From the Organist & Choirmaster
A familiar sight to many congregants at Saint Andrew’s is the blue hymnal that lies in the pew rack, The Hymnal 1982. I remember opening the hymnal for the first time in a small Episcopal parish in Tennessee, searching for a hymn only to be met with a bunch of “s”s. I thought “Why can’t I find this hymn?” until finally I discovered the hymnal laid beyond the section of numbers prefixed with “s.” I’ve grown incredibly fond of our hymnal and recognize it as a profound accomplishment of The Episcopal Church. Do you know the history of it?
The choir conveniently uses ribbon bookmarks to easily find hymns on Sundays!
It’s made very clear when the hymnal was first published from its title denoting 1982, but it was a careful and long process led by a standing commission that sought to revise The Hymnal 1940, which is still authorized for use in the Church. The Episcopal Church has had a total of six hymnals the first in 1789, then 1826, 1871, 1892, 1916, 1940, and finally 1982. The preface of the hymnal begins in the past several decades, the renewal of the spiritual life of the Church has created a pressing need for new hymnody and liturgical music. This has served as a catalyst for a world-wide outburst of creative liturgical and musical activity of a magnitude perhaps unparalleled since the Reformation.” They go on to describe the process of creating the hymnal as a “renaissance.”
The Standing Commission on Church Music developed several philosophical objectives:
To prepare a body of texts which presents the Christian faith with clarity and integrity.
To restore music which has lost some of its melodic, rhythmic, or harmonic vitality through prior revision.
To reflect on the nature of today’s Church by including the works of contemporary artists and works representing many cultures.
To strengthen ecumenical relationships through the inclusion of texts and tunes used by other Christian traditions.
To create a hymnal embodying both practicality and esthetic excellence.
There are many musical things which appear in the hymnal 1982 which don’t in other hymnals, specifically the transparency of the congregation and choirmaster’s hymnal essentially being the exact same. The choirmaster’s hymnal includes realized accompaniments whereas the choir and congregation’s do not, leaving room for the inclusion of more hymns and service music. Older hymnals didn’t include many of the mass settings, Anglican and plainchant tunes and descants like the 1982 does. The emphasis on the Eucharist in the 1979 prayer book deemed these be included and available for parishes to use.
It took a total of 10 formal years of trial and error on the Standing Commission’s part to finally present the Hymnal 1982, but it represents more than 200 years of evolution in church music. Its breadth of quality spans not only time, but cultures and attitudes. It reflects our faith both in the collection of hymns and the intent of the texts in the context of the various liturgies they are used at. The Hymnal 1982 is a miracle unparalleled by any other denomination or Church in the country, so when you hold the blue book in your hands, think about all of this and marvel at its excellence.