Hymns
HYMNS
HYMNS. Hymns, original religious poems intended for singing in public or private, were very widely known and used in early modern Europe. As well as embodying communal religious feeling across class barriers, they were the sole form of musical expression in many a devout family and institution.
THE LATIN HYMN
The familiar metrical form in several stanzas is credited to St. Ambrose (c. 340–397). Medieval hymns were sung by priest and choir at mass or office. Their plainsong tunes, repeated with each stanza, later became the basis of polyphonic compositions in several vocal parts. In the sixteenth century and after, many composers published hymn settings. Instruments were generally added after 1600: an outstanding example is "Ave maris stella" (Hail, star of the sea) from Claudio Monteverdi's Vespers (1610).
THE LUTHERAN HYMN
A key aspect of Martin Luther's theology was the praise of God with understanding, and (following Jan Hus) he promoted a kind of singing in worship that could be understood, and if possible, joined by the congregation. The texts must be in the vernacular and in simple diction; the tunes were often adapted folk songs, or were composed in a popular style by Luther himself or by one of the skilled musicians among his followers. In hymns like "Ein' feste Burg ist unser Gott" (A mighty fortress is our God) Luther literally planted the Christian message, as he saw it, in the people's mouths and hearts. Many of his hymns ("chorales"), and those of a distinguished line of successors including Philipp Nicolai (1556–1608) and Paul Gerhardt (1607–1676), have been in continuous use, firmly wedded to their early tunes. Like their medieval precursors, they were used as a basis for more elaborate compositions by such men as Michael Praetorius (1571–1621) and Samuel Scheidt (1587–1654). Above all, Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) displayed a seemingly inexhaustible creativity in the treatment of hymn melodies in his organ chorales (often misnamed "chorale preludes"), fantasias, cantatas, and passions.
THE ENGLISH HYMN
Because of the predominantly Calvinist theology of the early Church of England, hymns of "human composure" had to give way to metrical paraphrases of the psalms in Anglican worship. Thomas Sternhold and John Hopkins's The Whole Booke of Psalmes (London, 1562) did, however, include a few anonymous hymns in an appendix, nominally for domestic use, and there is evidence that the pre-Reformation custom of the communion hymn survived in Anglican worship. The now widely sung hymns of George Herbert (1593–1633) and Thomas Ken (1637–1711) were intended for private use only, or even for silent reading. Hymns in worship were championed by the Independent Isaac Watts (1674–1748), and by the founder of Methodism, John Wesley, whose brother Charles (1707–1788) has a claim to be the greatest hymn writer in the English language. These leaders championed a vigorous, heartfelt singing by women as well as men, which was in striking contrast to the then-current Anglican mode of singing. The Wesleys adapted tunes from any available source, including theater pieces, concert music, and folk song.
See also Church of England ; Luther, Martin ; Lutheranism ; Methodism ; Wesley Family .
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Anderson, Warren, et al. "Hymn." In The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, edited by Stanley Sadie, 29 vols. 2nd ed. London, 2001, vol. 12, pp. 17–35.
Benson, Louis F. The English Hymn: Its Development and Use in Worship. Richmond, Va., and London, 1915.
Nicholas Temperley