A hymnal or hymnary is a book that contains hymns, which are songs used in religious services. These books are called hymnbooks or hymn books. They are used when a group of people sing together during church services. A hymnal might have only the words of the hymns, which was common for most hymnals throughout most of Christian history. Sometimes, melodies are added, and more recently, harmony parts have also been included.
Hymnals are commonly found in churches, but they are not often talked about. However, a church expert named Massey H. Shepherd once said, "In all periods of the Church's history, the beliefs of church members have been greatly influenced by the hymns they sing."
Elements and format
Since the 1900s, hymns written by singers and songwriters have become common. Before that, in earlier times, poets usually wrote the words, and musicians wrote the music. These hymn texts are identified by their first lines, called "incipits," and the music is given names, sometimes based on places (for example, the tune "New Britain" is used for the hymn starting with "Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound"). Editors of hymnals choose and organize the words and music. They might use a popular tune with new words or change the existing text. Hymnal committees usually include both poets and musicians. Some hymnals are created by religious groups, and others are made by companies that publish books.
In large religious groups, a hymnal may be part of a larger project with several books: the main hymnal for church use; a version with a ring binder so hymns can be removed and placed on a music stand; a guide for leaders to match hymns with Bible readings; and a companion book that explains the background, history, and creators of each hymn, focusing on the writers and composers.
Some hymnals include service music at the beginning, such as short songs of praise, repeated phrases like "Amen," or full worship orders (like "Gradual" or "Alleluia"). A section with responsive psalms may also be included.
Hymnals usually have one or more indexes. Some indexes, like those for the first lines of hymns, are always included. Others may list the first lines of each stanza, choruses, tune names, and a metrical index (tunes grouped by meter types). Indexes for composers, writers, translators, and sources of songs may be separate or combined. Lists of copyright information are important. Hymnals are among the most well-organized books, and many people memorize the numbers and words of their favorite hymns. In this way, hymnals connect written traditions with the lasting influence of oral traditions.
History
The earliest hand-written hymnals date back to the Middle Ages in Europe, where they were used in Christian worship. Some hymns, like the Te Deum, were written even earlier. The Reformation in the 16th century, along with the invention of moveable type, led to hymnals becoming common in Christian worship across Western and Central Europe. The first printed hymnal was created in 1501 in Prague by the Czech Brethren, a religious group from the Bohemian Reformation. This hymnal only included texts of sacred songs. The Ausbund, an Anabaptist hymnal published in 1564, is still used by the Amish today, making it the oldest hymnal still in use. The first hymnal of the Lutheran Reformation was the Achtliederbuch, followed by the Erfurt Enchiridion. A significant hymnal from the 17th century was the Praxis pietatis melica.
In the thirteen colonies and the United States before the Civil War, the history of hymnals was influenced more by market forces than by religious groups. Today, religious groups often include popular hymns like "Amazing Grace" and "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" in their hymnals, even if the lyrics do not fully match their teachings.
The first book printed in British North America was the Bay Psalm Book, published in 1640 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was a metrical Psalter, an attempt to translate the Psalms into English in a way that closely followed the original Hebrew. However, the translation was too difficult to sing. This led to the creation of hymnals for West Gallery singing, which were imported from England.
William Billings of Boston published The New-England Psalm-Singer in 1770, the first book in which an American composer created all the music. Billings and other American composers, known as the "First New England School," had their music sold by traveling teachers. The song texts were mostly taken from English metrical psalms, especially those by Isaac Watts. All their publications were considered hymnals.
In 1801, the invention of shape notes made it easier for people to learn how to read music. John Wyeth, a printer in Pennsylvania, began publishing tunebooks in 1810 for different religious groups. He noticed a growing need for music in Methodist and Baptist revival meetings, where singing was often chaotic. Wyeth hired Elkanah Kelsey Dare to collect and edit tunes. His book, Wyeth's Repository of Music, Part Second (1813), included 41 folk tunes, the first printed in America. This marked the beginning of the "folk hymn," where folk tunes were collected, harmonized, and paired with hymn texts. The tune "Nettleton," used for "Come Thou Fount" (written in 1758), first appeared in Wyeth’s book.
Southern musicians collected and published folk hymns, such as those in Kentucky Harmony (1816), Tennessee Harmony (1818), Missouri Harmony (1820), and Southern Harmony (1835). These books included regional folk songs for singing in two, three, or four parts. B. F. White’s Sacred Harp (1844) became a living tradition, as White focused on organizing singing events rather than publishing more tunebooks. Other tunebooks eventually gave way to denominational hymnals, except for Southern Harmony, which still has annual singing events in Kentucky, and Walker’s Christian Harmony (1866), which began with a convention in 1875. The Kentucky Harmony was later republished as the Shenandoah Harmony in 2010, reviving the unique musical style of its original author.
In the North, musicians like Lowell Mason and Thomas Hastings brought European musical influences to the United States. They introduced music education in schools, used organs and choirs, and emphasized "special music." Over time, this led to less congregational singing. However, they also composed hymns that were easy for everyone to sing. Mason’s The Handel and Haydn Society Collection of Church Music (1822) was published by a Boston music group and became popular among choirs, though it was never used as a denominational hymnal. His famous hymns, such as "Nearer, My God, to Thee," later appeared in Southern tunebooks.
In England, the growing popularity of hymns led to over 100 hymnals being published between 1810 and 1850. None of these became widely successful. In 1861, members of the Oxford Movement published Hymns Ancient and Modern, supervised by William Henry Monk. This hymnal included hymns translated from Greek and Latin for the first time, such as Phos Hilaron. It became extremely popular, selling over 170 million copies in 150 years. This set a standard for hymnals worldwide. English-speaking Lutherans in America began singing metrical translations of German hymns by Catherine Winkworth and Jane Laurie Borthwick, reconnecting with their heritage. Hymns Ancient and Modern was created by a private committee, led by Sir Henry Baker, and was not officially tied to the Church of England.