A Now And Future Hymnody
The hymnal is at once historical and prophetic. It makes available the riches of the past, adds new resources for the present, and helps shape the future by selecting hymns for a new generation.
It is the second most important book in the life of the Christian. Martin Luther recognized this when he said he would translate the Bible into German so God could speak to the people and the hymnbook into German so they could speak back to God. Yet few of us do more than begin to tap this rich resource of Christian poetry, spiritual insight, and music.
The hymnal publisher may be genuinely interested in aiding the churches in their spiritual ministry, but he still must sell enough copies to stay in business. The interdenominational publisher in particular must produce a book that is attractive to a cross section of the Christian public if he is to survive.
The lifespan of a hymnal has been steadily decreasing, from an average of a quarter of a century to barely a decade. The publisher invests three to five years in preparing a hymnal, only to find it outdated within roughly the same period after publication.
Language may date a hymn. In an age that is increasingly city-centered, we still sing songs rooted in a predominantly rural culture. Our reaction when we first read a text praising the “God of piston, God of wheel” may betray insensitivity to our age. We need songs that use fresh, specific, singable language.
This does not mean that the “great old hymns of the faith” are no longer useful. They often speak more directly to needs today than our modern hymns. But we must not define the “great hymns” simply as those we sang in our youth. A new generation may find such hymns inappropriate. And some of the old hymns may be theologically or musically unworthy of preservation.
Rhythms, too, can pose difficulties. The songs of the first half of this century were influenced by the popularity of the waltz and foxtrot with their simple, repeated rhythmical patterns. Now we have syncopation in many songs, but often of a simplistic type whose predictability becomes boring. Syncopation is difficult for congregations to handle, and the more difficult types should be reserved for smaller groups or soloists.
In recent years we have developed what I call the “process of progressive reduction.” In this familiar syndrome, we select the hymns we like the best and then sing them the most. Soon these are all we know. Then we select a smaller group that we sing the best. The process of reduction continues until we know very few hymns. When the songleader selects several hymns and songs and we sing out on the familiar ones, he or the pastor may say, “You sang that as if you really meant it.” Perhaps. More often the correct comment would be, “You sang that as if you really knew it.”
Here are some general qualities to look for in a hymn book: (1) A good hymnal should have variety, literary and musical quality, and originality, and be representative of many cultures and periods. (2) It should show faithfulness to the “whole counsel of God,” not just a few selected theological concepts. (3) The organization should be logical, perhaps beginning with God and worship, then moving on to the Scriptures, the Church and its mission, the life of the believer, and our ultimate eternal destiny—in other words, the same kind of progression we find in the great creedal statements of the Church.
A hymnal, then, should demonstrate many kinds of balance. The most important of these is the threefold biblical categorization of “psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.” Hymns and spiritual songs are not the same thing: a hymn is a song of praise or thanksgiving to God.
Among the current hymnals I surveyed, the most recent is Hymns For the Living Church (Hope Publishing Company, 1974), edited by Donald Hustad of Southern Baptist Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, and a committee of church-music leaders. This hymnal, a new standard in interdenominational hymnals, was five years in preparation, and shows it. It is a complete revision of the Worship and Service Hymnal (1957), which was something of a landmark in American hymnals. There are nearly 600 hymns and gospel songs, set in a readable text and music type. Within each category there are many new hymns, and the categories are logically arranged. The enlarged sections on the Nativity, Suffering and Death, and Resurrection are particularly welcome.
The scholarship here is exciting. Each hymn has been thoroughly researched for accuracy, and sometimes traditional credits have been altered. A unique feature is the listing of the year of authorship or first appearance for each text and tune. One is surprised to discover how old many of our “new” gospel songs are!
Some new tunes appear with familiar hymns (only the text is the “hymn”; the music is the hymn-tune), e.g., Aubrey Butler’s 1966 tune for “Redeemed, How I Love to Proclaim It.” Many traditional American hymns have been added, such as the increasingly familiar “When I Can Read My Title Clear.” Omitted stanzas of some hymns have been restored, e.g., the second verse of “The Church’s One Foundation,” which refers to church tensions.
Not all changes seem right. Diademata does not fit George Matheson’s “Make Me a Captive, Lord”; Hustad’s own tune for this hymn, Paradoxy, is clearly superior. “The Sending, Lord” is a superb missionary text, but probably should be set to another tune than Ralph Vaughan Williams’s Sine Nomine, best reserved for “For All the Saints.”
There are a number of hymns and gospel songs from the second half of this century, e.g., “God of Concrete, God of Steel” (Richard Jones) and “God of Everlasting Glory” (John W. Peterson). I was delighted to see Avis Christiansen’s version of “Come, Come, Ye Saints,” Ralph Vaughan Williams’s tune for “At the Name of Jesus,” Anne Ortlund’s “The Vision of a Dying World,” and one of the best invitational songs of recent years, Ralph Carmichael’s “The Saviour Is Waiting.”
Titles are first lines, and all the tunes, including gospel song tunes, are named. Scripture references are given for each hymn. A new feature is a Scripture allusion index in which the editors have tried to locate all scriptural references in the hymns. If the pastor wants a hymn to go with his sermon text, he now has a resource available.
Following a recent fashion, many hymns have been put in a lower key—in fact, too many, and too much lower. There is no reason to lower a tune so that it doesn’t go as high as E flat in the octave above middle C. Brightness is lost, the harmonies become muddy, and the lower melody notes are too low for the average voice. Some tunes may benefit from lowering, but it should be done with great restraint.
The book reflects quality in every way, including printing, paper, and binding. This is an outstanding hymnal.
Hymns of Truth and Praise (Gospel Perpetuating Publishers, 1971) has about 675 selections. It is well organized, with strong sections on the Suffering of Christ and on Communion. There are a number of fine hymns not usually encountered. There are also some courageous deletions, e.g., “In the Garden” and “The Old Rugged Cross.” Thirteen hymns by the great Scottish preacher Horatius Bonar are included. The largest representation is of Fanny Crosby (twenty-three), then Issac Watts (seventeen) and Alfred P. Gibbs (sixteen). The emphasis is on eighteenth-and nineteenth-century materials, with a few selections from the past two decades.
Some decisions were intriguing. I missed the first verse of “The Sands of Time Are Sinking,” and was surprised to discover “Happy Birthday to You.” I noticed Dr. Hustad’s rhythmic alterations of “In Tenderness He Sought Me,” which originally appeared in Worship and Service. In fact, this book shows many influences of Worship and Service. It is an attractive hymnal, worthy of serious consideration.
Great Hymns of the Faith (Zondervan, 1968) was edited by John W. Peterson, Norman Johnson, and several other members of the Singspiration staff. This hymnal established much of the precedent for the lowering of keys. In other areas, it shows influences of Worship and Service. There are about 540 selections, properly organized. Hymns of worship number over eighty, though over 60 per cent of the total material dwells on Christian experience. There are two hymns of thanksgiving, and one on social concern. Twenty-three selections are by Fanny Crosby, sixteen by William Kirkpatrick, and forty-seven (!) by John Peterson. This would certainly be included in the top half-dozen nondenominational hymnals.
A somewhat curious publication is The Book of Psalms (Reformed Church of North America, 1973), a setting of Old Testament Psalms. Many of the Psalms appear in several settings. The texts are given in paraphrase, with meter and rhyme, so that the different verses can be set to one tune. Credits for these settings are indexed at the back.
Although we are now seeing a much needed emphasis on worship and a renewed interest in singing the Scriptures, this book cannot stand alone. We need to sing more than the Old Testament Psalms; we need specific hymns on Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the Church.
The book is published in large, open-space type. Surprisingly, it is tiring to read. There is too much space, and the printing lacks quality of appearance.
Old books continue to be reprinted. Two books from the Rodeheaver Company (a division of Word, now itself a subsidiary of ABC) are in this category. Hymns For Praise and Service (1956) was compiled by Homer Rodeheaver and George W. Sanville, with B. D. Ackley as music editor. This is a songbook, not a hymnal. Fewer than half of its selections are hymns. There is no organization, and there are only two indexes, topical and title. One-fifth of the entire book is the product of three men—B. D. Ackley, A. H. Ackley, and Charles Gabriel. There are a number of choruses and only a handful of seasonal hymns. There is a strong late-nineteenth/early-twentieth-century orientation. This book is a revision of the much older Christian Service Songs (1939, reprinted 1967), which even looks old. One wonders why it should be reprinted. Nostalgia can be deadly in church hymnody.
Once you have chosen your hymnal, treat it with respect. It is not a piano leveler, lid lifter, door jam, flowerpot support, or toy. Use the hymnal to enrich your spiritual life.
RICHARD D. DINWIDDIE1Richard D. Dinwiddie is director of the Sacred Music Department at Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois.
