New Hymnal

[James]

Thanks for the overnight input.

I'm looking forward to seeing the book, Celebrating Grace. The website has a list of first lines for all the hymns, but checking the BB McKinney question would be tedious w/o the composer/author indexes.

I also want to check certain hymns like Joyful, Joyful we Adore Thee, Eternal Father Strong to Save, Onward Christian Soldiers and others which have been heavily edited in the 20th century. One group in England changed O hear us when we cry to Thee to O hear us when we pray to you for those who sail the ocean blue. Editing like that would spark rebellion among the congregation. We are already still bent out of shape that the '91 hymnal dropped the 3rd verse of Joyful Joyful

I got some clues from a book I am reading now, Sing Them Over Again to Me. The book is a series of chapters by various hymnologists around the theme of putting a hymnal together and the evolution of selected hymns from theological instruction to pious introspection. Some chapters are more interesting than others. All address aspects of hymnody ignored by most published hymnologists.

[linda]

One of the wonderful things about going liturgical is that one of those awful ugly projection thingies would so ruin the beauty of the altar and the false pipes on the pipe organ that it is totally flat out rejected. Hymnals all the way!

[Stephen Fox]

I sung two congregational hymns out of it last Sunday of July, just a few weeks ago. I enjoy visitting there when in Upstate S.C. Makes me feel like I'm singing with Momma, though she was rarely in congregations of FBC consistency. But she'd fit. See my blog about her and the Atlanta Constitution.

Whatever we sang, had a great moving bass line. I was taggin the low F that morning Haruo, you woulda been proud of me.

Kudos to Linda for rightly naming the Ugly Projection Thingies. Sandy's FBC Spartanburg went that way for the Tea Party about the time Nelson Price, Charles Stanley and Adrian Rogers said This is How We Do IT!

[Haruo]

Ah, but I know at least a couple of thoroughly liturgical Episcopal churches where it's all up on the wall. After all, they do more chant and unison hymnody than they do 4-part, and when they do 4-part they throw the music on the wall, too.

Projection can be done tastefully, beautifully even, but getting it beautiful and legible at the same time takes a lot of work by talented workers. The parishes I'm thinking of have such workers.

[Ed Pettibone]

[linda]

Oh, I'm aware of the varieties of projectors, screens, etc. Still consider them as ugly as toads.

But you can bet that the local Lutheran church is not about to hide the high altar behind any screen. And that you couldn't see anything projected onto the ornate, dark wooden altar or above that, the huge ornate false pipes of the organ. This is an extremely ornate building from the 1880's.

We sometimes do songs that strictly speaking are not in the hymnal. Might be from an older hymnal or another denomination's hymnal or even something modern. We just print the words and music in the morning's liturgy folder when we do so.

[Sandy]

[Haruo]

[Chris]

[Haruo]

[Chris]

For Haruo.

Some of the songs/hymns NOT in Celebrating Grace.



Love is the Theme; Majestic Sweetness Sits Enthroned; Tell Me the Stories of Jesus; There is Power in the Blood; Are You Washed in the Blood; Blessed Redeemer; Behold the Lamb; One Day; The King is Coming; Jesus is the Sweetest Name I Know; Take the Name of Jesus With You; There is Something About that Name; I Know that My Redeemer Liveth; Let Others See Jesus in You; Send the Light; Rise Up oh Men of God; Make Me a Blessing; Serve the Lord with Gladness; Room at the Cross; Leeeeettttt Jesus Come Into Your Heart; Jesus is Tenderly Calling Today; Where He Leads Me; Jesus I Come {Out of My Bondage}; Rock of Ages; Saved Saved; Just a Closer Walk with Thee; Send a Great Revival; Revive Us Again; There Shall Be Showers of Blessing; Pentecostal Power; Only Believe; Faith is the Victory; I'd Rather Have Jesus; Something for Thee; Nearer My God to Thee; Living for Jesus; Heaven Came Down; The Way of the Cross Leads Home; Oh That will be Glory for Me; Ring the Bells of Heaven; Lord I'm Coming Home; Praise Him all ye Little Children; God Give Us Christian Homes.

[linda]

No, Chris, nothing remotely rock and roll. No drums, no praise band.

Chancel choir, pipe organ, real hymns. And believe it or not, a thriving church that is fairly conservative in a liberal denomination, with a good even mix of babies, toddlers, grade schoolers, teens, young adults, middle aged, and oldsters.

Preaching I would compare to pre 1979 Baptist preaching.

Good music.

But man alive it was culture shock for me at first.

[Haruo]

[Chris]

[James]

All of Chris' favorites except I'd rather have Jesus are in the '91 hymnal. Most of his favorites listed in his post are gospel hymns or Gospel/Contemporary crossover songs. I think the '91 hymnal will be for Southern Baptists the last great stand of the gospel hymn. If you look at the '56, '75 and '91 hymnal you can see that the quantity of hymns readily identifiable as Gospel hymns falls off in chronological order. I actually counted the gospel hymns in each hymnal once. I do not have the numbers in front of me, but I seem to remember that the 56 hymnal had about 250 gospel hymns and the 91 hymnal about 75 with the 75 hymnal about half way between. The 75 hymnal has more contemporary material than the 91.

In my opinion, if hymnals are still published 100 years from now, one gospel/contemporary crossover hymn, Because He Lives will be the only contemporary hymn in them. And that will be because of one line, "and life is worth the living just because He lives."

[Chris]

I LIKE LIKE LIKE what James just said. I hope his church resists the new hymnal.

[Haruo]

I would recommend going with a good pew hymnal (Celebrating Grace is one such; there are others) and supplementing it with a carefully constructed local supplement. The supplement can contain anything the church sings or wants to sing that is not in the pew hymnal; this could include hymns that were left out of the pew hymnal (see for examples vis-à-vis CG) by its editors, hymns that were mistreated in the pew hymnal (e.g. the missing verse of Joyful, joyful we adore thee in BH91, or the elimination of the word "Lord" from the New Century Hymnal's version of All hail the power of Jesus' name), hymns written or popularized after the publication of the pew hymnal (but be aware of the copyright issues here!), hymns written (or hymn tunes composed) locally by members of the church, etc., etc. By "carefully constructed" I mean not only carefully selected and edited as to the contents, but also a cover design that complements the pew hymnals (and, ideally, pew Bibles), as well as a format that allows new material to be easily added and material definitely no longer wanted to be removed. Three ring binders are ideal for this except that they are notoriously prone to springing leaks.

I think I shall relocate my CG today. Stay tuned.

[James]

Good thoughts Haruo.

[Chris]

[Haruo]

[Haruo]

Speaking of (), that's the commonest tune for "" in the United States; , who composed it, was one of the first important American composers (just a generation or so later than ). But the text's original tune, (; ), by one of the William Shrubsoles (, not the one born in !), is more common in England, and has some currency in the US especially in the more liturgical churches. Then there's ("noted for its elaborate harmonizations"; ). Each of these involves a slightly (or in the case of DIADEM more than slightly) different treatment of the repetitions of "Crown Him!" I mention all this because at the last shapenote singing I attended, we sang the text to a tune called GREEN STREET in the 1991 Denson Sacred Harp, and I really liked that tune.

[James]

I've had a chance to look at Celebrating Grace for a few hours and prepare a few comments for our pastor and minister of music. This is what I said.

Celebrating Grace, a few thoughts and observations

It is a good hymnal, but not a great one.

As a book it is seems to be well made. It should hold up to normal use (unlike the 91 hymnal).

It is a non-denominational hymnal with obvious Baptist roots (Just look at the names associated with its publication).

It is heavy. That may be a problem for those with weak hands and wrists.

Someone on the Baptist Life forum asked what it took for a hymnal to be considered a Baptist Hymnal. Dave Roberts responded, “It needs to include five B.B. McKinney hymns.” CG includes five hymns with McKinney listed as either author/composer/arranger.

It includes 75 give or take gospel hymns which should be enough to get us through a hymn sing.

It includes a lot (too much?) of contemporary stuff.

Notable omissions:

Rock of ages. So much for the Calvanists. But seriously, this is one of the most recognizable hymns in the Canon of Protestant hymnody.

I'd rather have Jesus than silver or gold. Some people remember this echo from the '50s with great fondness, but the Church can endure without it.

I heard the Bells on Christmas Day. Consider the context. This hymn has a great and relevant message for us today.

All hail the power of Jesus name (miles lane). OK we can let the English keep their tune to themselves. Gary Lewis would probably disagree. He loves all English tunes.

My Tribute (To God be the Glory). New to this hymnal, but chorus only. It rips the guts out of the message of the piece without the verse.

Major goofs:

I heard the Bells (see above)

Come ye sinners poor and needy. Editors should have chosen the original text and tune as written in Sacred Harp. No chance for me to sing my all time favorite hymn as written.

God be with you til we meet again. Only two verses and without the tearjerker chorus. Is it a sin to cry at partings.

Notable additions:

Victory in Jesus

On Eagle's Wings

Still, Still, Still

Jesus the Light of the World. A rollicking fun Christmas song.

In the Bleak Midwinter.

We are one in the spirit.

Many new hymns in the traditional style proving once again that the end/beginning of a millennium provides a shot in the arm for the introduction of new music into Christian hymnals.

Edits:

Joyful, joyful we adore Thee. The last verse is restored with the change of “brother love binds man to man” to “bringing all within its span.”

Eternal Father strong to save. Forth verse changes “brethren” to “children.” A good change since women serve as crew persons on all types of navy ships.

Mine eyes have seen the glory. Deletes, “I have seen him in the watchfires”, restores the original last verse which none of us have ever sung, and changes “let us die to make men free” to, “let us live to make men free.” This change violates the original sense of the hymn as a Battle Hymn and upsets our military members to sing it this way. It also raises the question of Women. Is it OK to let women be slaves?

P.S. Gary Lewis was our organist/choir master for over 20 years.

[Haruo]

Interesting commentary, James. I hope you will share it with the Celebrating Grace folks, or will allow me to do so.

I'm curious how you came to describe it as "non-denominational" despite its acknowledged "Baptist roots".

I hope I'll have a chance to get back with you in more detail on CG, but my copy is still in camera incognita.

I think your comments buttress my argument for a local supplement (or a local hymnal).

Please let us know what (if any) other candidates there are. I hope they will receive at least as much scrutiny.

I think Shenandoah Harmony has a good fasola setting of Miles Lane. But as I may have said earlier, I actually prefer GREEN STREET from the ('91 Denson) Sacred Harp

[James]

It's non-denominational because it does not say Baptist on the cover and it is not published by any of the official Baptist publishing houses. Of course, one could argue that neither of these trivial points needs to be met in order to make it Baptist. For the first half of the 20th century, Coleman Publishing was the de facto publisher of song books and hymn books for Southern Baptist. This held true, with one anomaly, until the publication of the Broadman Hymnal in 1940. The anomaly was the 1926 Baptist Hymnal published by the Sunday School Board.

[Haruo]

I agree that it doesn't have "Baptist" in the title, but then the last two ABC (er, actually NBC for the first one, initially) hymnals were Christian Worship (1941, the one I grew up on) and Hymnbook for Christian Worship (1970), published simultaneously by Judson Press and Bethany Press (the DOC publishing house). The intent of CG was to be interdenominational within the Baptist fold, that is, to be available and attractive to ABC, CBF, moderate SBC, and other Baptist churches. Of course, they don't mind if non-Baptists buy and use it, but the target audience was definitely a multiplicity of labeled Baptists.

Would you say that was not Baptist or was Baptist? It was published by Smyth & Helwys, and again was intended as a supplement to the hymnals already in use by the kinds of Baptist churches later targeted by CG. If you were to consider compiling a local supplement, I would strongly suggest looking at FtLoTD for some songs you might not otherwise have considered or even heard of. I would note that Smyth & Helwys advertises themselves as available for . (As I mentioned earlier, you might also contact churches that have done their own hymnals for tips on how to proceed.)