This is a post about one or more hymnals or those who edit or publish them.
In May, 1925, the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States created a committee to publish a new hymn book. As a result the Presbyterian Committee of Publication copyrighted and released The Presbyterian Hymnal in 1927. The title page of my copy reveals itself as a 1949 reprint. The Creation of The …
History of the Church Hymnal As the Church of God (Cleveland, TN) grew, the people expressed the need for a hymnal. In addition, the success of their Tennessee Music and Printing Company made this feasible. So, in 1951, they produced the Church Hymnal. Many today call it the Red-Back Hymnal. The name Red-Back came from …
Private donations and church denominations supplied hymnals in the earliest days of the United States military. The Act of 1920, also known as the Capper Bill, called for the provision of hymnals by the government. As a result, this lineage produced the Armed Forces Hymnal of 1958. The History of the Hymnal The establishment of …
In Congregational Praise, we have a hymnal with roots reaching back to the days of Oliver Cromwell and Pilgrims. This copy references the Golden Jubilee of the Baptist World Alliance. It also mentions the church John Bunyan, who wrote The Pilgrim’s Progress, pastored. The History Behind Congregational Praise There were churches who wished to be …
E.L. Jorgenson and Great Songs of the Church A man pouring himself into his work tells the story of E.L. Jorgenson and his hymnal, Great Songs of the Church Number Two. Obviously, this story began with Number One. Jorgenson wanted to compile a volume of the very best songs for the church. This earlier volume …
The Olney Hymnal The Olney Hymns was originally published in 1779. The hymns contained inside are from the pens of John Newton and William Cowper (pronounced Cooper). They were very prolific in creating the material for the hymnal. This little book has over 427 pages of hymns and tables. Many are familiar with the story …
In the years after hymn singing entered the Anglican church, the individual churches were using a variety of songbooks or hymnals. There began a movement to create a single hymnal that could be used by all of the churches. Hymns Ancient and Modern was born. Publication of Hymns Ancient and Modern Novello & Co published …
Prior to 1898, the Southern Baptist Convention did not allow the Sunday School Board to publish books. That year the ban was lifted and in 1904 “the Board published its first hymnal, The Baptist Hymn and Praise Book.” (B.B. McKinney: A Shaping Force in Southern Protestant Music, dissertation of Terry C. Terry, 1981, p. 27) …
The hymnal, Songs of Faith, was a 1933 publication of Southern Baptists. As you can tell, the Sunday School Board of the Southern Baptist Convention released this volume about 7 years prior to the Broadman Hymnal. It was during the time when Dr. I.J. Van Ness was leading that institution – you can see his …
It was a game changer in 1870 when preacher Dwight L. Moody enlisted Ira D. Sankey to be the music director for his evangelistic services and mission work. In many ways, church music in evangelical churches owes much to this historic event. In his training Sankey was affiliated with other musicians whose names are familiar …
