration.

2. The Beginnings of Christian Song.

Hymn singing has always been associated with Christian worship. Jesus and the Twelve sang a hymn, presumably a portion of the Hallel (Ps. 115-118), after the Supper was ended. Paul and Silas sang hymns, “songs of the night,” during the midnight hours of their imprisonment in Philippi. The great Apostle recognized the value of song when he exhorted the churches thus:

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.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. Col. 3:16.

I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also. I Cor. 14:15.

The Jewish converts who at first composed the church had a rich heritage of song in the Book of Psalms. This was their hymnbook, used in the Temple worship and in the home and probably also in the synagogue services. The use of the Psalms, carried over from the Jewish service, forms to this day an important element in Christian worship.

Besides the Psalms, the early church sang the nativity lyrics that adorn the first two chapters of the Gospel of Luke. It also made extensive use of Hallelujah as a part of the people’s praise, adding, in the course of time, the Gloria Patri, the Sanctus, the Te Deum, and other canticles.

The nativity hymns in Luke, five in all, are extensively used in Roman Catholic and Anglican services.

Ave Maria (Hail Mary). 1:28-29, 42-45. The salutation of Gabriel and of Elizabeth.

Magnificat. “My soul doth magnify the Lord....” 1:46-55. Hymn of the Virgin Mary.

Benedictus. “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel....” 1:68-79. Song of Zacharias.

Nunc Dimittis. “Lord, now lettest Thou thy servant depart in peace.” 2:29-32. Song of Simeon.

Gloria in excelsis. “Glory to God in the highest....” 2:14. Song of the Angels. Used as a part of the Roman mass and often found in Protestant hymns, e.g., “Angels we have heard on high” [82].

Beginnings of Christian Song in the Hymnary

Psalms. Book Five. [575]-600. Gloria Patri [606]-7. Ter Sanctus (Trisagion) “Holy, holy, holy” [601]-2. Te Deum. “Holy God we praise Thy name” [519]. A metrical translation of an ancient version.

3. Hymns of the Eastern Church: Greek and Syriac.

The ancient Eastern Church developed a rich hymnody, rising steadily in the fourth century until it reached its culmination in the eighth and ninth centuries. Since it employed the Greek and Syriac languages, its hymnic treasures remained almost completely hidden and unknown to the English speaking churches for many centuries. It is only in recent years, through the efforts of scholars like John Mason Neale and Edward Caswall that some of the Eastern hymns have been translated and made available for modern use. Eastern hymns are characterized by an objective, dignified, contemplation of God. Except when confessing sin and unworthiness, they contain nothing of the subjective feelings of the worshipper such as is found in many modern hymns. Though there is very little in the Hymnary from the Eastern Church, our collection is enriched by the inclusion of a small number of hymns from this source.

Greek Hymns in the Hymnary

Clement of Alexandria, 170-220, “Shepherd of tender youth” ([398]) Candle Lighting Hymn, “O gladsome light” ([34]) Synesius, c. 375-430, “Lord Jesus, think on me” ([196]) St. Germanus, 634-734, “A great and mighty wonder” ([526]) St. John of Damascus, 8th century, “The day of resurrection” ([115]) “Come, ye faithful, raise the strain” ([113]) St. Stephen the Sabaite, 725-94, “Art thou weary, heavy-laden” ([143]) Candle Lighting Hymn, “Darkening night, the land doth” ([32])

4. Hymns of the Western Church: Latin.

Two great names are associated with the music of the Western Church: Ambrose, c. 340-97, known as the “Father of Hymnody in the Western Church;” and Gregory the Great, 540-604, the missionary-minded pope, and reformer of church music.

Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, not only composed hymns and music but stimulated others to do the same. Under his leadership there developed a large body of church music based upon four scales, which came to be known as Ambrosian Chant. Although widely known as a scholar, theologian, and preacher, Ambrose’s most lasting influence was upon the music of the church. None of his hymns are found in our collection.

Gregory the Great, two centuries later, carried forward the work of Ambrose. He added four more scales or modes to the Ambrosian system, thus giving to the repertory of church music more definiteness and variety. The music that developed during the papacy of Gregory came to be known as Gregorian Chant, or plainsong, or plainchant. It is “plain” because unadorned, unharmonized and unmeasured. Its rhythm is the free rhythm of speech, the beats falling irregularly. The Gregorian Chant remained the music of the church for a thousand years and forms the basis of all Roman Catholic music today. Some of these chants were adapted by Luther for congregational singing, and set to words in the vernacular of the people. A few of the tunes, usually in a form scarcely recognizable from the original, are used today in Protestant hymnals, as for instance, the tune “Hamburg.” Some of the music in the Amish church services is traceable to the Gregorian Chant.

The singing in the medieval church was liturgical in character and confined to the clergy and trained choirs. This was its weakness. The laity was not expected to sing, neither were they able to do so. Congregational singing, so important in our worship today, had for centuries been unknown in the Roman Catholic Church. Reform was inevitable and it came in due time.

While only remnants of the music survive, many hymns from the Western Church have been translated from the Latin and a few choice ones have found their way into the Hymnary.

Latin Hymns in the Hymnary

Prudentius, 348-c. 413, “Bethlehem, of noblest cities” ([88]) Gregory the Great, 540-604, “Father, we praise Thee” ([24]) Anonymous, 6th or 7th century, “Christ is made the sure” ([277]) “Joy dawned again on Easterday” ([415]) Theodulph of Orleans, 9th century, “All glory, laud, and honor” ([100]) Bernard of Clairvaux, 1091-1153, “Jesus the very thought” ([155]) “O sacred Head, now wounded” ([539]) Bernard of Cluny, 12th century, “Jerusalem, the golden” ([262]-3) Anonymous, 12th century, “O come, O come, Emmanuel” ([67]) Savonarola, 1452-98 (Italian), “Jesus, Refuge of the weary” ([536]) Anonymous, 17th-18th centuries, “O come, all ye faithful” ([80]) “The year is gone beyond recall” ([382])

5. Hymns of the Bohemian Brethren.

The followers of John Hus who came to be known as the Bohemian Brethren, and later as the Moravians, were the first Protestant group to introduce congregational singing into their worship. They also published the first Protestant hymnbooks, one in 1501 and another in 1505, containing 89 and 400 hymns, respectively, in their native Bohemian tongue. Their efforts to introduce congregational singing were sternly opposed by the Roman hierarchy. The Council of Constance condemned Hus to be burned at the stake and warned his successor, Jacob of Misi, to cease the singing of hymns in the churches. It decreed:

If laymen are forbidden to preach and interpret the Scriptures, much more are they forbidden to sing publicly in the churches.

As a result of their persecution, the Brethren in 1508 sent out messengers to search for true Christian people into whose communion they might apply for admission—one to Russia, one to Greece, one to Bulgaria, and one to Palestine and Egypt. All returned unsuccessful. No such Christians had been found. They therefore remained in their own country, giving themselves assiduously to the translation and printing of the Bible.

In 1522 the Brethren sent two messengers to Luther to greet him and ask his advice. Luther became interested in them and welcomed their fellowship. He was impressed with the hymnbook the Brethren had published, and later used some of the hymns in his own work.

Two centuries later, the Brethren, known now as the Moravians, settled on Count Zinzendorf’s estates in Saxony, spreading rapidly from thence into other countries in Europe and to the United States. One of England’s foremost hymn writers and hymnologists, James Montgomery, was an adherent to their faith.

Bohemian Brethren and Moravian Hymns in the Hymnary

Michael Weisse, 1480-1534, “Christ, the Lord, is ris’n again” ([544]) Tunes: “Mit Freuden Zart” ([512]), “Ravenshaw” ([292]) von Zinzendorf, Nikolaus L., 1700-60, “Jesus, still lead on” ([574]) von Zinzendorf, Christian R., 1724-62, “Man of sorrows” ([537]) Henriette Luise von Hayn, 1724-82, “I am Jesus’ little lamb” ([430]) James Montgomery, 1771-1854, “Hail to the Lord’s Anointed” ([65]) “Angels from the realms of glory” ([81]) “Go to dark Gethsemane” ([107]) and many others

6. Hymns of the Reformation: the German Chorales.

The movement toward congregational singing, inaugurated by the Bohemian Brethren, was soon to be merged into the greater Reformation movement. Luther’s influence on the worship and music of the church was revolutionary. For a thousand years the laymen had had no part in church song. Congregational singing was unknown. Ambrosian music had at first been introduced for congregational use but it became more and more liturgical, thrusting the laity into the background. The Gregorian Chant which followed was never intended for use except by the priests and trained choirs. The followers of Hus pioneered in congregational singing; but it was Luther and his followers who brought it into full fruition.

Luther was a born music lover and a musician of adequate training. Moreover he possessed a remarkable gift for writing hymns in clear thought to bring the Word of God home to the hearts of the common people. He and his followers put songs on the lips of the German people and they sang themselves into the Reformation. So effective were these songs that his enemies in the Roman church declared that “Luther’s songs have damned more souls than all his books and speeches.”

Chorales. The word “chorale” (“choral” in German) refers to the hymn tunes of Lutheran Protestantism, though in common usage the term includes the words associated with the tunes. The melodies had much to do with the popularity of the songs. They came from various sources. Many of them were original compositions by Luther and others; some were borrowed from the hymn books of the Bohemian Brethren; a considerable number were adaptations of plainsongs used in the Catholic Church; still others were adopted from beloved folksongs. Luther was an eclectic in his choice of music. He used any tune from any source that suited his purpose. Many thousands of chorales came into existence in Germany during his time and the two centuries that followed. The hundreds still in use represent the best in church music today. They are characterized by a plain melody, a strong harmony, and a stately rhythm; all of which adapts them well for effective congregational singing.

The chorales at first did not have the regular rhythms that they later took on. The steady progression of even notes, invariable in Bach’s day, had come only gradually into use. Some of the recent hymnbooks, in the interest of greater variety of rhythm, are returning to the original “rhythmic chorales.”

Though unison singing has been widely practiced and is advocated today by some good authorities in church music, Luther encouraged part singing. In his first Preface to the Geystliches Gesangbücklin, 1525, he wrote:

These songs have been set in four parts, for no other reason than because I wished to provide our young people (who both will and ought to be instructed in music and other sciences) with something whereby they might rid themselves of amorous and carnal songs, and in their stead learn something wholesome, and so apply themselves to what is good with pleasure, as becometh the young.

The period of the German chorales may be said to have begun with Luther, 1483-1546, and ended two centuries later with J. S. Bach, 1685-1750. Bach brought the chorale tunes to their highest perfection, using many of them in his larger choral works. He composed about 30 original chorale melodies, wrote reharmonizations for approximately 400, and composed many chorale preludes for the organ which are in wide use today.

The German hymns and chorale tunes, used constantly in the home and school, as well as in the church, have been of great importance in our Mennonite worship in the past. They constitute the main body of material in all our German collections of hymns. In an effort to preserve and emphasize this rich heritage, there was incorporated into the Hymnary, a special section, Book III, made up exclusively of chorales.

German Chorales in the Hymnary

16th Century Martin Luther, 1483-1546, “A mighty fortress is our God” ([549]) “From heaven above to earth I come” ([527]) “Out of the depths I cry to Thee” ([531]-2) Nicolaus Selnecker, 1532-92, “Now cheer our hearts” ([557]) Philipp Nicolai, 1556-1608, “Wake, awake, for night is flying” ([522]) “How brightly shines the Morning Star” ([529]) 17th Century (1)—Period of The Thirty Years War—1618-48 Johann Heerman, 1585-1647, “Ah, dearest Jesus” ([534]) Josua Stegman, 1588-1632, “Abide with us, our Savior” ([559]) Matthaus von Löwenstern, 1594-1648, “Lord of our life” ([278]) Georg Weissel, 1590-1635, “Lift up your heads” ([523]) Heinrich Albert, 1604-51, “God who madest earth” ([573]) Ernst Homburg, 1605-81, “Christ, the life of all the living” ([535]) Michael Schirmer, 1606-73, “O Holy Spirit, enter in” ([546]) Paul Gerhardt, 1607-76, “O sacred Head, now wounded” ([539]) and others Gerhard Tersteegen, 1697-1769, “God reveals His presence” ([506]) “O power of love, all else transcending” ([517]) (2)—Later 17th Century Johann Franck, 1618-77, “Deck thyself, my soul,” ([552]) Tobias Clausnitzer, 1619-84, “Liebster Jesu, wir sind hier” ([553a]) Georg Neumark, 1621-81, “He who would be in God” ([571]) Johann Scheffler, 1624-77, “I am the Lord, O hear my voice” ([565]) Joachim Neander, 1650-80, “Heaven and earth, the sea” ([510]) 18th Century Johann Mentzer, 1658-1734, “O that I had a thousand voices” ([509]) Erdmann Neumeister, 1671-1756, “Sinners Jesus will receive” ([466]) Benjamin Schmolck, 1672-1737, “My Jesus, as Thou wilt” ([250]) Philipp F. Hiller, 1699-1769, “O Son of God, we wait for” ([524]) “What mercy and divine compassion” ([562]) Christian F. Gellert, 1715-69, “How great, almighty is Thy” ([516]) Johann Sebastian Bach, 1685-1750. The life of the great musician marks the close of the German Chorale period and for that reason his name is placed here. None of Bach’s original chorale melodies are found in the Hymnary but use is made of a number of his harmonizations. See [539], [545], [556], [557], [564], [566].

7. Hymns of the Reformation: The Metrical Psalms.

While the German people, under the leadership of Luther, were singing chorales set to original religious poems, a large section of Protestantism, under the influence of John Calvin, confined itself to the singing of Psalms. To the French reformer, now preaching at Geneva, hymns were “man-made,” whereas the psalms were the inspired word of God and the only proper vehicle for the praise of God. Calvin, unlike Luther, was not a musician, and at first permitted only unison singing, unaccompanied. Part singing and instrumental accompaniment seemed to savor of the frivolous and worldly, an opinion which Calvin, however, was soon to modify. For two hundred years the Calvinistic churches on the Continent and in Britain were influenced in their worship song by the strict views of Calvin, limiting themselves to the metrical psalms and scriptural paraphrases. The German people in the meantime produced a rich treasury of original religious lyrics, contributed by some of their best poets.

Psalter Tunes and Metrical Psalms in the Hymnary

Genevan Psalter Tunes, 1551. O Seigneur ([19]) Old 134th ([128], [132], [616]) Rendez à Dieu ([306]) Old 124th ([354]) Old 100th ([594]) Scottish Psalter, 1650. Book Five ([575] to [600]) with a few exceptions New Version, 1696, Tate and Brady. “Through all the changing scenes of life” ([583]) “As pants the hart for cooling streams” ([586]) “O come, loud anthems let us sing” ([18]) “While shepherds watched their flocks by night” ([73]-4)

8. Psalm Versions.

The use of the psalms in singing, first on the Continent, then in England and Scotland, and later in America, brought forth many metrical versions of the psalter, the principal ones being the following:

a. The Genevan Psalter, begun 1539, published complete in 1562. It was made at the request of John Calvin by Clément Marot, court poet of France, and Theodore Beza, a French scholar. It became the psalm book for the Reformation churches on the continent, and is spoken of as the most famous book of praise the Christian Church ever produced. It was issued in at least one thousand editions and translated into a number of tongues. Some of the original tunes are still in use, e.g., “Old Hundredth.”

b. The Anglo-Genevan Psalter, Geneva, 1556. This was used by John Knox, the Scottish reformer, and his followers who fled the persecutions of “Bloody Mary,” and formed a congregation at Geneva. The book incorporated some of the Sternhold and Hopkins versions which were in use in England, and added others.

c. The Old Version, Sternhold and Hopkins, completed in 1562. Used in England for 134 years. It is entitled, The Whole Booke of Psalmes, but came to be known as the “Old Version.”

d. The Bay Psalm Book, Boston, 1640. This was the first book printed in English-speaking America. It was made to obtain greater literalness to the Hebrew original than was found in the versions then in use. The book reigned supreme among the English churches in New England for over a century. Seventy editions of it were printed in America, the last in 1773. Eighteen editions appeared in England, and twenty-two in Scotland. There were no tunes given it until 1698, then only 13, with the air in the bass.

e. The Scottish Psalter, completed 1650. Special mention is made of this version of the Psalms because it is the source of nearly all the selections of metrical psalms which constitute Book Five of the Hymnary. The number of versions and editions of psalms which appeared on the Continent and in England were numerous and confusing, each claiming its own special merits. Finally, in the interests of better literary diction and greater unity in singing in the Scottish Presbyterian churches, the General Assembly authorized a new version. The result, after many years’ work, was the famous Scottish Psalter of 1650 which remains the standard work in Scotland today.

There is a certain “dignified crudeness” in some of the literary expressions but the psalms have long been learned in this version and have become an important part of the religious training and experience of millions of English speaking people, especially in Scotland.

The Scottish Psalter first appeared with words only. There were no notes and no suggestions for melodies. The succeeding one hundred years were a time of confusion. The tunes used were few in number, such as the leaders had learned from various sources, and passed on to succeeding generations by rote. The time came when better singing and better tunes were demanded and gradually the psalter appeared with tunes. Early tune versions put the melody invariably in the tenor. The latest edition, printed in 1929, by the Oxford Press, contains the best Psalm tunes which had gradually come into use, many of them arranged with “Faux-bourdon” (wherein the congregation sings one or more verses to the melody while the choir supplies the harmony), and “Descant” (a second melody over that of the tune).

f. The New Version, Tate and Brady, London, 1696. This version gradually supplanted the Old Version of Sternhold and Hopkins, and held its place in the worship of the church for 150 years. It was adopted, in 1789, by the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States and bound with the prayer book of that Communion.

The above versions are only a few of the large number of psalters that were published by the Calvinistic churches on the Continent, in Great Britain, and in America. The metrical psalms were designed for the singing church. They were intended to restore song to the people in their worship, serving in this respect a similar purpose to the chorales in Germany.

Some of the psalm books were published without music, some with the melody only, and others in four-part harmony. The statement is frequently made that Calvinistic Protestantism approved only unison singing. The appearance of numerous books, complete with four voice parts, points to the contrary. It is true that Calvin at first encouraged unison singing only, regarding harmony more in the nature of amusement than the worship of God; but upon observing the effectiveness of singing in Germany, he soon changed his views and became more liberal in this respect.

9. English Hymnody.

The youthful, courageous Isaac Watts, 1674-1748, an ardent dissenter, pioneered the movement which resulted in a flood of hymns and hymnbooks in the English churches. Watts was not satisfied with the psalm singing of his time, which by now had become formal and lifeless. Parts of the psalter, he pointed out, were obviously not written in the spirit of the Gospel. “By keeping too close to David,” he wrote in one of his Prefaces, “the vail of Moses is thrown over our hearts.” Watts removed that “vail,” Christianizing the psalms and composing during his lifetime more than 600 original hymns, expressing in the language of the time, the thoughts of the worshippers. Through his influence, his age, the 18th century, became the first age of hymn singing in England.

John and Charles Wesley, following Watts, made enormous use of hymn singing in their evangelistic work, giving the movement for congregational singing a powerful impetus. Charles is said to have composed over 6,000 hymns.

From the Wesleys onward through the 19th century, the hymn writers in England became numerous. The restrictive shackles of psalm singing had been broken and the creative urge to worship in new forms resulted in a vast number of original religious lyrics and the publication of hundreds of hymnbooks. The development can be summarized here only in outline form.

English Hymnody in the Hymnary

Early—17th Century Henry Wotton, 1568-1639, “How happy is he” ([208]) George Herbert, 1593-1633, “Teach me, my God and King” ([226]) John Milton, 1608-74, “Let us with a gladsome mind” ([64]) “How lovely are Thy dwellings fair” ([592]) Thomas Ken, 1637-1711, “Awake, my soul, and with the sun” ([25]) “All praise to Thee, my God, this night” ([33]) “Praise God, from whom all blessings flow” ([618]) Joseph Addison, 1672-1719, “The spacious firmament on high” ([50]) “How are Thy servants blest” ([338]) 18th Century 1. Two Independents: Isaac Watts, 1674-1748, “Father of English Hymnody” “When I survey the wondrous cross” ([105]-6) “Joy to the world! the Lord is come” ([70]) “God is the refuge of His saints” ([257]) and many others Philip Doddridge, 1702-51, “How gentle God’s commands” ([56]) (and [128], [167], [218], [383], [465]) 2. The Wesleys and their Associates: John Wesley, 1703-91, translations ([170], [226], [246], [508], [558]) Charles Wesley, 1707-88, “Bard of Methodism” “Come, Thou long-expected Jesus” ([69]) “Jesus, Lover of my soul” ([158]-9) “Love divine, all loves excelling” ([178]-9) and many others William Williams, 1717-91, “Sweet Singer of Wales” “Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah” ([160]) John Cennick, 1718-55, “Lo, He comes, with clouds” ([130]) “Jesus, my all, to heav’n is gone” ([468]) Thomas Olivers, 1725-99, “The God of Abraham praise” ([14]) Edward Perronet, 1726-92, “All hail the power of Jesus” ([3], [4], [5]) 3. A Calvinistic Antagonist of Wesley Augustus Toplady, 1740-78, “Rock of Ages, cleft for me” ([148]) 4. The Olney Hymnists: John Newton, 1725-1807, “Glorious things of thee” ([274]) “Safely through another week” ([284]) “Amazing grace! how sweet the sound” ([463]) William Cowper, 1731-1800, “God moves in a mysterious way” ([60]) “O for a closer walk with God” ([197]) “There is a fountain filled with blood” ([492]) 5. Others—18th Century: Anne Steele, 1716-78, “Father, whate’er of earthly bliss” ([251]) Joseph Grigg, c. 1720-68, “Behold a Stranger at the door” ([141]) “Jesus, and shall it ever be” ([192]) Robert Robinson, 1735-90, “Mighty God, while angels bless” ([46]) “Come, Thou fount of every blessing” ([189]) John Fawcett, 1740-1817, “Blest be the tie that binds” ([41]) “Lord, dismiss us with Thy blessing” ([45]) Modern English—19th Century 1. Earliest: Thomas Kelly, 1769-1854, “Look, ye saints, the sight” ([119]) “Hark, ten thousand harps and voices” ([123]) “On the mountain top appearing” ([336]) James Montgomery, 1771-1854, “Prayer is the soul’s sincere” ([184]) “Angels, from the realms of glory” ([81]) “In the hour of trial” ([195]) and many others Robert Grant, 1779-1838, “O worship the King” ([7]) “Savior, when, in dust to Thee” ([145]) Reginald Heber, 1783-1826, “Holy, holy, holy” ([1]) “Bread of the world in mercy broken” ([304]) “From Greenland’s icy mountains” ([333]) Charlotte Elliott, 1789-1871, “Just as I am, without one plea” ([458]) “O holy Savior, Friend unseen” ([233]) “My God and Father, while I stray” ([245]) Henry Milman, 1791-1868, “Ride on, ride on in majesty” ([101]) John Bowring, 1792-1872, “In the Cross of Christ I glory” ([110]) “Watchman, tell us of the night” ([66]) “God is love; His mercy brightens” ([55]) Henry F. Lyte, 1793-1847, “Abide with me” ([40]) 2. The Oxford Group: John Keble, 1792-1866, “New every morning is the love” ([22]) “Sun of my soul, Thou Savior dear” ([30]) Matthew Bridges, 1800-94, “Crown Him with many crowns” ([118]) John Henry Newman, 1801-90, “Lead, kindly light” ([162]-3) Richard Trench, 1807-86, “Lord, what a change within” ([183]) Frederick Faber, 1814-63, “There’s a wideness in God’s mercy” ([58]) “Faith of our fathers” ([154]) Mrs. Cecil Frances Alexander, 1823-95, “There is a green hill” ([104]) (Translators of Latin and Greek Hymns) John Chandler, 1806-76, “Christ is our Cornerstone” ([9]) “What star is this” ([87]) Edward Caswall, 1814-78, “Bethlehem, of noblest cities” ([88]) “Jesus, the very thought of Thee” ([155]) John M. Neale, 1818-66, “O come, O come Emmanuel” ([67]) “All glory, laud, and honor” ([100]) 3. Translators of German Hymns: Catherine Winkworth, 1829-78, “Wake, awake for night” ([522]) and 24 others Frances E. Cox, 1812-97, “Sing praise to God” ([512]) “Jesus lives” ([543]) Jane L. Borthwick, 1813-97, “Be still, my soul” ([54]) “My Jesus, as Thou wilt” ([250]) “Jesus, still lead on” ([574]) Sarah Borthwick Findlater, 1823-1907, “O happy home” ([358]) 4. Other Hymnists—19th Century: Christopher Wordsworth, 1807-85, “Gracious Spirit,” ([174]) “O day of rest and gladness” ([285]) Horatius Bonar, 1808-89, “I heard the voice of Jesus say” ([142]) “I lay my sins on Jesus” ([444]) “When the weary, seeking rest” ([203]) and others Alfred Tennyson, 1809-92, “Strong Son of God” ([149]) “Sunset and evening star” ([265]) “Ring out, wild bells” ([379]) Henry Alford, 1810-71, “We walk by faith, and not by sight” ([152]) “Come, ye thankful people, come” ([377]) W. W. How, 1823-97, “O Jesus, Thou art standing” ([144]) “For all the saints who from their labor rest” ([317]) “O Word of God Incarnate” ([289]) and others Godfrey Thring, 1823-1903, “From the Eastern mountains” ([89]) “Thou to whom the sick and dying” ([370]) Adelaide Proctor, 1825-64, “My God, I thank Thee” ([177]) “I do not ask, O Lord” ([471]) Edward H. Bickersteth, 1825-1906, “Peace, perfect peace” ([256]) John Ellerton, 1826-93, “Savior, again to Thy dear name” ([43]) “Now the laborer’s task is o’er” ([315]) “Throned upon the awful tree” ([109]) and others S. Baring-Gould, 1834-1924, “Now the day is over” ([29]) “Onward, Christian soldiers” ([225]) Edwin Hatch, 1835-89, “Breathe on me, breath of God” ([135]) Frances R. Havergal, 1836-79, “Take my life, and let it be” ([215]) “Lord, speak to me, that I may speak” ([296]) “Thou art coming, O my Savior” ([126]) and others Samuel Stone, 1839-1900, “The Church’s one foundation” ([273]) George Matheson, 1842-1906, “O love that wilt not let me go” ([175]) Recent English Hymns Rudyard Kipling, 1865-1936, “Father in heav’n” ([401]) Stopford A. Brooke, 1832-1916, “Let the whole creation cry” ([49]) John Oxenham, 1852-1941, “In Christ there is no East” ([320]) “Peace in our time, O Lord” ([357]) Percy Dearmer, 1867-1936, “Remember all God’s children” ([436]) Richard Roberts, 1874—, “For them whose ways” ([166]) Laurence Housman, 1865—, “Father Eternal” ([354])

10. American Hymns.

The English speaking colonists who settled in America during the 17th century continued the psalm singing traditions of their forebears in England. The practice prevailed in their churches for two hundred years. The first book printed by them was the Bay Psalm Book, in 1640, at Cambridge, Massachusetts. It contained no original hymns. The singing of psalms, and later of hymns borrowed from England made up nearly the entire repertory of church music until the middle of the 19th century.

On the other hand, the German speaking colonists, including the Mennonites, had brought with them the hymn books of the Lutheran tradition and continued the use of the German chorales in their worship. The two streams of hymnody, English psalms and German chorales, went their independent courses for two centuries, scarcely influencing each other.

In the meantime there was very little original hymnody produced in America, with the exception of the work of the Wesleys during their brief experiment in Georgia, and the composition of certain hymns and tunes by the German people of Pennsylvania, which have remained, until recently, in manuscript form. Timothy Dwight’s hymn on the church, “I love Thy Kingdom, Lord” ([275]) is probably the earliest American hymn still in use.

After the middle of the 19th century the number of hymn writers became large and their works came into increasing use, some choice examples finding their way into English hymnbooks. America’s original contribution to Christian hymnody has not been only the Gospel Songs represented by the writings of Fanny Crosby, but the more permanent works of Whittier, George W. Doane, Hosmer, Samuel Longfellow, Washington Gladden, S. F. Smith, and many others. Our musical contributions have been less conspicuous, but the tunes of Mason are coming into their own again and many of them will doubtless survive for a long time, as will also those of Bradbury, Hastings, and others.

The tendency today in American hymnbooks is to unite the best in English and German traditions. The Hymnary illustrates this trend. It makes large use of the English hymns while at the same time preserving a considerable body of the German chorales. In keeping with this trend, the recent hymnbooks of the Episcopal, Presbyterian, Methodist and other churches of English origin, incorporate some of the German chorale tunes and in some cases the translations of the words. The hymn books of our time have become the channels through which flow the rich contributions to the stream of Christian hymnody from Christian people of all times and places.

American Hymns in the Hymnary

Early American Timothy Dwight, 1752-1817, “I love Thy kingdom, Lord” ([275]) Thomas Hastings, 1784-1872, “Hail to the brightness” ([332]) Henry Ware, Jr., 1794-1843, “Happy the home when God” ([361]) Wm. B. Tappan, 1794-1849, “’Tis midnight; and on Olive’s brow” ([103]) Francis Scott Key, 1779-1843, “Lord, with glowing heart” ([511]) George W. Doane, 1799-1859, “Softly now the light of day” ([36]) 19th Century Leonard Bacon, 1802-81, “O God, beneath Thy guiding hand” ([367]) John G. Whittier, 1807-92, “Dear Lord and Father” ([181]) Ray Palmer, 1808-87, “My faith looks up to Thee” ([150]) S. F. Smith, 1808-95, “The morning light is breaking” ([324]) Oliver W. Holmes, 1809-94, “Lord of all being, throned afar” ([53]) E. H. Sears, 1810-76, “It came upon the midnight clear” ([75]) W. H. Burleigh, 1812-71, “Lead us, O Father, in the paths” ([164]) Harriet Beecher Stowe, 1811-96, “Still, still with Thee” ([23]) Sylvanus Phelps, 1816-95, “Savior, Thy dying love” ([220]) Arthur C. Coxe, 1818-96, “O where are kings and empires” ([276]) Elizabeth Payson Prentiss, 1818-78, “More love to Thee” ([472]) Edward Hopper, 1818-88, “Jesus, Savior, pilot me” ([161]) George Duffield, Jr., 1818-88, “Stand up, stand up for Jesus” ([193]) Samuel Longfellow, 1819-92, “Holy Spirit, Truth divine” ([136]) James Russell Lowell, 1819-91, “Once to every man” ([346]) Anna Warner, 1820-1915, “We would see Jesus” ([201]) John H. Hopkins, 1820-91, “We three kings of Orient are” ([90]) Eliza Scudder, 1821-96, “Thou Grace Divine, encircling all” ([57]) Samuel Johnson, 1822-82, “Father, in Thy mysterious” ([188]) Jeremiah E. Rankin, 1828-1904, “God be with you” ([365]) Joseph H. Gilmore, 1834-1918, “He leadeth me” ([478]) Phillips Brooks, 1835-93, “O little town of Bethlehem” ([84]) Recent American Hymns Washington Gladden, 1836-1918, “O Master, let me walk” ([223]) Frederick L. Hosmer, 1840-1929, “Not always on the mount” ([98]) Mary Lathbury, 1841-1913, “Day is dying in the west” ([31]) “Break Thou the bread of Life” ([288]) Frank Mason North, 1850-1936, “Where cross the crowded” ([222]) M. Woolsey Stryker, 1851-1929, “Almighty Lord, with one” ([390]) Henry van Dyke, 1852-1933, “Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee” ([10]) Louis F. Benson, 1855-1930, “O sing a song of Bethlehem” ([92]) Maltbie D. Babcock, 1858-1901, “This is my Father’s world” ([48]) Katherine Lee Bates, 1859-1929, “O beautiful for spacious” ([343]) Milton S. Littlefield, 1864-1934, “O Son of man, thou” ([373]) Jay T. Stocking, 1870-1936, “O Master Workman” ([93]) Wm. M. Vories, 1880—, “Let there be light, Lord God” ([353]) Harry Webb Farrington, 1880-1931, “I know not how that” ([99]) W. Russel Bowie, 1882—, “Lord, through changing days” ([402]) Howard Arnold Walter, 1884-1918, “I would be true” ([207]) Earl Marlatt, 1892—, “‘Are ye able,’ said the Master” ([392])

11. Gospel Songs.

During the latter part of the 19th century there came into use, both in the United States and in England, a type of religious song known as the Gospel Song. Less dignified than the chorales or the English hymns, these songs made a popular appeal and were widely used in prayer meetings and revivals.

The words of the typical Gospel Song are usually simple and easily remembered and concern themselves largely with the individual’s salvation. The personal pronouns “I” and “my” predominate. The tunes are rhythmic and catchy and always have a refrain added. Their harmonies are largely built on the simple tonic, dominant, and subdominant chords. The masses of the people readily learned to sing these tunes and experienced a thrill in singing them which the use of the more stately and solid hymns failed to effect.

The great bulk of these songs were produced in America during the latter half of the 19th century and were found extremely useful in large mass meetings. The evangelistic work of Moody and Sankey during the 1870’s, 1880’s, and 1890’s brought the Gospel Songs into special prominence and the Salvation Army has made them known in nearly every country in the world. Collections of Gospel Songs sold by the millions of copies and every denomination was affected, to a greater or lesser extent, by this type of singing.

Since the standard of music and words in the Gospel Songs is considerably below that which prevails in our best hymnals as well as in secular music and literature taught in the public schools, churches should seriously consider the ultimate effect of their too frequent use. It is a fallacy to assert that the people will respond to nothing better. Gospel Songs have a legitimate place, particularly in special services and revivals, but they leave much to be desired in the total work and worship of the church. Neither the music nor the words possess the strength and dignity entirely adequate for the worshipful praise of the Eternal.

The principal names associated with Gospel Songs are the following:

Authors. Fanny J. Crosby, Philip P. Bliss, Robert Lowry, Katherine Hankey, E. A. Hoffman, and many others. Most of the words, though not all, were written by Americans during the latter part of the nineteenth century. Miss Crosby was by far the most prolific of them all and many of her works are found in all modern hymnals of denominations that use this type of music. In Germany, Ernst Gebhardt became the leader of the gospel song movement, composing words and music, publishing numerous song books, and serving as song leader in great revival meetings.

Music. William B. Bradbury, Robert Lowry, W. H. Doane, Philip Philips, James McGranahan, George C. Stebbins, P. P. Bliss, D. W. Towner, Wm. J. Kirkpatrick, and others.

Song Leaders. P. P. Bliss, Ira Sankey, James McGranahan, George C. Stebbins, Charles Alexander, Homer Rodeheaver.

It should be noted that there is no absolute line of demarcation between hymns and some of the Gospel Songs. Some of the numbers in the Gospel Songs section of the Hymnary might well be classified as hymns, e.g., Nos. [441], [444], [447], [458], [463], [468], [470], [471], [472], and [492]. Either words or music meet the generally accepted standards of a hymn.

12. Women Hymn Writers.

There have been no outstanding women composers of church tunes but some of our finest lyrics have been contributed by women, as the following list from the Hymnary will show:

German Katharina von Schlegel, b. 1697, “Be still, my soul” ([54]) Henriette Luise von Hayn, 1724-82, “Weil ich Jesu” ([430]) English Anne Steele, 1716-78, “Father, whate’er of earthly bliss” ([251]) Marianne Nunn, 1778-1847, “One is kind above all others” ([447]) Harriet Auber, 1773-1862, “Our blest Redeemer” ([138]) Dorothy Ann Thrupp, 1779-1847, “Saviour, like a shepherd” ([395]) Charlotte Elliott, 1789-1871, “Just as I am, without one plea” ([458]) Margaret Mackay, 1802-87, “Asleep in Jesus” ([314]) Sarah Flower Adams, 1805-48, “Nearer my God, to Thee” ([202]) Jemima Luke, 1813-1906, “I think when I read that sweet” ([427]) Anne Brontë, 1820-49, “Believe not those who say” ([210]) Cecil Frances Alexander, 1823-95, “There is a green hill” ([104]) Adelaide Proctor, 1825-64, “My God, I thank Thee” ([177]) Elizabeth Clephane, 1830-69, “Beneath the Cross of Jesus” ([112]) Anna L. Coghill, 1836-1907, “Work, for the night is coming” ([221]) Frances R. Havergal, 1836-79, “Take my life and let it be” ([215]) Dorothy Blomfield, 1858-1932, “O perfect love, all human” ([312]) Jessie Adams, 1863—, “I feel the winds of God today” ([391]) (Translators) Frances Cox, 1812-97, “Sing praise to God” ([512]) Jane L. Borthwick, 1813-97, “Be still my soul” ([54]) Sarah Borthwick Findlater, 1823-1907, “O happy home” ([358]) Catherine Winkworth, 1829-78. Numerous hymns. Foremost translator of German chorales. American Harriet Beecher Stowe, 1811-96, “Still, still with Thee” ([23]) Elizabeth Prentiss, 1818-78, “More love to Thee, O Christ” ([472]) Susan Warner, 1819-85, “Jesus bids us shine” ([420]) Anna B. Warner, 1820-1915, “Jesus loves me! this I know” ([428]) Fanny Crosby, 1820-1915, “Rescue the perishing” ([497]) and many others Eliza Scudder, 1821-96, “Thou Grace Divine, encircling all” ([57]) Phoebe Cary, 1824-71, “One sweetly solemn thought” ([264]) Katherine Hankey, 1834-1911, “I love to tell the story” ([493]) Mary Ann Thomson, 1834-1923, “O Zion, haste” ([328]) Annie Sherwood Hawks, 1835-1918, “I need Thee every hour” ([187]) Mary Lathbury, 1841-1913, “Day is dying in the west” ([31]) “Break Thou the bread of life” ([288]) Katherine Lee Bates, 1859-1929, “O beautiful for spacious” ([343])

13. Mennonite Hymnody.

Mennonites have made many contributions to society through their religious life and practices, but we have produced no important hymnody of our own. Throughout the four hundred years of our existence as a church, we have been a singing people, in times of persecution as well as in times of peace. Great emphasis has always been laid upon the importance of congregational singing in our worship services. Since the beginning of the 19th century the Mennonites of various branches, in America alone, have published over fifty hymnbooks. But an examination of these hymnbooks shows that we are heavily indebted to others. Instead of producing original hymns and tunes, we have borrowed, with minor exceptions, our entire repertory from other denominations. The wealth of verse and music produced by German and English writers throughout the centuries has been found to serve our needs adequately and well.

The churches in Europe used hymnbooks compiled from Lutheran and Reformed sources. Upon coming to the United States and Canada, they gradually adopted English and American hymns and in some sections of the church, the Gospel Songs came into wide use.

Our German collections of hymns have, until recently, been uniformly on a higher level, both as to music and poetry, than the collections used after the change was made to the English language. During the transition from the German to the English language, many churches, in their choice of their hymnbooks, sacrificed the fine chorales which had been a part of their religious heritage. This was due partly to the revivalistic influences of the times and partly to the fact that there were no good translations available of the German hymns which earlier were in use. The situation is gradually correcting itself. We are re-evaluating our hymnody, sifting the wheat from the chaff, and bringing back into our worship the rich treasure of song which had been used in the past. The Mennonite Hymnary is an effort in this direction.

14. The Antecedents of the Mennonite Hymnary.

The story of the hymn books antedating the Hymnary may be briefly summarized by listing the following books:

1565. The first German Mennonite hymn book was published in 1565 or 1566 (date omitted from title), entitled, Ein schön Gesangbüchlein Geistlicher Lieder, zusammengetragen aus dem A. und N. Testament durch fromme Christen und Liebhaber Gottes, welcher hiefür etliche getrucht sei gewesen, aber noch viel dazu gethan, welche nie im Truck aussgangen seindt, in welchen auch ein recht Leben und Fundament dez rechten Christlichen Glaubens gelehrt wirdt. Coloss. 3.

A second edition, 1570-1583, (date not given), adds to the above title the following:

Jetzo von neuem widerum übersehn, an vielen Orten gebessert und mit etlichen newen Liedern vermehret. Coloss. 3.

Of the 133 hymns in the book, 9 had been in use among other churches. Many of the others were by Mennonite authors, among them Johann Schütz, Thomas Ducker, Gerhard Siebenakker von Sittart, and Heinrich Krenen von Breidtbock. Many of the hymns are of a controversial nature and have no literary value; for example, this on infant baptism:

Die Schrift sagt nicht von Kindertaufe

Davon hab ich nicht gelesen.

Wer nach Gottes Wort getauft soll sein

Der musz gläubig wesen.

Es ist ein Bad der Wiedergeburt,

Ein Bund eines guten Gewissens

Ein’ Verneurung des heiliges Geistes

Davon keine Kinder wissen.

Most of the hymns were set to secular melodies popular at the time. Very little of this first hymnal survives.

1570—Ausbund, Das ist: Etliche schöne Christliche Lieder, wie sie in dem Gefängnis zu Passau in dem Schlosz von den Schweizer-Brüdern und von andern rechtglaubigen Christen hin und her gedichtet worden.

At least twelve editions have been printed in Europe, the last one in Basel, 1838. Its use was confined to the South Germans and Swiss Mennonites. Reprinted in America and still in use by the Amish, the Ausbund has the distinction of being the oldest hymn book officially in use by any church in America.

1780—Geistreiches Gesangbuch zur öffentlichen und besonderen Erbauung der Mennonitischen Gemeinde in und vor der Stadt Danzig.

The book has had long use in Danzig. A revised edition appeared in 1908.

1803—Das Kleine Geistliche Harfe der Kinder Zions. Germantown, Pa. The first Mennonite hymnbook printed in America. It was the official hymnbook of the Franconia Conference of Mennonites of which John H. Oberholzer, founder of the General Conference of Mennonites, was a member. Seven editions were printed, the last in Elkhart, Ind., 1904.

1804—Unpartheyisches Gesangbuch, Lancaster, Pa. The official hymnbook of the Lancaster Mennonite Conference for almost a century. Fourteen reprints were made, the last in 1923 for the Amish.

1843—Gesangbuch in welchem eine Sammlung geistreiche Lieder befindlich. 9th ed. Elbing. The hymnbook of the Prussian Mennonites. It was taken by the Prussians to Russia where it was republished in Odessa, 1844.

1856—Gesangbuch zum Gottesdienstlichen und haeuslichen Gebrauch in Evangelischen Mennoniten Gemeinden. Worms.

Published by the churches of Baden and the Palatinate. The hymnal committee was fortunate in securing the assistance of the eminent German hymnologist, Albert Knapp. The book contains 600 hymns and an appendix of prayers. A book of melodies was also provided. This collection holds an important place in Mennonite hymnody. It was reprinted in Danzig, 1873, for use by the Danzig Mennonites, and in Philadelphia, 1873, for use in the General Conference of Mennonites. The excellent qualities of the more recent Gesangbuch mit Noten may be traced, in considerable measure, to this work.

1869—Gesangbuch in Mennoniten Gemeinden für Kirche und Haus. Published for the churches of West Prussia, this work went through at least four editions, the fourth in 1901. The book was republished in Danzig, 1873.

1873—Gesangbuch zum Gottesdienstlichen und häuslichen Gebrauch in Mennoniten Gemeinden. Philadelphia. Ordered by the sixth General Conference of Mennonites held at Wadsworth, Ohio. The main body of the book is the same as that published in Worms, 1856, but with the appendix of prayers omitted, and an appendix of 22 hymns added, the latter the contribution of the Mennonites in Pennsylvania. The book was intended to form a closer bond of union between the Mennonites in the East and those west of the Mississippi.

1890—Gesangbuch mit Noten. Herausgegeben von der allgemeinen Conferenz der Mennoniten von Nord America. Berne, Ind. The book passed through 15 editions, the last in 1936. A noteworthy collection of hymns and tunes that met with wide approval in the General Conference churches.

1894—Mennonite Hymnal, A Blending of Many Voices. Berne, Ind. An A. S. Barnes publication adopted, practically unchanged, by the General Conference of Mennonites. Our first official English hymnal, though many collections from other sources were finding wide use in our churches. The book has nothing of distinctiveness or distinction.

1927—The Mennonite Hymn Book. Berne, Ind. Published by the General Conference of Mennonites. Compiled and edited by a committee appointed by the Conference. The book was more satisfactory than the Mennonite Hymnal of 1894, but never became very popular. Total sales of three editions were less than 5,000 copies.

1940—The Mennonite Hymnary. Published by the General Conference of Mennonites of North America, Board of Publication, Mennonite Publication Office, Newton, Kansas, 1940. Now in its sixth edition.

15. The Translation of Hymns.

A word may be in order concerning the translation of hymns. It is difficult to transfer the color and feeling of one language to another. For this reason many people who know the German hymns by heart have a sense of disappointment when they read them in an English version. In some instances a translation is inferior to the original but this is not necessarily the case. It is well to remember that nearly all of us read the Bible only in a translation, yet never doubt the literary quality of the English King James Version or the German Version of Luther. The hymn, “Ich weiss einen Strom,” is superior as poetry, and in its religious feeling, to the English original, “O have you not heard of that beautiful stream,” though the former is a translation of the latter. The reason is that Gebhardt, the translator, was a poet in his own right. Good translations are possible if the translator has poetic ability of a high order, and if he translates into his native tongue. Catherine Winkworth was the foremost translator of German hymns into English and Ernst Gebhardt performed a similar role in translating English and American hymns into German. Had either tried to do the work of the other, the results would in all probability have lacked true color and correct idiomatic and poetic expression.

16. Church Unity in the Hymnbook.

The unity of the Christian Church is expressed nowhere more eloquently than in the hymns we sing. Every modern hymnal, regardless of the denominational interest it represents, reaches across the ages to gather its treasures from sources new and old; it knows nothing of the external barriers which divide Christians into denominations, but makes use of the hymns of widely divergent Christian groups. The Mennonite Hymnary is no exception. Here are found hymns from the early church, East and West, translated from the Greek and Latin fathers. Others, like Savonarola’s hymn, come from the Middle Ages. Many are chorales from the land of Luther, or metrical psalms from the Calvinistic reformers. A substantial body of our hymnody stems from the Anglican Church, while some of our best hymns are from sturdy independents like Watts and Doddridge, and still others breathe the evangelistic fervor of Wesley, Cowper, and Newton. The Quakers too have made their contribution as well as certain Roman Catholics and Unitarians. In no aspect of our church life do we attain so nearly to ecumenicity as in our worship in song. Christians may differ widely in their religious views but they are able to unite as one body in singing their songs of praise.

The following classification of hymns by denominations is far from exhaustive. It is intended merely to suggest the wealth of material drawn from many denominations, listing only representative writers together with a representative hymn. The [index of authors] may be consulted for a complete list of hymns written by each author.

a. Anglican (Church of England) Addison, Joseph, “The spacious firmament on high” ([50]) Alexander, Mrs. Cecil (Irish), “Jesus calls us, o’er the tumult” ([140]) Baring-Gould, Sabine, “Onward, Christian soldiers” ([225]) Bode, John E., “O Jesus, I have promised” ([212]) Croly, George (Irish), “Spirit of God, descend” ([133]) Dix, William C., “As with gladness men of old” ([530]) Ellerton, John, “Savior, again to Thy dear name we raise” ([43]) Elliott, Charlotte, “Just as I am, without one plea” ([458]) Grant, Robert (Scotch), “O worship the King” ([7]) Hankey, Katherine, “I love to tell the story” ([493]) Havergal, Frances, “Take my life, and let it be” ([215]) Heber, Reginald, “Holy, holy, holy” ([1]) How, W. W., “O Jesus, Thou art standing” ([144]) Lyte, Henry F., “Abide with me” ([40]) Newton, John, “Glorious things of thee are spoken” ([274]) Pierpoint, Folliott S., “For the beauty of the earth” ([51]) Stone, Samuel, “The Church’s one foundation” ([273]) Toplady, Augustus, “Rock of ages” ([148]) Wordsworth, Christopher, “O day of rest and gladness” ([285]) b. Baptist Fawcett, John (Eng.), “Blest be the tie that binds” ([41]) Gilmore, Henry, “He leadeth me” ([478]) Hearn, Marianne (Eng.), “Just as I am, thine own to be” ([393]) Hawks, Annie S., “I need Thee every hour” ([187]) Lowry, Robert, “Low in the grave He lay” ([452]) Phelps, Sylvanus, “Savior, Thy dying love” ([220]) Rankin, Jeremiah, “God be with you till we meet again” ([365]) Smith, Samuel F., “The morning light is breaking” ([324]) Stennett, Samuel, “Majestic sweetness sits enthroned” ([120]) c. Bohemian Brethren (Moravians) Hayn, Luise von, “I am Jesus’ little lamb” ([430]) Montgomery, James, “Prayer is the soul’s sincere desire” ([184]) Rights, Douglas LeTell, “Veiled in darkness Judah lay” ([68]) Weisse, Michael, “Christ, the Lord, is ris’n again” ([544]) Zinzendorf, Nikolaus Ludwig, Graf von, “Jesu! geh’ voran” ([574]) Zinzendorf, Christian Renatus, Graf von, “Man of sorrows” ([537]) d. Catholic (Roman) St. Bernard of Clairvaux, “O sacred Head, now wounded” ([539]) Bridges, Matthew, “Crown Him with many crowns” ([118]) Faber, Frederick, “Faith of our fathers” ([154]) Franz, Ignaz, “Grosser Gott, wir loben dich” ([519]) Mohr, Joseph, “Silent night” ([83]) Newman, John Henry, “Lead, kindly Light” ([162]-3) Scheffler, Johann, “Mir nach, spricht Christus” ([565]) e. Congregational Bliss, Philip P., “Brightly beams our Father’s mercy” ([448]) Dwight, Timothy, “I love Thy Kingdom, Lord” ([275]) Gladden, Washington, “O Master, let me walk with Thee” ([223]) Luke, Jemima (Eng.), “I think when I read that sweet story” ([427]) Palmer, Horatio, “Yield not to temptation” ([477]) Palmer, Ray, “My faith looks up to Thee” ([150]) Shurtleff, Ernest W., “Lead on, O King Eternal” ([399]) Sleeper, W. T., “Ye must be born again” ([461]) Stocking, Jay T., “O Master Workman of the race” ([93]) Stowe, Harriet Beecher, “Still, still with Thee” ([23]) Walter, Howard A., “I would be true” ([207]) Wolcott, Samuel, “Christ for the world we sing” ([327]) f. English Independent Doddridge, Philip, “How gentle God’s commands” ([56]) Watts, Isaac, “When I survey the wondrous cross” ([105]-6) g. Episcopal (American) Brooks, Phillips, “O little town of Bethlehem” ([84]) Bowie, W. Russel, “Lord, through changing days” ([402]) Coxe, Arthur C., “O where are kings and empires now” ([276]) Doane, George W., “Fling out the banner” ([331]) Hopkins, John, Jr., “We three kings of Orient are” ([90]) Key, Francis Scott, “Lord, with glowing heart I’d praise” ([511]) Roberts, Daniel C., “God of our fathers, whose almighty” ([347]) h. Lutheran (German) Clausnitzer, Tobias, “Liebster Jesu, wir sind hier” ([553a]) Gerhardt, Paul, “Commit thou all thy griefs” ([558]) Luther, Martin, “A mighty fortress is our God” ([549]) Nicolai, Philipp, “Wake, awake for night is flying” ([522]) Rinkart, M. Martin, “Now thank we all our God” ([514]) Schmolck, Benjamin, “My Jesus, as Thou wilt” ([250]) Spitta, Karl Johann Philipp, “O happy home, where Thou” ([358]) i. Methodist Crosby, Fanny, “Jesus, keep me near the cross” ([490]) Farrington, Harry Webb, “I know not how that Bethlehem’s” ([99]) Gebhardt, Ernst (German), “Ich weiss einen Strom” ([232]) Lathbury, Mary, “Break Thou the bread of life” ([288]) Marlatt, Earl, “Are ye able, said the Master” ([392]) Nicholson, James, “Lord Jesus, I long to be perfectly whole” ([469]) North, Frank Mason, “Where cross the crowded ways of life” ([222]) Owens, Priscilla, “We have heard the joyful sound” ([334]) Wesley, Charles, “Jesus, lover of my soul” ([158]-9) Williams, William (Welsh), “Guide me, O Thou great” ([160]) j. Presbyterian Babcock, Maltbie, “This is my Father’s world” ([48]) Benson, Louis, “O sing a song of Bethlehem” ([92]) Clephane, Elizabeth (Scotch), “Beneath the cross of Jesus” ([112]) Duffield, George, “Stand up, stand up for Jesus” ([193]) Hastings, Thomas, “Hail to the brightness” ([332]) Hopper, Edward, “Jesus, Savior, pilot me” ([161]) Mackay, Wm. P., “We praise Thee, O God” ([437]) Matheson, George (Scotch), “O Love that wilt not let me go” ([175]) Merrill, Wm. P., “Rise up, O men of God” ([230]) Prentiss, Elizabeth, “More love to Thee, O Christ” ([472]) Small, James G. (Scotch), “I’ve found a Friend” ([445]) Van Dyke, Henry, “Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee” ([10]) k. Quaker Adams, Jessie, “I feel the winds of God today” ([391]) Barton, Bernard, “Walk in the light” ([209]) Whittier, John G., “Dear Lord and Father of mankind” ([181]) l. Unitarian Adams, Sarah F., “Nearer, my God, to Thee” ([202]) Bennett, S. F., “In the sweet bye and bye” ([504]) Bowring, John, “In the cross of Christ I glory” ([110]) Holmes, Oliver W., “Lord of all being, throned afar” ([53]) Hosmer, Frederick L., “Father, to Thee we look in all our” ([249]) Johnson, Samuel, “Father, in Thy mysterious presence” ([188]) Longfellow, Samuel, “I look to Thee in every need” ([244]) Martineau, James, “Thy way is in the deep, O Lord” ([242]) Parker, Theodore, “O Thou great Friend to all the sons” ([224]) Sears, Edmund, “It came upon a midnight clear” ([75]) Ware, Henry, Jr., “Great God, the followers of Thy Son” ([13]) m. No Church Affiliation Bates, Katherine Lee, “O beautiful, for spacious skies” ([343]) Vories, Wm. M., “Let there be light, Lord God of hosts” ([353])

17. Hymn Meters.

Meter (English, Metre) refers to the rhythmic element in poetry:

a. the number of lines in a stanza. b. the number of syllables in a line. c. the arrangement of accented and unaccented syllables.

The figures attached to the tune names in the Hymnary indicate the number of lines in a stanza and the number of syllables in a line, e. g., 8.7.8.7. means that the hymn has four lines in each stanza, the first line being made up of 8 syllables, the second of 7 syllables, the third of 8 syllables, and the last of 7 syllables. The figures are placed there to facilitate the fitting of tunes to hymns, a responsibility which is left now-a-days largely to hymnbook editors.

A given tune may be used with any variety of hymns provided the latter have the same meter as the tune. Likewise a given hymn may be sung to any tune that fits its meter, e.g., “Come, Thou Almighty King,” set to the tune, “Italian Hymn,” as both have the meter pattern 6.6.4.6.6.6.4. This is also the meter of “My country ’tis of thee” set to “America.” Hence the words and tunes of these hymns may be interchanged. As a matter of fact, “Come Thou Almighty King” was originally used with the tune “America.” The practice of using alternate tunes is less common now than formerly and must be done with care for while the meters may be suited, the words and tune may be incompatible otherwise.

Meter Names

A few meters have specific names. These, with their abbreviations are as follows:

Short Meter (S.M.) 6.6.8.6, e.g.

Short Meter Double (S.M.D.) is used for a tune in which the quatrain is repeated, e.g. “Terra Beata” ([48]), set to the words “This is my Father’s world.”

Common Meter (C.M.), also called Ballad Meter, consists of four lines of 8.6.8.6. syllables, e.g.

Nearly all the metrical psalms appeared in this meter.

Common Meter Double (C.M.D.) is employed when two Common Meter quatrains are used to form one stanza, e.g.,

“It came upon a midnight clear.” ([75])

Long Meter (L.M.) consists of a four line stanza in which each line is of eight syllables, e.g.,

Long Meter Double (L.M.D.), not often used, consists of a stanza of eight lines, each line of eight syllables, e.g.,

“The spacious firmament on high.” ([50])

Accentuation

In setting a hymn to music it is important that the accented syllables of the poetry fall on the accented beats of the musical bars. Try singing “Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling” ([456]) to the tune “Ich weiss einen Strom” ([232]). The meter is the same in each case—11.7.11.7.—with refrain—but the words and tune are obviously not suited to each other because of differences in accentuation.

18. Hymn Tunes.

[a. What is a good tune?] [b. Importance of tunes.] [c. Composers of tunes.] [d. Sources of tunes.] [e. Tune names.]

a. What is a good tune?

The quality of a tune must be judged by its definite and restricted use. It is to be sung by a congregation of people, the majority of whom have had only limited musical training, and without benefit of rehearsal. The tune must therefore be judged by such questions as these: Is it singable? Are the parts within easy pitch range of the voices? Is it free from difficult intervals or modulations into other keys? Is it interesting? Does it create a worshipful atmosphere? Does the mood of the tune fit the mood and thought of the words?

b. The importance of tunes.

The tune is of great importance to the success of the hymn. Our “best hymns” owe their popularity in many instances, to the tune with which they are associated. On the other hand many excellent hymns remain unused because the tunes given them are too difficult or too uninteresting. It is the tune that creates the mood of worship and charges the words with emotion so that their message is carried forth with feeling and power.

c. Composers of tunes.

The story of the development of the hymn tune begins with the worship song in the Temple at Jerusalem where the psalms were sung antiphonally by priests and people accompanied by harps and trumpets. Little is known of these tunes or their composers. This early Christian music would doubtless sound strange to modern ears.

The important names in the roll of church musicians, from the early centuries to the present time, include the following:

Italian—Ambrose, 4th century Gregory the Great, 6th century Palestrina, 1525-94 French—Louis Bourgeois, c. 1510-? German—Luther, 1483-1546; Nicolai, 1556-1608; Hassler, 1564-1612; Praetorius, 1571-1621; Crüger, 1598-1662; Bach, 1685-1750. English—Tallis, 1510-85; Gibbons, 1583-1625; Croft, 1678-1727; Gauntlett, 1805-76; Monk, 1823-99; Dykes, 1823-76; S. Wesley, 1810-76; Barnby, 1838-96; Stainer, 1840-1901; Sullivan, 1842-1900. American—L. Mason, 1792-1872; Bradbury, 1816-68; Hastings, 1784-1872; Stebbins, 1846-1945.

The great composers, besides Bach, whose names are found in church hymnals are: Haydn, Beethoven, Handel, Mozart, Mendelssohn, Gounod, and Sibelius.

The above is only a partial list of composers of good church music. Among their works is a corpus of fine hymn tunes far greater than has been utilized by the church so far. For years to come, compilers of hymn books will have a vast reservoir of excellent tunes, old yet new, to draw from.

d. Sources of tunes.

An examination of the origin of church tunes shows a variety of sources. Many tunes were especially written for the words to which they are set; others are adaptations from early medieval chants; still others, as for example, the “Passion Chorale” and “Londonderry Air”, were folk tunes originally used with secular words. Some of our best tunes are adaptations of melodies from larger musical works, as for example, “Hymn to Joy” ([10]) from Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony; “Finlandia” ([54]), from a tone poem by Sibelius; and “Seymour” ([36]), from Weber’s opera, Oberon.

e. Tune names.

Composers usually name their tunes in order to facilitate their identification. The names given them are selected quite arbitrarily. W. H. Havergal, prolific composer of church music, named his tunes after the rivers, mountains, valleys, etc., of Palestine, e.g. “Abana,” “Ahava,” “Ararat,” “Baca,” etc. Other tunes have been named for the composer, e.g., “Bradbury” ([395]); the name of a friend, e.g., “Rockingham” ([105]); name of a city or village, e.g., “Boylston” ([214]); a street, “Federal Street” ([192]); a cottage, “Hollingside” ([159]); an event in history, “Nicaea” ([1]); or the central idea in the words, “Pilot” ([161]).

In Germany, the usual practice has been to name the tune after the first line of the hymn to which it was originally set.

Some tunes, unfortunately, are known by more than one name, e.g., “St. Michel’s” ([93]) and “Jerusalem, Jerusalem” ([125]). In a few cases the same name is given to several tunes, e.g., “Wesley” ([309] and [332]). This is confusing and it is highly desirable that hymnbook editors strive toward uniformity of nomenclature.

[19.] John Wesley’s Rules for Singing.

In one of John Wesley’s compilations of tunes, Sacred Melody, the great preacher and founder of Methodism gives the following rules for singing. Some of the expressions used may provoke a smile but, as Lightwood suggests, “it would be a very good thing if these were read aloud from time to time in all churches and chapels where good congregational singing is aimed at.”

a. Learn these tunes before you learn any others; afterwards learn as many as you please.

b. Sing them exactly as they are printed here, without altering or mending them at all; and if you have learned to sing them otherwise, unlearn it as soon as you can.

c. Sing ALL. See that you join with the congregation as frequently as you can. Let not a slight degree of weakness or weariness hinder you. If it is a cross to you, take it up, and you will find it a blessing.

d. Sing lustily and with a good courage. Beware of singing as if you were half dead, or half asleep; but lift up your voice with strength. Be no more afraid of your voice now, nor more ashamed of its being heard, than when you sang the songs of Satan.

e. Sing modestly. Do not bawl, so as to be heard above or distinct from the rest of the congregation, that you may not destroy the harmony; but strive to unite your voices together, so as to make one clear melodious sound.

f. Sing in tune. Whatever time is sung be sure to keep with it. Do not run before nor stay behind it; but attend close to the leading voices, and move therewith exactly as you can; and take care not to sing too low. This drawling way naturally steals on all who are lazy: and it is high time to drive it out from among us, and sing all our tunes just as quick as we did at first.

g. Above all sing spiritually. Have an eye to God in every word you sing. Aim at pleasing Him more than yourself, or any other creature. In order to do this attend strictly to the sense of what you sing, and see that your heart is not carried away with the sound, but offered to God continually; so shall our singing be such as the Lord will approve of here, and regard you when He cometh in the clouds of Heaven.

BOOK I
Hymns for Worship and Praise

WORSHIP—PRAISE AND ADORATION

1. Holy, holy, holy

Reginald Heber, 1783-1826

A metrical paraphrase of Revelation 4:8-11. The hymn was written for use on Trinity Sunday of the Church Year but has found a wide general use as a morning hymn. It ranks high in any list of “best hymns.” Some give it first place.

The author, Reginald Heber, was educated at Oxford, England, for the Anglican ministry. For sixteen years he served as rector at Hodnet, Shropshire, where most of his hymns were written. He became an eminent churchman, as well as hymn writer, and was made bishop of Calcutta in 1822. After four years, his life came to an end suddenly at the close of a day in which he had baptized forty-two native converts. He is the author of the popular missionary hymn, “From Greenland’s icy mountains” ([333]).

“Holy, holy, holy,” was one of Alfred Tennyson’s favorite hymns, and it was sung at his funeral service in Westminster Abbey, April 12, 1892.

MUSIC. The tune, NICAEA, was composed for this hymn and was so named because the text deals with the doctrine of the Trinity as expounded in the Council of Nicaea which met in the city of Nicaea in Asia Minor, 325 A.D., the first ecumenical council of the Christian Church. It convened at the call of the Emperor, Constantine, to settle the so-called “Arian controversy” concerning the nature of Christ. Arius, a presbyter of Alexandria, taught that Christ was neither divine nor human, but superangelic. After sitting from May 20 to August 25, to hear all sides of the heated debate, the council decided in favor of Athanasius, a deacon of Alexandria and chief opponent of Arius. The result was incorporated in the Nicene creed which declares that Christ is “the same substance with the Father.” Our hymn asserts the same doctrine: “God in Three Persons, blessed Trinity.”

J. B. Dykes, 1823-76, composer of the tune, was born in Hull, England, the son of a banker. He was educated at Cambridge for the ministry but had also received a thorough training in music and became one of England’s leading hymn-tune writers. For a score of years he was vicar of the Anglican church, St. Oswald’s, in the city of Durham. He published sermons and other writings but is best known for his 300 hymn tunes, many of which are still in wide use. One of his most popular tunes is “Lux Benigna” which is always associated with John Henry Newman’s hymn, “Lead kindly light” ([162]).

2. God is in His holy temple

Anonymous

Based on Hab. 2:20: “The Lord is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.” The hymn, whose authorship is anonymous, is a call to silence and reverence as the worshipper bows in the presence of God.

MUSIC. The origin of the popular and useful tune, AUTUMN, has been in dispute. Some books refer to it as a Spanish melody, and others have seen in the tune a reminiscence of a psalm-tune found in the Genevan Psalter of 1551. It is ascribed here to one, Louis von Esch, but Dr. Robert McCutchan, editor of the Methodist Hymnal and author of Our Hymnody, says: “There is no basis whatever for ascribing it to any other than Barthélémon.”

Francois H. Barthélémon was born in Bordeaux, July 27, 1741, and died in London, July 20, 1808. He gave up his position as an officer in the French army to make music his profession and became a composer and distinguished violinist and conductor in England. Most of his compositions were of a secular nature. His other church pieces are “Morning Hymn” ([25]) and “Ballerma” ([146], [585]). Late in life Barthélémon joined the Swedenborgian Church. He died of paralysis at the age of 67.

3, 4, 5. All [hail] [the] power of Jesus’ name

Edward Perronet, 1726-92

The original version of this hymn contained eight stanzas and first appeared in the Gospel Magazine, Augustus Toplady’s journal, the first stanza together with the tune “Miles Lane,” in November, 1779, and the remaining stanzas in April, 1780. It is one of the popular, stirring hymns of the English language, sung in England almost invariably to the tune “Miles Lane” and in America more generally to “Coronation.”

Edward Perronet was born in 1726 and became a vicar in the Church of England in Shoreham. Later, under the influence of John Wesley, he left the established church to become an itinerant Methodist preacher. After some years he left the Methodists and ministered to a small dissenting congregation in Canterbury, where he died in 1792.

The fourth stanza is attributed by some authorities to the Rev. John Rippon, a Baptist minister.

A missionary in India, E. P. Scott, went to visit a mountain tribe when one day he found himself surrounded with a number of wild, ferocious tribesmen, pointing their spears at him. Expecting death, he closed his eyes and sang this hymn, “All hail the power of Jesus’ name,” playing the tune “Miles Lane” on his violin. The music and words produced such a profound effect upon these wild tribesmen that they spared Scott’s life and invited him to settle among them. For over two years, until his health failed, he worked with great success among them, and when he was compelled to return to America, they accompanied him thirty or forty miles and begged him to return. Upon regaining his health, he did return and labored with them until his death.

MUSIC. MILES LANE ([No. 3]) was composed by William Shrubsole, 1760-1806, especially for this hymn. He was an intimate friend of the author of the hymn. Most of his life was spent as music teacher and organist in various English churches. The tune is very effective, especially in its thrilling climax in the fourfold repetition of “Crown Him.” However, due to its wide melodic range, its sustained notes, and interrupted pace, it is more difficult to sing than “Coronation.”

CORONATION ([No. 4]) was composed by Oliver Holden. He had little formal training in music and was a carpenter by trade. He was born in Shirley, Mass., Sept. 18, 1765. After the English burned Charlestown, across the river from Boston, Holden helped in the task of rebuilding and made considerable money. Later he engaged in the real estate business, owned a music store, and all the while led choirs and singing schools. He was elected representative to the Congress. He was an influential citizen and a prominent member of the Baptist Church. However, he is remembered by posterity as the composer of this much-loved tune.

DIADEM ([No. 5]) is an effective tune widely used on anniversary occasions. The composer, James Ellor, an English Methodist, was born in Lancashire in 1819. He was not a professional musician, but a hatter by trade. For a time he worked as a railway employee. While still a young man, he came to America, where he worked at the hatmaking trade. For some years before his death in 1899, he was nearly blind. This tune was composed when Ellor was only 19 years old. It was written especially for this hymn and has had wide use as a choir number.

6. Ye servants of God, your Master proclaim

Charles Wesley, 1707-88

This hymn by Charles Wesley, perhaps the greatest hymnist of all ages, was No. 1 in a collection published in 1774 and entitled, Hymns for Times of Trouble and Persecution. The original had six stanzas and was marked, “To be sung in a tumult.” The Wesleys knew the meaning of persecution and tumults. They were often attacked by godless men who used physical violence. Hoodlums were known to try to break up their meetings by blowing horns, ringing bells, or barking in front of the preacher. Sometimes cattle were driven into the congregation. The Wesleys were also opposed by the clergy and people of the established church who hated the upheavals and disturbances these men caused in the staid and stolid church life of the times. Nothing could stop the Wesleys or repress their enthusiasm. John, who once thanked God for getting together such a “congregation of drunkards, swearers, and Sabbath breakers,” continued his preaching; and Charles his hymn writing. With the early apostles, the Wesleys could say, “We cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”

Charles Wesley, John’s youngest brother, graduated from Oxford in 1729 and became a devout priest in the Anglican Church. He came to Georgia in 1735 as secretary to General Oglethorpe but after one year, he returned to England on account of failing health. The years from 1738 to 1756 were devoted whole heartedly to assisting his brother John in the great revivalistic work among the masses of the common people in England, Scotland, and Ireland. He was a prolific writer, being the author of about 6,500 hymns. Of these only a few score survive, so difficult is it to write hymns that stand the test of time. Twenty-three of his hymns, more than of any other author, are included in the Hymnary. Wesley, being Arminian in his theology (as opposed to the predestinarian views of Calvinism) emphasizes in his hymns the power of Christ to save to the uttermost. Others of his hymns surpass this one from the standpoint of good literature, but very few equal its spirit of adoring praise and fervid enthusiasm.

MUSIC. HANOVER is a vigorous, singable, hymn-tune which has long been associated with these words, although the tune “Lyons” ([7]), too, is frequently set to this hymn. It is one of the earliest examples of the English psalm-tune, as distinguished from the Genevan. The triple measure was novel and met with objection when it first appeared.

The composer, William Croft, 1678-1727, had a doctor’s degree in music and was organist, for a time, in Westminster Abbey, London, where his remains lie buried. He labored hard, amidst many discouragements, to improve the music in the Church of England, and made for himself in the field of sacred music, one of the greatest names in English musical history. His tunes and anthems are widely used.

7. O worship the King, all glorious above

Robert Grant, 1779-1838

A simple, yet majestic hymn, based on the magnificent 104th Psalm. A careful reading of the Psalm will result in a new appreciation of this free paraphrase by Grant.

Robert Grant was born in Bombay, India. When six years old, his parents moved to London. He received his education in Oxford, was admitted to the bar, elected to Parliament in 1808, and then held various responsible government positions, climaxed in 1834 by his appointment as Governor of Bombay. He died at Delpoonie, India, where a medical school, bearing his name, was erected in his memory. Though a prominent man and active in public affairs, Grant will be remembered principally as the author of this, his most important hymn. He wrote a number of other hymns but only this one and “Savior, when, in dust, to Thee” ([145]) have survived.

MUSIC. The tune LYONS is by Haydn, not the famous “Papa” Haydn who wrote symphonies, string quartets, and The Creation, but J. Michael Haydn, 1737-1806, a younger brother. He was born in Austria. Though self-taught in music (like his famous brother Franz), he became the teacher of many eminent musicians of his time, including Carl von Weber. Haydn was a warm-hearted, devout, and gifted man, and might have become famous except for two things—his life was lived in the shadow of his more illustrious brother, and he was too modest to permit most of his works to be published.

LYONS is a singable tune with a fine melodic curve and is strikingly similar to “Hanover” ([6]) with which it may be interchanged with good effect.

8. Come Thou Almighty King

Charles Wesley, 1707-88

This hymn of praise and prayer is widely used in all branches of the Christian church in the English speaking world and has been translated into many foreign languages. It has been generally attributed to Charles Wesley, the great “Bard of Methodism,” but the authorship is uncertain. The hymn appeared as the first of only two selections in a small booklet published by John Wesley about 1757. The second hymn was by Charles Wesley and was entitled, “The Backslider.” “Come, Thou Almighty King,” with the title, “An Hymn to the Trinity,” did not bear the name of Charles Wesley, and it appears nowhere in his collected works. No one can be certain, therefore, of the authorship or date of its writing. Like all good hymns, it rises above time or personal circumstance and expresses for all Christians their feeling of praise and adoration of God. It was originally sung to the tune, “God Save the King,” the hymn following the same metrical pattern as the British National Anthem and our own “America.”

MUSIC. ITALIAN HYMN, also called “Trinity,” and “Moscow,” is one of our most famous hymn tunes and deserves its renown. It was composed for this hymn by Felice de Giardini, 1716-1796, an Italian violinist, who spent many years in England and ranked among the top-notch artists and teachers of violin in Europe. Though a great artist, he was a capricious and peevish personality, had few friends and many enemies, was a poor business manager, and died in poverty and distress in the city of Moscow where he had gone to better his fortune and failed.

9. Christ is our Cornerstone

Latin, 8th century

Tr. John Chandler, 1806-76

This is a translation of a mediaeval Latin hymn. At the beginning of the Christian era, the prevailing language was Greek. With the dominance of Rome over the empire of Alexander the Great, Greek gradually gave way to the Latin tongue, and from the fourth century to the dawn of the Reformation, a rich treasury of Latin hymns came into existence in the church. Many of these have now been translated for use in modern English speaking churches. They are stately, reverent, devout pieces of devotional literature which have been the joy and consolation of countless saintly souls down through the centuries. Other examples of hymns from Latin sources are found at Nos. [67], [80], [87], [114], [116], [171], [277], [382], and [415].

“Christ is our Cornerstone” is based on “Angularis fundamentum,” a dedication hymn of anonymous authorship, attributed here to the 8th century, but it may be of much earlier origin. [Hymn 277], “Christ is made the sure foundation,” is another rendering of the same Latin poem, by a different translator and into a different meter, and is there dated “6th or 7th century.”

John Chandler, the translator, was one of a group of Anglican clergymen belonging to what was known in England as the Oxford Group (not to be confused with the recent Oxford group movement headed by John Buchman). They were interested in restoring to the church a dignified service of worship. These Latin hymns contributed to this purpose. Chandler was a scholar as well as preacher, author of several books and many printed sermons and tracts, and was one of the first and best translators of Latin hymns. This, of course, is not a literal translation, for consideration had to be given to poetic and doctrinal fitness for modern use.

MUSIC. The tune DARWALL was composed by John Darwall, 1731-89, an Anglican clergyman and also an enthusiastic amateur musician. He composed a tune for each of the 150 metrical Psalms, each written in two parts only, treble and bass. DARWALL was set to Psalm 148. His tunes, for the most part, have not been published and have passed into oblivion.

10. Joyful, joyful we adore Thee

Henry van Dyke, 1852-1933

A nature hymn of the first order, written by one who himself had a profound appreciation and love of the out-of-doors. The words from beginning to end are an expression of the beauty in nature and the resulting joy and spirit of praise it brings to the worshipper. The hymn was written in 1907 while the author was on a preaching visit to Williams College; it was designated to be sung to the “Hymn to Joy” in the last movement of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. The words fit the music perfectly. It is one of the most joyful hymns in the English language.

Henry van Dyke was born in Germantown, Pa.; received his education in Princeton University and Theological Seminary; and began his work as pastor of the United Congregational Church in Newport, R. I. After four years he was called to the pulpit of the Brick Presbyterian Church in New York where he became a widely known figure. In 1900 he was called to the chair of English Literature in Princeton. He was a friend of President Woodrow Wilson who appointed van Dyke as minister to the Netherlands and Luxemburg, which post he held from 1913 to 1917. He is the author of many books, including the beautiful story entitled, The Other Wise Man.

MUSIC. HYMN TO JOY is a hymn tune arrangement from the fourth movement of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, probably the greatest symphony ever penned, even though the composer was stone-deaf when he wrote it.

Ludwig von Beethoven was born at Bonn, Germany, in 1770 and died in Vienna in 1827. During his tempestuous life, he composed many compositions for piano, violin, orchestra, and string quartet. His nine symphonies are on the repertoire of all the great modern symphony orchestras.

11. Give to our God immortal praise

Isaac Watts, 1674-1748

Recognized as the best of three versions which Watts made of Psalm 136. The hymn expresses with dignity and fervor the high praise of God.

Isaac Watts, scholar, poet, and pastor of the Independent Church in Mark Lane, London, ranks among the greatest of English hymn writers. He is the author of about 600 hymns and versions, many of which are still in common use. The Hymnary contains 19 of his works. Watts is often referred to as the “father of English hymnody.” Though suffering from bodily ailments during the greater part of his adult life, he was robust in his thinking and became a bold and sturdy fighter for the cause of intellectual and religious freedom. Watts was one of the gentlest and kindest of men and a friend of the young. His wide intellectual interests enabled him to write textbooks on logic, geography, and astronomy, which were used in the universities of England as well as Harvard and Yale. Though he was never married and had no children of his own, Watts was a lover of children and wrote one of the world’s most beautiful cradle songs—“Hush, my dear, lie still and slumber.” In 1715, he issued a notable book of verse for children. One of the poems, entitled, “Against Quarrelling and Fighting,” runs as follows:

Let dogs delight to bark and bite

For God hath made them so;

Let bears and lions growl and fight

For ’tis their nature to.

But children, you should never let

Such angry passions rise;

Your little hands were never made

To tear each other’s eyes.

Let grown-ups in our day grasp the idea in this simple poem!

MUSIC. The tune, LASST UNS ERFREUEN, one of the most famous in any hymn book, was published in Geistliche Kirchengesäng, Cologne, 1623. It was set to an Easter hymn beginning, “Lasst uns erfreuen herzlich sehr,” from whence it derives its name. The tune is unusual for its simplicity of structure and its invariable repetition of phrases throughout. Usually the alleluias in lines 3 and 6 are sung in harmony, the rest of the song in unison. The tune lends itself well to antiphonal or echo singing on the rare occasions when such varied effects are desired. The composer is not known.

12. O for a thousand tongues to sing

Charles Wesley, 1707-88

From a poem of 18 stanzas, written by Wesley to celebrate the first anniversary of his great spiritual change, a conversion experience in which he felt the clear light of the Gospel possessing his soul. The poem was entitled, “For the Anniversary Day of One’s Conversion.” Wesley was greatly influenced by the Moravian missionary Peter Bohler who once said to him: “Had I a thousand tongues, I would praise Him with them all.” The incident, lingering in Wesley’s mind, was turned into a song which expresses the joy and confidence of the redeemed. For 150 years, and until recently, this hymn appeared as No. 1 in Methodist hymnbooks on both sides of the Atlantic.

For further comments on Charles Wesley see [Hymn 6].

MUSIC. AZMON was introduced into this country from Germany where it was a favorite school song. Carl G. Gläser, the composer, was born at Weissenfels, Germany, 1784, and died at Barmen, 1829. He was a teacher of piano, violin, and voice, and director of choruses. He also owned and managed a music store.

Lowell Mason, the arranger of the tune, was one of America’s earliest exponents and teachers of public school music and did much to bring worthy popular hymn tunes into the churches. He was born January 8, 1792, at Orange, N. J. At the age of 16, he was a choir leader and teacher of singing classes. At 23, he went to Savannah, Ga., as a bank clerk, returning to Boston in 1827 to become president and conductor of the Handel and Haydn Society. He wrote a large number of singable hymn tunes which have had wide use in the hymn books of all denominations. More of his compositions are found in the Hymnary than of any other composer. He died at Orange, N. J., August 11, 1872.

13. Great God, the followers of Thy Son

Henry Ware, Jr., 1794-1843

Written for an ordination service which took place in Baltimore in 1819, William E. Channing preaching the sermon.

The author, Henry Ware, Jr., was born at Hingham, Mass., April 21, 1794; died September 25, 1843, at Framingham, Mass. He was educated at Harvard, and served as minister of the Second Unitarian Church, Boston, 1817 to 1829, with Ralph Waldo Emerson as assistant for a time. From 1829 to 1842, he was Professor of Pulpit Eloquence and Pastoral Care in the Harvard Divinity School. He was editor of the Christian Disciple and later of the Christian Register.

MUSIC. For comments on Lowell Mason, composer of HEBRON, see [Hymn 12].

14. The God of Abraham praise

Daniel Ben Judah, 14th century

Revised version by Thomas Olivers, 1725-99

This praise hymn, with its magnificent tune, had its origin in a Jewish synagogue in London. Thomas Olivers, a Welshman and follower of John Wesley, spent fifty years of his life as a Methodist minister, during which time he travelled more than 100,000 miles on horseback in his evangelistic work. His fame, however, rests upon this hymn. While visiting in London, he went to the Great Synagogue in Duke’s Place and heard the cantor sing the Hebrew Yigdal or doxology, in which the articles of the Jewish faith are recited. Upon hearing this, Oliver wrote “The God of Abraham praise,” a Christian version of the Yigdal. The original is by Daniel Ben Judah of the 14th century. Oliver then called on the Cantor, Meyer Leoni, who gave him this melody to suit the hymn he had written.

MUSIC. LEONI, according to Winfield Douglas, is probably not older than the 17th century and is not related to ancient Jewish music. Although written in a minor key, it strikes the note of praise. Its rhythm and vigor of movement adapts it well for use as a processional or recessional hymn.

15. We praise Thee, O God, our Redeemer

Julia Bulkley Cady Cory

A notable hymn of praise written by Mrs. Julia Cady Cory, who was born and reared in what was reputed to be one of the happiest Christian homes in New York City. Her father, J. Cleveland Cady, was a nationally known architect. A devout Christian, he had a genuine love for boys and girls and was superintendent of the same Sunday school for fifty-two years. Concerning the origin of this hymn, Mrs. Cory has written:

Years before I was married (in 1902), the organist of the Brick Presbyterian Church of New York City, knowing of my interest in hymnology, came to me and told me that he had a very fine Netherlands melody associated with most militaristic and unchristian words. He lamented the fact, and requested me to write more suitable words, which could be used for the Thanksgiving service at the Brick Church. The hymn as you see it today, was the result.

MUSIC. KREMSER is named after Edward Kremser, 1838-1914, a Viennese musician who arranged the tune from a Netherlands melody dating to 1625. The composer is not known. It is a stirring piece of music, simple in style, and easy to sing. It is equally impressive, whether sung in measured, stately tones like a chorale, or in the gayer festive mood in which young people like to sing. Children and young people usually respond to this hymn with enthusiasm.

16. Praise the Lord: ye heavens adore Him

Foundling Hospital Collection

Stanza 3 by Edward Osler, 1798-1863

A free rendering of some lines of Psalm 148 in which all the hosts of heaven and earth join in a magnificent chorus of praise to God.

The first two stanzas are anonymous. They were first published in the Foundling Hospital Collection, a book of hymns and anthems compiled by Thomas Coram, an English seaman, merchant captain and philanthropist. In later life, Mr. Coram devoted his time and fortune to the support of a children’s hospital in which a chapel was also maintained and the children trained in singing.

Edward Osler, author of the third stanza, was an English surgeon and author of books on scientific as well as religious subjects. He was also a distinguished hymnologist and wrote a number of versions of the Psalms and hymns for use in the Church of England.