A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity/deities, a prominent figure or an epic tale. A song is a Musical composition. Songs contain vocal parts that are performed 'sung' and generally feature Words ( Lyrics) commonly followed Prayer is the act of attempting to communicate with a Deity or spirit The word hymn derives from Greek ὕμνος hymnos "a song of praise". Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly

Hymenaios (also Hymenaeus, Hymenaues, or Hymen; Ancient Greek: Ὑμέναιος) was a Greek god of marriage ceremonies, inspiring feasts and song. In Greek mythology, Hymenaios (also Hymenaeus, Hymenaues, or Hymen; Ancient Greek:) was a god of Marriage ceremonies He was celebrated in the ancient marriage song of unknown origin Hymen o Hymenae, Hymen delivered by G. Valerius Catullus, which both the terms hymn and hymen are derived from. For persons with a Cognomen "Catulus" see Lutatius Gaius Valerius Catullus (ca The hymen (also called maidenhead) is a fold of Mucous membrane which surrounds or partially covers the external Vaginal opening ^[1][2].

Ancient hymns include the Great Hymn to the Aten, composed by Pharaoh Akhenaten, and the Vedas, a collection of hymns in the tradition of Hinduism. The Great Hymn to the Aten was found in the tomb of Ay, in the rock tombs at Amarna. Pharaoh is the title given in modern parlance to the ancient Egyptian kings of all periods Akhenaten (often alt: Akhnaten, or rarely Ikhnaton) (In English ˌɑkəˡnɑtən or approximately "AHK-en-AHT-en" his royal name Amenhotep "Veda" redirects here For other uses see Veda (disambiguation. Hinduism is a religious tradition that originated in the Indian subcontinent. The Western tradition of hymnody begins with the Homeric Hymns, a collection of ancient Greek hymns, the oldest of which were written in the 7th century BC, in praise of the gods of Greek mythology. The thirty-three anonymous Homeric Hymns celebrating individual gods are a collection of ancient Greek Hymns "Homeric" in the sense that they employ the Greek mythology is the body of stories belonging to the ancient Greeks concerning their gods and Heroes the nature of the world and the origins and significance

Christian Hymnody

Originally modeled on the Psalms and other poetic passages (commonly referred to as "canticles") in the Scriptures, it is generally directed as praise and worship to God. Psalms ( Hebrew: Tehilim, תהילים, or "praises" is a book of the Hebrew Bible (the Christian Old Testament) included A canticle (from the Latin canticulum, a diminutive of canticum, song is a Hymn (strictly excluding the Psalms taken from the Bible God is the principal or sole Deity in Religions and other belief systems that worship one deity. Many refer to Jesus Christ either directly or indirectly. Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE)

Since the earliest times, Christianity has sung, "psalms and hymns and spiritual songs," both in private devotions and in corporate worship (Matthew 26:30; 1 Cor 14:26; Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16; James 5:13; cf. Revelation 5:8-10; Revelation 14:1-5).

Christian hymns are often written with special or seasonal themes and these are used on holy days such as Christmas, Easter and the Feast of All Saints, or during particular seasons such as Advent and Lent. Easter ( Greek: Πάσχα Pascha or Pasxa) is the most important religious feast in the Christian Liturgical year. For the British girl group see All Saints (band. All Saints' Day (also called All Hallows or Hallowmas) often Advent (from the Latin word la ''adventus'' meaning "coming" is a season of the Christian church, the period of expectant waiting and preparation for the Lent, in some Christian denominations, is the forty-day-long liturgical season of fasting and prayer before Easter. Others are used to instill reverence to the Holy Bible or to celebrate Christian practices such as the eucharist or baptism. Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin The Eucharist, also called Holy Communion or Lord's Supper and other names is a Christian Sacrament by which in a common interpretation those In Christianity, baptism ( Greek, "immersing" "performing Ablutions " is the ritual act with the use of water by which one is admitted Some hymns praise or address individual saints, particularly the Blessed Virgin Mary; such hymns are particularly prevalent in Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy and to some extent "High Church" Anglicanism. A saint (from the Latin sanctus) is a human being to whom has been attributed (and who has generally demonstrated a high level of Holiness and Sanctity This ecumenical article is about general Christian views on and veneration of the Virgin Mary The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world Anglicanism is a tradition of Christian faith Churches in this tradition either have historical connections to the Church of England or have similar beliefs

A writer of hymns is known as a hymnist or hymnodist, and the practice of singing hymns is called, hymnody; the same word is used for the collectivity of hymns belonging to a particular denomination or period (e. g. "nineteenth century Methodist hymnody" would mean the body of hymns written and/or used by Methodists in the nineteenth century). A collection of hymns is called a hymnal. These may or may not include music. A student of hymnody is called a hymnologist, and the scholarly study of hymns, hymnists and hymnody is hymnology. Hymnology is the Scholarly study of Religious Song, or the Hymn, in its many aspects with particular focus on choral and congregational The music to which a hymn may be sung is a hymn tune. A hymn tune is a musical composition to which a hymn text is sung

In many Evangelical churches, traditional songs are classified as hymns while more contemporary worship songs are not considered hymns. The reason for this distinction is unclear, but according to some it is due to the radical shift of style and devotional thinking that began with the Jesus movement and Jesus music. The Jesus movement was the major Christian element within the Hippie Counterculture, or conversely the major hippie element within some strands of Jesus music, known as gospel beat music in the United Kingdom, is a style of Christian music which originated on the West Coast of the United

Music and accompaniment

In ancient and medieval times, stringed instruments such as the harp, lyre and lute were used with psalms and hymns. A string instrument (or stringed instrument) is a Musical instrument that produces Sound by means of Vibrating strings In the Hornbostel-Sachs The harp is a Stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicular to the soundboard. The lyre is a stringed musical instrument well known for its use in Classical Antiquity and later Lute can refer generally to any plucked string instrument with a neck (either Fretted or unfretted and a deep round back or more specifically to an instrument from

Since there is a lack of musical notation in early writings, the actual musical forms in the early church can only be surmised. During the Middle Ages a rich hymnody developed in the form of Gregorian chant or plainsong. History Gregorian chant was organized codified and notated mainly in the Frankish lands of western and central Europe during the 12th and 13th centuries with later additions This type was sung in unison, in one of eight Church modes, and most often by monastic choirs. In Music, a scale is an ordered series of Musical intervals which along with the key or tonic, define the pitches However mode While they were written originally in Latin, many have been translated; a familiar example is the 4th century Of the Father's Heart Begotten sung to the 11th century plainsong Divinum Mysterium. Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Of the Father's Heart Begotten or alternately known as Of the Father's Love Begotten is a Christmas carol.

Later hymnody in the Western church introduced four-part vocal harmony as the norm, adopting major and minor keys, and became led by organ and choir. The East-West Schism, or the Great Schism, divided medieval Christendom into Eastern (Greek and Western (Latin branches which later became known as the In Western music, harmony is the use of different pitches simultaneously and chords actual or implied in Music. The organ (from Greek όργανον – organon "organ instrument tool" is a Keyboard instrument of one or more divisions each It shares many elements with classical music. Classical music is a broad term that usually refers to mainstream music produced in or rooted in the traditions of Western liturgical and Secular music

Today, except for choirs, more musically inclined congregations and a cappella congregations, hymns are typically sung in unison. A cappella (Italian or Latin "From the chapel/choir" Music is Vocal music or Singing without instrumental Accompaniment In some cases complementary full settings for organ are also published, in others organists and other accompanists are expected to mentally transcribe the four-part vocal score for their instrument of choice.

Contemporary Christian worship, as often found in Evangelicalism and Pentecostalism may include the use of contemporary worship music played with electric guitars and the drum kit, sharing many elements with rock music. The term contemporary worship generally refers to a form of Christian worship that emerged within western Evangelical Protestantism towards the end Evangelicalism is a theological movement tradition and system of beliefs most closely associated with Protestant Christianity, which identifies with the Gospel Pentecostalism is a renewalist religious movement within Christianity that places special emphasis on the direct personal experience of God through the Baptism Contemporary worship music is a loosely defined style of music used in a variety of Christian churches An electric guitar is a type of Guitar that uses pickups to convert the vibration of its steel-cored strings into an electrical current which is made louder A drum kit (also drum set or trap set) is a collection of Drums Cymbals and sometimes other Percussion instruments such as cowbells Rock music is a genre of Popular music often though not necessarily employing Electric guitar, Bass guitar, and Drums.

Other groups of Christians, notably assemblies of Christians sometimes known as 'Brethren' (often both 'Open' and 'Exclusive'), the Church of Christ (non-instrumental), Primitive Baptists, and certain Reformed churches such as the Free Church of Scotland (Presbyterian), cite the absence of instruments in worship by the church for the first several centuries of its existence and adhere to an unaccompanied a cappella congregational singing of hymns. A cappella (Italian or Latin "From the chapel/choir" Music is Vocal music or Singing without instrumental Accompaniment

Accompaniment is generally absent in worship by Eastern Orthodox congregations. The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world

The development of Christian hymnody

Thomas Aquinas, in the introduction to his commentary on the Psalms, defined the Christian hymn thus: "Hymnus est laus Dei cum cantico; canticum autem exultatio mentis de aeternis habita, prorumpens in vocem. " ("A hymn is the praise of God with song; a song is the exultation of the mind dwelling on eternal things, bursting forth in the voice. ")^[3]

The Protestant Reformation resulted in two conflicting attitudes to hymns. The Protestant Reformation was a reform movement in Europe that began in 1517 though its roots lie further back in time One approach, the regulative principle of worship, favoured by many Zwinglians, Calvinists and other radical reformers, considered anything that was not directly authorised by the Bible to be a novel and Catholic introduction to worship, which was to be rejected. The regulative principle of worship is a 20th century term used for a teaching shared by Calvinists and Anabaptists on how the second commandment and All hymns that were not direct quotations from the bible fell into this category. Such hymns were banned, along with any form of instrumental musical accompaniment, and organs were ripped out of churches. Instead of hymns, biblical psalms were chanted, most often without accompaniment, to very basic melodies. This was known as exclusive psalmody. Exclusive psalmody is the particular worship practice of several small Protestant denominations worldwide which use a metrical version of the Book of Psalms from the Examples of this may still be found in various places, including the "free churches" of western Scotland.

The other Reformation approach, the normative principle of worship produced a burst of hymn writing and congregational singing. The Normative Principle of Worship is a Christian theological principle that teaches that worship in the Church can include those elements that are not Martin Luther is notable not only as a reformer, but as the author of many hymns including Ein’ feste Burg ist unser Gott (A Mighty Fortress Is Our God) which is sung today even in Roman Catholicism. Martin Luther (November 10 1483 February 18 1546 was a German Monk, theologian, university professor Father of Protestantism, and church reformer " A Mighty Fortress Is Our God " (German Ein' feste Burg ist unser Gott) is the best known of Martin Luther 's Hymns Luther wrote Luther and his followers often used their hymns, or chorales, to teach tenets of the faith to worshipers. The earlier English writers tended to paraphrase biblical text, particularly Psalms; Isaac Watts followed this tradition, but is also credited as having written the first English hymn which was not a direct paraphrase of Scripture. Psalms ( Hebrew: Tehilim, תהילים, or "praises" is a book of the Hebrew Bible (the Christian Old Testament) included Isaac Watts ( July 17, 1674 – November 25, 1748) is recognised as the "Father of English Hymnody" as he was the first prolific and ^[4] Later writers took even more freedom, some even including allegory and metaphor in their texts. An allegory (from αλλος allos "other" and el αγορευειν agoreuein "to speak in public" is a figurative mode of representation Metaphor (from the Greek: μεταφορά - metaphora, meaning "transfer" is language that directly compares seemingly unrelated subjects

Charles Wesley's hymns spread Methodist theology, not only within Methodism, but in most Protestant churches. Biography Charles Wesley was the son of Susanna Wesley and Samuel Wesley. Theology is the study of a god or the gods from a religious perspective He developed a new focus: expressing one's personal feelings in the relationship with God as well as the simple worship seen in older hymns. Wesley wrote:

Where shall my wondering soul begin?

How shall I all to heaven aspire?

A slave redeemed from death and sin,

A brand plucked from eternal fire,

How shall I equal triumphs raise,

Or sing my great deliverer's praise.

Wesley's contribution, along with the Second Great Awakening in America led to a new style called gospel, and a new explosion of sacred music writing with Fanny Crosby, Lina Sandell, Philip Bliss, Ira D. Sankey, and others who produced testimonial music for revivals, camp meetings, and evangelistic crusades. The Second Great Awakening  (1790–1840s was the second great religious revival in United States history and consisted of renewed personal salvation experienced in revival The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Frances Jane Crosby ( March 24 1820 – February 12 1915) usually known as Fanny Crosby, was an American Lyricist Lina Sandell (full name Karolina Wilhelmina Sandell-Berg) ( October 3, 1832 - July 27, 1903) was a Swedish writer of Philip Paul Bliss ( 9 July 1838 – 29 December 1876) was an American writer of Hymns and a Gospel singer. Ira D Sankey ( August 28, 1840 - August 13, 1908) known as The Sweet Singer of Methodism was an American gospel The tune style or form is technically designated "gospel songs" as distinct from hymns. Gospel songs generally include a refrain (or chorus) and usually (though not always) a faster tempo than the hymns. As examples of the distinction, "Amazing Grace" is a hymn (no refrain), but "How Great Thou Art" is a gospel song. " Amazing Grace " is a well-known Christian Hymn by Englishman John Newton and which first appeared in print in Newton's Olney Hymns How Great Thou Art is a Christian Hymn written by Carl Gustav Boberg in Sweden in 1885, translated into English by Stuart K During the 19th century the gospel-song genre spread rapidly in Protestantism and, to a lesser but still definite extent, in Roman Catholicism; the gospel-song genre is unknown in the worship per se by Eastern Orthodox churches, which rely exclusively on traditional chants (a type of hymn) in the worship.

African-Americans developed a rich hymnody from spirituals during times of slavery to the modern, lively black gospel style. African Americans or Black Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa Spirituals (or Negro spirituals) are songs which were created by African slaves in America.

The Methodist Revival of the eighteenth century created an explosion of hymn writing in Welsh, which continued into the first half of the nineteenth century. Methodism is a movement within Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations Welsh ( cy Cymraeg or cy y Gymraeg, kəmˈrɑːɨɡ and {{IPA|[ə ɡəmˈrɑːɨɡ]}}, is a member of the Brythonic branch of Celtic The most prominent names among Welsh hymn-writers are William Williams Pantycelyn and Ann Griffiths. William Williams Pantycelyn (also known as Williams Pantycelyn and Pantycelyn) (1717 &ndash January 11, 1791 Ann Griffiths (née Thomas 1776 - August 1805 was a Welsh Poet and writer of Methodist hymns The second half of the nineteenth century witnessed an explosion of hymntune composition and choir singing in Wales.

Along with the more classical sacred music of composers ranging from Mozart to Monteverdi, The Roman Catholic Church continued to produce many popular hymns such as Lead Kindly Light, Silent Night, O Sacrament Divine and Faith of our Fathers. " Silent Night " (" Stille Nacht " is a popular Christmas carol. Faith Of Our Fathers is a Science fiction Short story by Philip K

Many churches today use contemporary worship music which includes a range of styles often influenced by popular music. Contemporary worship music is a loosely defined style of music used in a variety of Christian churches Popular music is Music belonging to any of a number of musical styles that are accessible to the general public and are disseminated by one or more This often leads to some conflict between older and younger congregants (see contemporary worship). The term contemporary worship generally refers to a form of Christian worship that emerged within western Evangelical Protestantism towards the end This is not new; the Christian pop music style began in the late 1960s and became very popular during the 1970s, as young hymnists sought ways in which to make the music of their religion relevant for their generation. Contemporary Christian Music (or CCM; also by its religious neutral term " inspirational music " is a genre of Popular music which is

This long tradition has resulted in a wide variety of hymns. Some modern churches include within hymnody, the traditional hymn (usually describing God), contemporary worship music (often directed to God) and gospel music (expressions of one's personal experience of God). Contemporary worship music is a loosely defined style of music used in a variety of Christian churches Gospel music is Music that is written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life as well as (in terms of the varying music styles to This distinction is not perfectly clear; and purists remove the second two types from the classification as hymns. It is a matter of debate, even sometimes within a single congregation, often between revivalist and traditionalist movements.

Hymn meters

In the English language poetic meters and hymn meters have different starting points but there is nevertheless much overlap. In Poetry, the meter or metre is the basic rhythmic structure of a verse. Take the following text:

Imagine now you say this line aloud;

in fact, you really ought to do just that.

Approaching this, a poet would see the classic iambic pentameter, each line having five (the 'pent-') weak-strong iamb units:

I-mag-ine now you say this line a-loud

in fact, you real-ly ought to do just that. Iambic pentameter is a type of meter that is used in Poetry and Drama. An iamb or iambus is a Metrical foot used in various types of Poetry.

But someone involved with hymns, particularly on the musical side, would primarily see each line as being ten syllables, and only secondarily see its poetic foot of five. In verse, many meters use a foot as the basic unit in their description of the underlying rhythm of a poem

So poetically a verse of the hymn 'Amazing Grace' is two couplets (line pairs) each of iambic tetrameter (four feet) and iambic trimeter (three feet), but hymnologically is 8. " Amazing Grace " is a well-known Christian Hymn by Englishman John Newton and which first appeared in print in Newton's Olney Hymns A couplet is a pair of lines of verse. It usually consists of two lines that rhyme and have the same meter 6. 8. 6 (or 86. 86):

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound

that saved a wretch like me.

I once was lost, but now am found,

was blind, but now I see.

Conventionally most hymns in this 86. 86 pattern are iambic (weak-strong syllable pairs). By contrast most hymns in an 87. 87 pattern are trochaic, with strong-weak syllable pairs:

Love divine, all loves excelling,

joy of heaven to earth come down,. A trochee or choree, choreus, is a Metrical foot used in formal Poetry. . .

In practice most hymns fall into a relatively small number of meters (syllable patterns), and within the most commonly used ones there is general convention on whether its stress pattern is iambic or trochaic (or perhaps dactylic). A dactyl (Gr δάκτυλος dáktulos, “finger” is a type of meter in poetry.

All meters can be represented numerically. In addition, some of those most frequently encountered are named:

• C.M. - Common Meter, 8. Common metre, abbreviated C M, is a poetic meter consisting of four lines which alternate between iambic tetrametre (four metrical feet per line with 6. 8. 6; a quatrain (four-line stanza) with alternating lines of iambic tetrameter and iambic trimeter, which rhymes in the second and fourth lines and sometimes in the first and third.
• L. M. - Long Meter, 8. 8. 8. 8; a quatrain in iambic tetrameter, which rhymes in the second and fourth lines and often in the first and third.
• S. M. - Short Meter, 6. 6. 8. 6; iambic lines in the first, second, and fourth are in trimeter, and the third in tetrameter, which rhymes in the second and fourth lines and sometimes in the first and third.

Often a longer verse will, in effect, be two short verses joined together or doubled. So:

• D. C. M. (also C. M. D. ) - Doubled CM, 8. 6. 8. 6. 8. 6. 8. 6.
• 8. 7. 8. 7. D - equivalent to two verses of 8. 7. 8. 7. Many of the strongest hymns are in this meter, such as Love Divine, All Loves Excelling, Glorious things of thee are spoken. "Love Divine Al Loves Excelling" is a Christian Hymn by Charles Wesley.

Much rarer these days are the following names:

• H. M. - Hallelujah Meter; a six-line stanza of which the first four lines are trimeter and the last two are tetrameter, which rhymes most often in the second and fourth lines and the fifth and sixth lines (6/6/6/6/8/8).
• L. P. M. - Long Particular Meter; a six-line stanza of iambic tetrameter (8/8/8/8/8/8).
• M. T. (or 12s. ) - Meter Twelves; a quatrain in anapestic hexameter (12/12/12/12).
• C. P. M. - Common Particular Meter; a six-line stanza of which the first, second, fourth and fifth lines are iambic tetrameter, and the third and sixth lines are iambic trimeter (8/8/6/8/8/6).
• P. M. - may stand for Psalm Meter (more commonly known as 8s. 7s), Particular Meter, or Peculiar Meter (each indicating poetry with its own peculiar, non-standard, meter).
• S. P. M. - Short Particular Meter; a six-line stanza of which the first, second, fourth and fifth lines are iambic trimeter, and the third and sixth lines are iambic tertameter (6/6/8/6/6/8).
• 8s. - Eights; used to distinguish an eight syllable quatrain that does not contain the iambic stress pattern characteristic of Long Meter (8/8/8/8).
• 8s. 7s. - Eights and sevens; a trochaic quatrain with alternating lines of four feet and three and one-half feet, which rhymes in the second and fourth lines and sometimes in the first and third (8/7/8/7); also called Psalm Meter.
• 7s. 6s. - Sevens and sixes; a quatrain with alternating lines of three and one-half feet and three feet, which rhymes in the second and fourth lines and sometimes in the first and third (7/6/7/6).

References

See also

• List of Hymnals
• List of Chinese Hymn Books
• Carol
• Chorale
• Doxology
• Metrical psalter
• Psalm
• Contemporary worship music
• Shape note
• Sacred Harp
• Vedic Chant
• Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland
• Hymn Society in the United States and Canada

External links

The links below are to either material that is either historical or resources that are non-denominational or inter-denominational. Hymnals also called hymnbooks (or hymn books and occasionally hymnaries are books of Hymns sung by religious congregations A List of Chinese Christian Hymn Books published between 1807-1912 A chorale was originally a Hymn of the Lutheran church sung by the entire congregation A doxology (from the Greek doxa, glory + Logos, word or speaking is a short Hymn of praise to God in various Christian A metrical psalter is a kind of Bible translation: a Paraphrase of all or part of the Book of Psalms in Vernacular Psalms ( Hebrew: Tehilim, תהילים, or "praises" is a book of the Hebrew Bible (the Christian Old Testament) included Contemporary worship music is a loosely defined style of music used in a variety of Christian churches Shape notes are a music notation designed to facilitate congregational singing Sacred Harp singing is a tradition of Sacred choral music that took root in the Southern region of the United States. The oral tradition of the Vedas ( Śrauta) consists of several pathas, "recitations" or ways of chanting the Vedic Mantras Such traditions The Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland was founded in 1936 for the purpose of encouraging study and research in the field of Hymnody; The Hymn Society in the United States and Canada, founded in 1922 as The Hymn Society of America and renamed in 1991 is a not-for-profit organization for those people who Denomination-specific resources are mentioned from the relevant denomination-specific articles.

• The Hymn Society in the United States and Canada
• The Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland
• Oremus Hymnal
• The Cyber Hymnal — a useful resource for biographical information of hymn writers and composers
• Examples of Byzantine Music Hymns — 2000 pages of hymns in both staff and neumatic notation
• Examples of Coptic Orthodox Music of Egypt — Saint Takla Haymanout the Ethiopian Church, Alexandria - Egypt
• Name That Hymn Discussion Board — active discussion board where users help others locate lost hymn lyrics