1 of 3

Psalms have always been an important part of Judeo-Christian worship. They are sung by choirs, accompanied by instruments, and chanted by priests and people responsively. For most of history, hymnbooks were unnecessary, since worshipers' lives were steeped in the Scriptures. The Jews who formed the first Christian churches naturally continued singing Psalms and as time went on, these traditions were assimilated into Christian liturgy.

By the 12th century, either clergy or a trained choir sang the choral parts of the Christian worship service. If worshipers sang, it was with the common practice of "lining-out," where a clerk would "give out" a song line-by-line, singing the words for the congregation to hear and repeat. The Reformers in Europe urgently sought to renew the participation of the people in worship through the singing of hymns in the vernacular. Martin Luther (arguably one of the greatest hymnologists in history) and his followers wrote many hymns utilizing popular folk tunes, earning his new churches the moniker "The Singing Churches."

Unfortunately, many of these hymns relied on oral tradition, with no printed tunes. It wasn't until two Irishmen, Nahun Tate and Nicholas Brady, published the New Version of the Psalms of David, fitted to the tunes used in Churches in 1696, that metrical psalmody began to develop into what we know today as common hymns.

The popularity of hymnbooks took off with the growth of Methodism in the 1700s. The Wesley family, led by brothers Charles and John, discovered the power of congregational hymn singing while on a voyage to Georgia in 1735. The result was the publication of 64 hymnbooks, with more than 6,500 hymns published between 1738 and 1785.

A century later, Dwight Moody got into the act with the help of his singing/songwriting sidekick, Ira David Sankey. Moody published Sacred Songs and Solos in 1873, a collection made popular by his evangelistic activities. Sankey wrote the tunes to such hymns as "A Shelter in the Storm," "Hiding in Thee," and "Under His Wings."

Today, with the love and care befitting their respect for tradition, accompanied by their earnest desire to further the Lord's work, hymnal publishers are creating a wide variety of hymnals and other music products for church and school uses.

Name the choral product, and chances are Word Music has what churches need, with a vast collection of recorded and printed music and videos for Christian entertainment and worship. A division of Word Entertainment, Word Music represents some of Christian music's top performers, including Platinum-selling, award-winning artists Amy Grant, Selah, Rachael Lampa, Sandi Patti, and many others.

"Some of our most popular products are our hymnals and songbooks," says Leigh Ann Cates, marketing director of the company. "Word Music started producing hymnals and songbooks for blended worship about 1985 when that style began. Today, we have some of the most comprehensive collections of worship and praise music available, including Songs for Praise and Worship and Hymns for Praise and Worship."

next page... |  1 of 3

share this page