In 2014 the New Room ran a hymnwriting challenge to celebrate the 275th anniversary of the New Room’s foundation in Bristol by John and Charles Wesley. The collection which is …

The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology – an update of John Julian’s A Dictionary of Hymnology was completed and published. It was edited by J.R. Watson and Emma Hornby, and published …

Singing the Faith was published in September 2011. It was the first hymnbook to be compiled by the Methodist Church since Hymns and Psalms. Both these hymnbooks are officially authorised …

American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey release an album entitled ‘Merry Christmas’ which has to date sold over 15 million copies making it the best selling Christmas album of all time. On …

Hymns and Psalms came out of a mandate from the Methodist Conference of 1979. The highly popular Methodist Hymn Book of 1933 served a good purpose, but the collection was …

Erik Routley (1917-1982) was one of the Christian church’s most prominent hymnwriters and hymnologists during the twentieth century. He worked tirelessly to promote hymns and hymn singing through his work …

John Arlott (1914-1991) is not a name that is immediately associated with hymnody. He was nicknamed the ‘Voice of Cricket’ and he is well-known known for his contribution to the …

The BBC Hymnbook was intended for us in studio services and the Daily Service, and to allow listeners at home to follow hymns in broadcast programmes. According to the book’s …

The Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland was founded to encourage the study and research of hymnody. In addition to this primary aim it also strives to promote a …

The Methodist Hymnbook of 1933 was the first collection of hymns published by the united Methodist Church. After the First World War negotiations began between the United Methodist Church, the …

Timothy Dudley-Smith (b. 1926) is one of the 20th century’s foremost and prolific writers of hymn texts. He has authored in the region of 400 texts for hymns, many of …

The Hymn Society in the United States and Canada and was known initially as The Hymn Society Of America. It was given its present name in 1991. It is a …

The First World War came to an end on 11th November 1918 with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. The devastation and loss of life witnessed by Europe was …

Fred Pratt Green (1903-2000) was born in Roby, Lancashire, United Kingdom. He was a Methodist minister, hymn writer, poet, playwright and translator, and one of the most influential figures in …

John Julian (1839-1913) published A Dictionary of Hymnology: Setting for the Origins of Christian Hymns of all Ages and Nations, which contained more than 40,000 entries. It was published in …

This is the year in which the hymn ‘And art thou come with us to dwell’ (still found in many hymnals today) first appeared in a collection of religious poetry …

This hymn resulted out of collaboration between Fanny Crosby (1820-1915) and Phoebe Palmer Knapp (1839-1908). Unusually, it seems as though the tune (composed by Knapp) was written first. It was …

Hymnbooks tend to come in versions which contain music and words, or words only. Up until the late nineteenth century, it was common practice to have words and music published …

A tune written by the composer Felix Mendelssohn (1809 – 1847) is adapted by William Cummings (1831 – 1915) to fit Charles Wesley’s words ‘Hark! the herald-angels sing’. This is …

In 1848 a book was published entitled Hymns for Little Children. It contained a poem written by Cecil Frances Alexander (1818-1895) called ‘Once in Royal David’s City’. Mrs C.F. Alexander …

In 1847 Henry Francis Lyte (1793-1847) published a hymn called ‘Abide with Me’. This hymn was published in the 1861 Hymns Ancient and Modern in which it was paired with …

On 13th September 1827 Catherine Winkworth was born. Winkworth translated many German chorales into English, such as Nun danket alle Gott which is known in English as ‘Now Thank We …

This is the name of a tune written by John Daniell (1788-1866). Daniell was organist and choirmaster at the Broadmead Baptist Church, which was one of the six non-Conformist congregations …

This hymn was written by John Newton (1725-1807), and was first published in a collection of Newton’s hymns called Olney Hymns. Although it was almost completely forgotten in the United …

‘Rock of Ages’ was written by Augustus Toplady (1770-1778). A popular story associated with the hymn is that Toplady wrote it while sheltering under a rock in Burrington Combe, North …

Samuel Wesley’s two most well-known hymn tunes today are RIDGE and DONCASTER, but during his lifetime he was a prolific writer of tunes. Many were composed for hymn texts written …

John Wesley (1703-1791) included his ‘Directions for Singing’ in the publication Select Hymns which appeared in 1761. They were intended to guide the singing of congregations to render correctly hymns …

Charles Wesley Jr. was born Bristol in 1757 to Charles and Sally Wesley. He moved with his family to London in 1771, and there he continued his musical education by …

While in America John Wesley compiled a hymnbook called A Collection of Hymns and Psalms which has come to be known as the ‘Charlestown Hymnal’. The inspiration to compile this …

Charles Wesley was born on 18th December 1707 in Epworth, Lincolnshire, England. He is attributed (along with his brother John) as the co-founder of the Methodist movement, but is far …

Isaac Watts (1674-1748) was born into a Nonconformist family, and remained involved in the dissenting churches for all his life. Although very bright and a promising student, he was not …

At Christmas time many people sing ‘While shepherds washed their socks by night’ for fun, or even sometimes by mistake. The origin of the proper words for this carol dates …

Georg Friederich Händel was born on 23rd February. He was a famous composer in Germany and England, and was widely acclaimed as a master composer of many different forms popular …

On 21st March Johann Sebastian Bach was born in Eisenach. He is one of the most prolific composers of music of all eras. He wrote cantatas, concerti, passion oratorios, organ …

This hymn is most often sung at Passiontide. Its appearance in many modern day hymnbooks is testament to its appeal as a meditation on the passion and death of Christ. …

Metrical Psalms were favoured by followers of Jean Calvin, mainly because they were vernacular versions of Biblical texts, and so were close to the originals. In England, they were favoured …

Martin Luther (1483-1546) is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in church history. His objection to many of the Roman Catholic church’s teaching, doctrines and practices led …

The year in which Fulbert of Chartres is thought to have been born. There is no definitive source confirming where he is born, but he is most closely associated with …

Augustine of Hippo (354-430) was born on 13th November. He was born in Thagaste which today is known as Souk Ahras in Algeria, but then was part of Roman Africa. …

Aurelius Prudentius Clemens (348-c.413) – also known simply as Prudentius – was a poet who lived most in Northern Spain. Believed to have been born in Caesaraugusta (known today as …

One of the earliest references to hymnody comes from the writings of Origen (c. 185-c.265). Origen was one of the Christian church’s early martyrs. He was persecuted by the Roman …