CHAPTER 1:
What Is a Hymn?
Some Definitions
Let’s attempt an answer to the ageless
question: 'What is a hymn?' Here are some answers from people far
smarter than myself:
"Hymns are the voice
of the people - first of all as prayers or praise to God, second as
teaching of the faith and admonishing each other."
"A hymn can be defined as a poetic
statement of a personal religious encounter or insight, universal in
its truth, and suitable for corporate expression when sung in stanzas
to a hymn tune."
“A
Christian hymn is a lyric poem, reverently and devotionally conceived,
which is designed to be sung and which expresses the worshiper's
attitude toward God, of God’s purpose in human life. It should be simple
and metrical in form, genuinely emotional, poetic and literary in style,
spiritual in quality, and in its ideas so direct and so immediately
apparent as to unify a congregation while singing it.”
“Do
you know what a hymn is? It is singing to the praise of God. If you
praise God and do not sing, you utter no hymn. If you praise anything
which does not pertain to the praise of God – though in singing you
praise, you utter no hymn. A hymn then contains these three things:
song, and praise, and [reference to] God. Praise then of God in song is
called a hymn”
Alexander Schreiner, long-time Temple
Square Tabernacle organist and Latter-day Saint Church Music Committee
Member, offered the following definitions:
"A hymn is a special kind of poetry
addressed to Deity as a prayer. The ancient Greeks sang hymns to their
pagan deities. We sing to the everlasting God, our Heavenly Father, and
we should address most of our hymns as prayers to heaven...
"Technically speaking, a hymn is
composed of words only and need not have a musical accompaniment. The
text is the hymn. That which accompanies it is the hymn tune. The
hymn, or text, should always be written first. The poet selects the
meter to suit his subject; then the musician writes the hymn tune.
However, poets sometimes find it helpful to take a familiar tune for
which to write their metered lines...
"The True Hymn:
The ideal hymn is a sacred song addressed to Deity. Such hymns are the
most important ones in our hymnbook. They may not always be spirited in
rhythm, but they are always spiritual in quality. And spiritual values
are the highest of all values.
"Psalms: Paul
mentioned the singing of psalms. These are hymns taken from the Old
Testament. The psalms are the Western world’s best-loved poems, and the
noblest. The Pilgrims sang psalms, and the Puritans, in 1640, had the
complete book of Psalms in rhyme and meter. The Calvinists preferred
singing psalms to any other kind of hymn. Coming from the Old Testament,
the psalms are addressed to Jehovah and do not mention the name Jesus
Christ, although several of the psalms carry references to the life and
mission of Jesus Christ. Several psalms are included in our hymnbook,
such as “The Lord Is My Shepherd” and “Praise Ye the Lord.”
"Spiritual Songs:
These are so designated because they exhort and uplift the worshipers
and are addressed to them rather than to Deity. They are sung, as it
were, before the Lord. Songs such as “Come, Come, Ye Saints,” “Come, Let
Us Anew,” and “Ere You Left Your Room This Morning” come under this
classification.
"Chorales:
These are characterized chiefly by their even rhythm, which lends great
stateliness to their performance. “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” and
“The Voice of God Again Is Heard” are both classified as chorales.
"Gospel Hymns:
The term gospel hymn is really a misnomer because these hymns rarely
refer to the gospel. They were developed in the past century by
enthusiastic gospel revivalist preachers. Examples of such hymns are “We
Are All Enlisted,” “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” and “Today While the
Sun Shines.”
"Another interesting
example... “The Star-Spangled Banner.” It is not designated as a hymn
because it is not addressed to Deity. Therefore it is called an
anthem."
Is there a difference between a hymn and
an 'inspirational' song? A simple definition would be that one is sung
as a worship song at church and the other isn't. Many churches would
never allow a pop song or a rock song to be sung in their worship, and
yet messages of hope and inspiration can certainly be delivered through
these musical forms. There are many great and spiritual inspirational
songs that would never be considered as hymns by most Christians - this
does not make them less of a message of hope and inspiration and praise
of God - it just means they would not be considered the best choice for
traditional congregational singing in our worship services.
Certainly all would agree that there are
certain things required of a hymn that are not required of other songs.
One, they must conform to some sort of rhyming and metering pattern so
as to flow correctly and pleasingly to the ear. They must contain some
form of gospel worship or message. The message and the spirit of the
hymn should lift us to a higher spiritual place than where were before
singing the hymn - individually and as a congregation. And, it should
make us aspire to something better.
Many Styles of Worship
There are those who believe that a 'true' hymn must be this or must be
that style of music, and anything that does not fit their personal
definition is not a 'real' hymn. While I certainly agree a congregation
or church has the right and the need to establish the style and form of
music they use in their worship services, this does not stop anyone, in
private worship, from expressing themselves through any form of hymn or
inspirational song they find written in their heart. Old-fashioned
Country Gospel is just as valid as any great cathedral choir - what
matters is that we are praising our God and that He can hear it and that
He can know that we believe it.
A person who believes a hymn has to sound
like it came out of an English cathedral with narrow, stiff pews would
run for cover when Sacred Harp and Southern Harmony singers wind their
voices up into their high-decibel praise of God, feet often stomping and
shoulders occasionally swaying - and yet, both are singing hymns and
worshiping their God. A Full-Gospel choir - robes swaying; hands in the
air; sopranos reaching into the rafters - would die of boredom listening
to, say, most any cathedral choir - and yet, they are both singing hymns
and praising the same great Being and what He has done for us. So, we
need to remember it is not what the song sounds like that makes a hymn -
it is what the song makes out of its singers that makes it a hymn.
Sometimes the quickest way to ruin many
good hymns is to try to make each and every one of them sound like they
came from a European cathedral or a New England chapel. The Gospel of
Jesus Christ embraces all cultures and peoples, and Christian hymns
should reflect this heritage. Some hymns need to sound like they came
from the Great Smokey Mountains, because that's exactly where they came
from. Some hymns should sound like they were written by brave pioneers
who conquered the West because that's who wrote them and that's
how they wrote them. Some hymns should sound like they came from
a Southern tent revival because that's where they were born.
Classical European hymns hold just as
much worshipful validity as American Country Gospel. Gregorian Chants
worship God just as much as Sacred Harp and Southern Harmony. Full
Gospel is as much a form of prayer as any Folk hymn. I would reiterate
something from the beginning of this rambling: it is not what the song
sounds like and what its tempo is that makes a hymn - it is what the
song makes out of its singers that makes it a hymn.
Songs with a Hymn Feeling
Can songs not normally considered of
hymnal quality be considered hymnal in nature without being actual
hymns? Most certainly! When the Mormon Tabernacle Choir made their 1995
tour of Israel and took the country by musical storm, one of the songs
they performed was "Jerusalem the Golden", a folk song written by one of
Israel's premier folk artists, Naomi Shemer. Knowing Ms Shemer would be
in the audience for one of the concerts, the Choir called her to the
stage to show their respect during the lengthy ovation they received for
the song, and they presented her with flowers. She praised the Choir
with these words: "I wrote a love song, and you have made it a hymn."
What can possibly change a 'song' into a
'hymn' in an individual's mind? I would suggest there could be
historical or spiritual events which would change a person's perception
of the song. There could be external meanings others would not
understand or appreciate. Anyone who stood with my family on an Air Force base runway
and sang Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA" as the troops returned from
war would understand the true hymnal
qualities of that song. After one such homecoming my daughter, then a
first- or second-grader said - "Daddy, now I understand why people cry
for this song." But it took an emotional event for her to understand and
feel this song in this way.
Anyone who has waved good-bye to children
going off to war, to missionary service, or just plain leaving home
understands "The Prayer" is in fact a prayer
and
a hymn; not just a song from a children's animated movie. Anyone who has
gone through the hellish loneliness of burying a child or another loved
one feels the hymnal power of "You'll Never Walk Alone" or "I'll Walk
With God", and yet neither will ever appear in a hymnal.
The manner of performing a song, varying
from one performer to another, can raise the thoughts and feelings of
the heart to a different plane that perhaps the song was originally
meant to do. When singer Debbie Boone recorded the hit love song "You
Light Up My Life", the public had no doubt she was singing of God and
not just love. Her singing style and the emotional appeal of her voice
simply turned peoples' thoughts towards God.
Conclusion
If I were brave enough to try to give my
own definition of a hymn, I would repeat the definitions given at the
beginning of this chapter and add to it this: a hymn is a song that
touches your heart strong enough to cause you to praise and worship God
and to strive to move closer to Him. A friend of mine responded to this
question of 'what is a hymn?' with the answer: "I know a hymn when I
hear it." I would like to add to his wise words: "I know a hymn when I
feel
it."
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