View source for Hymn

{{Short description|Religious song for the purpose of adoration or prayer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2022}}
{{redirect-multi|2|Hymns|hymnus||Hymn (disambiguation)}}
[[File:Arvid Liljelund - Man Singing Hymn - A I 187 - Finnish National Gallery.jpg|thumb|{{ill|Arvid Liljelund|de||fi||sv}}'s ''Man Singing Hymn'' (1884)]]
A '''hymn''' is a type of [[song]], and partially synonymous with [[devotional song]], specifically written for the purpose of adoration or [[prayer]], and typically addressed to a [[deity]] or deities, or to a prominent figure or [[personification]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-04-01 |title=Definition of HYMN |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hymn |access-date=2024-04-08 |website=www.merriam-webster.com |language=en}}</ref> The word ''hymn'' derives from [[Greek language|Greek]] {{lang|grc|ὕμνος}} (''hymnos''), which means "a song of praise".<ref>{{Cite web |title=hymn {{!}} Search Online Etymology Dictionary |url=https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=hymn |access-date=2024-04-08 |website=www.etymonline.com}}</ref> A writer of hymns is known as a [[hymnist]]. The singing or composition of hymns is called '''hymnody'''. Collections of hymns are known as [[hymnal]]s or hymn books. Hymns may or may not include instrumental accompaniment. [[Polyhymnia]] is the Greco/Roman goddess of hymns.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Polyhymnia *** |url=https://www.talesbeyondbelief.com/nymphs/polyhymnia-muse.htm |access-date=2024-04-08 |website=www.talesbeyondbelief.com}}</ref>

Although most familiar to speakers of English in the context of [[Christianity]], hymns are also a fixture of other [[major religious groups|world religions]], especially on the Indian subcontinent (''[[stotra]]s'').<ref>{{Cite book |url=http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780198610250.001.0001/acref-9780198610250 |title=A Dictionary of Hinduism |date=2009-01-01 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-861025-0 |edition=1 |language=en |doi=10.1093/acref/9780198610250.001.0001 |quote=A short praise poem or hymn in Sanskrit verse, usually intended to be sung. They are frequently excerpted or anthologized in Stotramāla.}}</ref> Hymns also survive from antiquity, especially from Egyptian and Greek cultures. Some of the oldest surviving examples of notated music are hymns with Greek texts.<ref>{{Cite web |last=ANDREWS |first=EVAN |date=2015-12-18 |title=What Is the Oldest Known Piece of Music? |url=https://www.history.com/news/what-is-the-oldest-known-piece-of-music |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190720132159/http://www.history.com/news/what-is-the-oldest-known-piece-of-music |archive-date=2019-07-20 |access-date=2024-04-08 |website=HISTORY |language=en}}</ref>

==Origins==
Ancient Eastern hymns include the Sumerian [[Kesh temple hymn]] (oldest surviving literary text in the world);<ref name="BlackBlack2006">{{cite book |author1=Jeremy A. Black |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=a1W2mTtGVV4C&pg=PA325 |title=The Literature of Ancient Sumer |author2=Jeremy Black |author3=Graham Cunningham |author4=Eleanor Robson |date=13 April 2006 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-929633-0 |pages=325– |access-date=2 June 2011}}</ref> Egyptian ''[[Great Hymn to the Aten]]'', composed by [[Pharaoh]] [[Akhenaten]];<ref>{{Cite web |title=Amarna Belief |url=https://www.ucl.ac.uk/museums-static/digitalegypt/amarna/belief.html |access-date=2024-04-08 |website=www.ucl.ac.uk}}</ref> the Hurrian ''[[Hymn to Nikkal]]'';<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Hymn to Nikkal – Heritage for Peace |url=https://www.heritageforpeace.org/the-hymn-to-nikkal/ |access-date=2024-04-08 |website=www.heritageforpeace.org}}</ref> the ''[[Rigveda]]'', an Indian collection of Vedic hymns;<ref>{{citation |last=Witzel |first=Michael |title=Inside the Texts, Beyond the Texts: New Approaches to the Study of the Vedas |volume=2 |year=1997 |editor-last=Michael Witzel |access-date=22 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804151138/http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~witzel/canon.pdf |url-status=live |series=Harvard Oriental Series, Opera Minora |chapter=The Development of the Vedic Canon and its Schools: The Social and Political Milieu |chapter-url=http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~witzel/canon.pdf |place=Cambridge |publisher=Harvard University Press |archive-date=4 August 2020 |author-link=Michael Witzel|pages=259{{ndash}}264}}</ref> hymns from the ''[[Classic of Poetry]]'' (''Shijing''), a collection of Chinese poems from 11th to 7th centuries BC;<ref>{{Cite web |title=Shijing {{!}} Classical Poetry, Ancient Texts & Confucianism {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Shijing |access-date=2024-04-08 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> the ''[[Gatha (Zoroaster)|Gathas]]''—Avestan hymns believed to have been composed by [[Zoroaster]];<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Gathas ("Hymns") of Zarathushtra |url=http://www.avesta.org/gathas.htm |access-date=2024-04-08 |website=www.avesta.org}}</ref> and the Biblical ''[[Psalms|Book of Psalms]]''.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Berlin |first=Adele |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hKAaJXvUaUoC&pg=PA589 |title=The Oxford Dictionary of the Jewish Religion |date=2011 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-973004-9 |pages=589 |language=en}}</ref>

The Western tradition of hymnody begins with the ''[[Homeric Hymns]]'', a collection of ancient Greek hymns, the oldest of which were written in the 7th century BC, praising deities of the [[Religion in ancient Greece|ancient Greek religions]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rayor |first=Diane J. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BbQwDwAAQBAJ&q=homeric+hymns |title=The Homeric Hymns: A Translation, with Introduction and Notes |date=2014-03-14 |publisher=Univ of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-28211-7 |pages=1–2 |language=en}}</ref> Surviving from the 3rd century BC is a collection of six literary hymns ({{lang|grc|Ὕμνοι}}) by the [[Alexandria]]n poet [[Callimachus]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Roberts |first=John Willoby |title=The Oxford dictionary of the classical world |date=2007 |publisher=Oxford University press Inc |isbn=978-0-19-280146-3 |location=New-York}}</ref> The ''[[Orphic Hymns]]'' are a collection of 87 short poems in Greek religion.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Calame |first=C. |title=Orphism, Orphic poetry In Brill's New Pauly Online |url=https://wikipedialibrary.wmflabs.org/ |access-date=2024-04-08 |website=wikipedialibrary.wmflabs.org |language=en |doi=10.1163/1574-9347_bnp_e901320|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

[[Church Fathers|Patristic]] writers began applying the term {{lang|grc|ὕμνος}}, or ''hymnus'' in [[Latin]], to [[Christianity|Christian]] songs of praise, and frequently used the word as a synonym for "[[Psalms|psalm]]".<ref>Entry on {{lang|grc|ὕμνος}}, Liddell and Scott, ''[[A Greek-English Lexicon]]'' (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 8th edition 1897, 1985 printing), p. 1849; entry on 'hymnus,' Lewis and Short, ''[[A Latin Dictionary]]'' (Oxford: Clarendon Press 1879, 1987 printing), p. 872.</ref>

== Christian hymnody ==
[[File:Village Church- Everyday Life in Uffington, Berkshire, England, UK, 1944 D19410.jpg|thumb|In Christianity, church congregations often sing hymns together as part of their worship (Pictured: worshippers at [[Uffington, Oxfordshire|Uffington]] Parish Church in England, 1944)]]
{{See also|Church music}}
Originally modelled on (but distinct from) the [[Psalms|Book of Psalms]] and other poetic passages (commonly referred to as "[[canticle]]s") in the Scriptures,{{cn|date=October 2025}} Christian hymns are generally directed as praise to the [[God in Christianity|Christian God]]. Many refer to [[Jesus Christ]] either directly or indirectly.

=== Origins ===
In the New Testament, [[Paul the Apostle|Saint Paul]] wrote to the Ephesian and Colossian churches, enjoining the singing of psalms and hymns for "mutual encouragement and edification".<ref name="Lillenas1972"/> This was demonstrated when he joined [[Silas]] in singing hymns in the Phillipian jail,<ref>
{{bibleverse|Acts|16:25|kjv}} - "And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them."
</ref>
even during unfortunate circumstances.<ref name="Lillenas1972"/> {{Bibleverse|Psalms|30:4|KJV}} and {{Bibleverse|Revelation|14:3|KJV}},<ref>
"And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth."
</ref>
among other Scriptural verses, encourage Christians to sing hymns to praise God.<ref name="Lillenas1972">{{cite book |title =Worship in Song |date=1972 |publisher=Lillenas Publishing |page=i}}</ref> As such, since the earliest times, Christians have sung "psalms and hymns and spiritual songs", both in private devotions and in corporate worship.<ref> {{bibleverse||Matthew|26:30|nrsv}}</ref><ref>{{bibleverse|Mark|14:26|esv}}</ref><ref>{{bibleverse|Acts|16:25|esv}}</ref><ref>{{bibleverse|1|Cor|14:26|kjv}} - "How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying."</ref><ref> {{bibleverse||Ephesians|5:19|kjv}} - "Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord"</ref><ref>{{bibleverse||Colossians|3:16|nrsv}}; {{bibleverse||James|5:13|nrsv}}; cf. {{bibleverse||Revelation|5:8–10|nrsv}}; {{bibleverse||Revelation|14:1–5|nrsv}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=BBC One - Songs of Praise - A Brief History of Hymns |url =https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/4vMxs6kctQgkwkvgQbJTXDk/a-brief-history-of-hymns |access-date =2024-04-08 |website =BBC |language =en-GB}}</ref> Non-scriptural hymns (i.e. not psalms or canticles) from the Early Church still sung today include '[[Phos Hilaron]]', '[[Sub tuum praesidium]]', and '[[Te Deum]]'.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ellen |date=2021-06-21 |title =Ancient Christian Hymns |url =https://westpark-baptist.com/ancient-christian-hymns/ |access-date =2024-04-08 |website =West Park Baptist Church |language =en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last =Matthewes-Green |first =Frederica |title =The Lost Gospel of Mary: The Mother of Jesus in Three Ancient Texts |publisher =Paraclete Press |year =2007 |isbn =978-1-55725-536-5 |location =Brewster MA |pages =85–87}}</ref><ref name="service">{{cite book |last=Pinnock |first =William Henry |url=https://archive.org/details/lawsandusagesch01pinngoog |title=The laws and usages of the Church and clergy |publisher=J. Hall and Son |year=1858 |location =Cambridge |page=[https://archive.org/details/lawsandusagesch01pinngoog/page/n223 1301] |chapter =Te Deum, a Separate Service}}</ref>

=== Traditions ===
The hymn '[[Te Deum]]' is sung or recited in the [[Liturgy of the Hours]] and in thanksgiving to God for a special blessing (such as the election of a pope, the consecration of a bishop, the canonization of a saint),<ref>{{cite web|title=The Te Deum (cont.)|work=Musical Musings: Prayers and Liturgical Texts–The Te Deum|publisher=CanticaNOVA Publications|url=http://www.canticanova.com/articles/hymns/artd42.htm|access-date=2007-07-07}}</ref> and on December 31st to thank the Lord for the past year.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/prayers/view.cfm?id=1053 | title =Liturgical Year : Prayers : Te Deum }}</ref> 

The hymn "{{lang|la|[[Gloria in excelsis Deo]]|italic=no}}" is sung or recited at [[Mass (liturgy)|Mass]], after the [[Kyrie]], on Sundays outside of [[Lent]] and [[Advent]], on Christmas, during the [[octave (liturgy)|octaves]] of Easter and Christmas, and on [[solemnity|solemnities]] and feasts.<ref name="ODCC">Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (Oxford University Press 2005 {{ISBN|978-0-19-280290-3}}), article ''Gloria in Excelsis''</ref>

=== Definition ===
One definition of a hymn is "...a lyric poem, reverently and devotionally conceived, which is designed to be sung and which expresses the worshipper's attitude toward God or God's purposes 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."<ref>
{{cite book
 | last1=Eskew
 | last2=McElrath
 | title=Sing with Understanding, An Introduction to Christian Hymnology
 | year=1980
 | publisher=Broadman Press
 | isbn=0-8054-6809-9
}}</ref>

=== Special occasions ===
Christian hymns are often written with special or seasonal themes; such hymns are used on holy days such as [[Christmas]], [[Easter]] and the Feast of [[All Saints' Day|All Saints]], or during particular seasons such as [[Advent]] and [[Lent]]. Others are used to encourage reverence for the [[Bible]] or to celebrate Christian practices such as the [[Eucharist]] or [[Baptism]]. Some hymns praise or address individual [[saints]], particularly [[Mary, mother of Jesus]]; such hymns are particularly prevalent in [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholicism]], [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodoxy]], [[Lutheranism|Evangelical Lutheranism]],<ref name="Kulik2018">{{cite web |last1 =Kulik |first1 =Andrea |title =Mary, Mother of our Lord |url =https://www.livinglutheran.org/2018/08/mary-mother-of-our-lord/ |publisher=Living Lutheran |access-date =9 October 2025 |date =31 August 2018}}</ref> and to some extent in [[High Church]] [[Anglicanism]].{{citation needed|date=May 2024}}

=== Terminology ===
A writer of hymns is known as a hymnodist, and the practice of singing hymns is called ''hymnody''; the same word is used collectively for those hymns associated with a particular denomination or period (e.g. "nineteenth-century Methodist hymnody" would mean the body of hymns written and/or used by Methodists in the 19th century).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Definition of HYMNODY |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hymnody |access-date=2024-04-08 |website =www.merriam-webster.com |language =en}}</ref> A specific collection of hymns is called a ''[[hymnal]], hymn book'' or ''hymnary''. These may or may not include music; among the hymnals without printed music, some include names of hymn tunes suggested for use with each text, in case readers already know the tunes or would like to find them elsewhere. A student of hymnody is called a ''hymnologist'', and the scholarly study of hymns, hymnists and hymnody is [[hymnology]]. The music to which a hymn may be sung is a [[hymn tune]].<ref>{{Cite book |last1 =Eskew |first1 =Harry |url =https://books.google.com/books?id=ITdLAAAAYAAJ |title =Sing with Understanding: An Introduction to Christian Hymnology |last2 =McElrath |first2=Hugh T. |date =1980 |publisher=Broadman Press |isbn =978-0-8054-6809-0 |language =en |chapter=2 - The Hymn and Music |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/singwithundersta0000eske/page/26/mode/2up?view=theater}}</ref>

Nondenominational evangelical churches may classify traditional songs as hymns while more contemporary worship songs are not considered hymns. The reason for this distinction is unclear, but according to some it is due to the radical shift of style and devotional thinking that began in the late 1960s with the [[Jesus movement]] and [[Jesus music]]. In recent years, Christian traditional hymns ''have'' seen a revival in some churches, usually more Reformed or [[Calvinism|Calvinistic]] in nature, as modern hymn-writers such as [[Keith & Kristyn Getty]]<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/in-praise-of-hymns/ |title=In praise of hymns |access-date=2017-05-18 |language=en}}</ref> and [[Sovereign Grace Churches|Sovereign Grace]] Music have reset old lyrics to new melodies, revised old hymns and republished them, or simply written a song in a hymn-like fashion such as [[In Christ Alone (song)| "In Christ Alone"]].<ref>{{Citation|title=Songs of faith|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/songs-of-faith/ |language=en |access-date=2017-05-18}}</ref>

=== Revival ===
The [[Oxyrhynchus hymn]], regarded as the oldest known [[Christian hymn]] with both lyrics and musical notation, was revived in 2025 as part of a modern reinterpretation. The ancient hymn from the third century was re-recorded as a contemporary [[worship music|worship song]] by composers [[Chris Tomlin]] and [[Ben Fielding (musician)|Ben Fielding]] for the feature-length documentary ''[[The First Hymn]]'', which traces the historical and theological journey of early Christian worship. The documentary was created by Australian historian and author [[John Dickson (author)|John Dickson]], and the new recording was released globally on April 11, 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The First Hymn Documentary |url=https://www.thefirsthymn.com |access-date=2025-04-11}}</ref>

=== Music and accompaniment ===
In ancient and medieval times, [[string instrument]]s such as the [[harp]], [[lyre]] and [[lute]] were used with psalms and hymns.

Since there is a lack of [[musical notation]] in early writings,<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000013648 |isbn = 978-1-56159-263-0 |doi = 10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.13648 |year = 2001 |last1 = Anderson |first1 = Warren |last2 = Mathiesen |first2 = Thomas J. |last3 = Boynton |first3 = Susan |last4 = Ward |first4 = Tom R. |last5 = Caldwell |first5 = John |last6 = Temperley |first6 = Nicholas |last7 = Eskew |first7 = Harry |title = Hymn}}</ref> the actual musical forms in the early church can only be surmised. During the Middle Ages a rich hymnody developed in the form of [[Gregorian chant]] or plainsong. This type was sung in unison, in one of eight [[church modes]], and most often by monastic choirs. While they were written originally in [[Latin]], many have been translated; a familiar example is the 4th century ''[[Of the Father's Heart Begotten]]'' sung to the 11th-[century plainsong ''Divinum Mysterium''.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last =Sfetcu |first =Nicolae |url =https://books.google.com/books?id=kXyFAwAAQBAJ |title=The Music Sound |date =2014-05-07 |publisher=Nicolae Sfetcu |language=en}}</ref>

==== Western church ====
[[File:St Paul's Cathedral South Organ, London, UK - Diliff.jpg|thumb|Hymns are often accompanied by [[pipe organ|organ]] music]]
Later hymnody in the [[Western church]] introduced four-part vocal [[harmony]] as the norm, adopting major and minor keys. The [[organ (music)|organ]] and [[choir]] came to lead the singing. Western hymnody shares many elements with [[European classical music|classical music]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last =Mercer-Taylor |first =Peter |date =2009 |title =Mendelssohn in Nineteenth-Century American Hymnody |url =https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/ncm.2009.32.3.235 |journal =19th-Century Music |volume =32 |issue =3 |pages =235–283 |doi =10.1525/ncm.2009.32.3.235 |jstor =10.1525/ncm.2009.32.3.235 |issn=0148-2076|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

Today, except for choirs, more musically inclined congregations, and ''[[a cappella]]'' congregations, hymns are typically sung in unison. In some cases, complementary full settings for organ are also published; in others, organists and other accompanists are expected to adapt the available setting, or extemporise one, on their instrument of choice.

In traditional [[Lutheranism|Evangelical Lutheran]] and [[Anglican Church|Anglican]] practice, hymns are sung (often accompanied by an organ) during the [[processional hymn|processional]] to the altar,<ref>{{cite book |title =Processional Hymns, for Use in the Cathedral of All Saints, Albany, New York {{!}} Hymnary.org |url =https://hymnary.org/hymnal/PHUC1878 |access-date =2 November 2022 |language =en}}</ref> during the receiving of communion, during the [[recessional hymn|recessional]], and sometimes at other points during the service. The [[Doxology#Trinitarian doxology|Doxology]] is also sung after tithes and offerings are brought up to the altar.

[[Contemporary worship|Contemporary Christian worship]], as commonly found in certain forms of [[Evangelicalism]] and [[Pentecostalism]], may include the use of [[contemporary worship music]] played with [[electric guitar]]s and [[drum kit|drum kits]], sharing many elements with [[rock music]].<ref name=":1" />

Other groups of Christians have historically excluded instrumental accompaniment, citing the absence of instruments in worship by the church in the first several centuries of its existence, and adhere to an unaccompanied ''[[a cappella]]'' congregational singing of hymns.<ref>{{Cite web |title =Why we worship Acapella? ‹ High School Road Church of Christ |url =https://www.highschoolroadchurch.com/about/why-we-worship-acapella |access-date=2024-04-09 |website =www.highschoolroadchurch.com}}</ref> These groups include the [[Plymouth Brethren | Brethren]] (often both [[Open Brethren | Open]] and [[Exclusive Brethren | Exclusive]]), the [[Churches of Christ]], [[Mennonites]], several [[Anabaptist]]-based denominations—such as the [[Apostolic Christian Church of America]]—[[Primitive Baptists]],<ref>{{Cite web |title =Direction: Anabaptist Hymn |url =https://directionjournal.org/1/3/anabaptist-hymn.html |access-date =2024-04-09 |website =directionjournal.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last =Yoder |first=Harvey |date=2018-08-27 |title=Our hymns shape our church |url =https://anabaptistworld.org/our-hymns-shape-our-church/ |access-date=2024-04-09 |website =Anabaptist World |language=en-US}}</ref> and certain Reformed churches. However, during the last century or so, several of these groups, such as the [[Free Church of Scotland (since 1900)|Free Church of Scotland]], have abandoned this stance.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Psalm & Praise Resources |url =https://freechurch.org/praise-resources/ |access-date =2024-04-09 |website=Free Church of Scotland |language=en-GB}}</ref>

====Eastern church====
{{listen |filename=Shen khar venakhi1.ogg |title=Thou Art a Vineyard |description='' [[Shen Khar Venakhi]]'' – medieval [[Georgian Orthodox Church|Georgian Orthodox]] Christian hymn|format=[[Ogg]]}}
[[Eastern Christianity]] (the [[Eastern Orthodox]], [[Oriental Orthodox]], [[Eastern Lutheranism|Eastern Lutheran]] and [[Eastern Catholic]] churches) has a variety of ancient hymnographical traditions. In the [[Byzantine Rite]], chant is used for all forms of liturgical worship: if it is not sung [[a cappella]], the only accompaniment is usually an {{lang|el|ison}}, or [[Drone (music)|drone]]. Organs and other instruments were excluded from church use, although they were employed in imperial ceremonies.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Levy |first1 =Kenneth |last2 =Troelsgård |first2 =Christian |editor-first1 =Christian |editor-last1 =Troelsgård |title =Byzantine chant |url =https://doi.org/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.04494 |website=Grove Music Online |access-date =6 March 2021 |language=en |doi =10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.04494 |date =2016 |isbn =9781561592630 }}</ref> However, instruments are common in some other Oriental traditions. The [[Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria|Coptic]] tradition makes use of the [[cymbal]]s and the [[Triangle (musical instrument)|triangle]] only.<ref>{{Cite book |last1 =Atiya |first1 =Aziz S. |title =Coptic Music: Musical Instruments |last2 =Moftah |first2 =Ragheb |last3 =Robertson |first3 =Marian |last4 =Roy |first4 =Martha |date =1991 |publisher =Macmillan; Collier Macmillan Canada; Maxwell Macmillan International |isbn =978-0-02-897025-7 |editor-last =Atiya |editor-first =Aziz Suryal |series =The Coptic encyclopedia |location =New York : Toronto : New York}}</ref> The [[Indian Orthodox]] (Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church) use the [[organ (music)|organ]]. The [[Tewahedo Church]]es use [[drum]]s, [[cymbal]]s and other instruments on certain occasions.

=== Development of Christian hymnody ===
{{Further|Hymnody of continental Europe}}
[[Thomas Aquinas]], in the introduction to his commentary on the Psalms, defined the Christian hymn thus: "{{lang | la | Hymnus est laus Dei cum cantico; canticum autem exultatio mentis de aeternis habita, prorumpens in vocem}}." ("A hymn is the praise of God with song; a song is the exultation of the mind dwelling on eternal things, bursting forth in the voice.")<ref>{{cite web
 | last = Aquinas
 | first = Thomas
 | author-link = Thomas Aquinas
 | title = St. Thomas's Introduction to his Exposition of the Psalms of David
 | url = http://www4.desales.edu/~philtheo/loughlin/ATP/Proemium.html
 | access-date = 2008-02-08
 | archive-date = 10 April 2016
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160410143356/http://www4.desales.edu/~philtheo/loughlin/ATP/Proemium.html
 | url-status = dead
 }}</ref>

The [[Protestant Reformation]] resulted in two conflicting attitudes towards hymns. One approach, the [[regulative principle of worship]], favoured by many [[Zwinglians]], Calvinists and some radical reformers, regarded anything that was not directly authorised by the Bible as a novel and Catholic introduction to worship, which was to be rejected. All hymns that were not direct quotations from the Bible fell into this category. Such hymns were banned, along with any form of instrumental musical accompaniment, and organs were removed from Reformed churches.<ref>{{Cite journal |last =Bruinsma |first =Henry A. |date =1954 |title =The Organ Controversy in the Netherlands Reformation to 1640 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/829497 |journal =Journal of the American Musicological Society |volume=7 |issue=3 |pages=205–212 |doi =10.2307/829497 |jstor=829497 |issn=0003-0139|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Instead of hymns, biblical psalms were chanted, most often without accompaniment, to very basic melodies. This was known as [[exclusive psalmody]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Old |first=Hughes Oliphant |url =https://books.google.com/books?id=zXPvqI9fz7QC |title=Worship: Reformed According to Scripture |date =2002-01-01 |publisher =Westminster John Knox Press |isbn =978-0-664-22579-7 |pages=35–57 |language=en}}</ref> Examples of this may still be found in various places, including in some of the [[Scottish Presbyterian|Presbyterian churches of western Scotland]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Regulative Principle of Worship – Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland |url =https://www.fpchurch.org.uk/about-us/how-we-worship/the-regulative-principle-of-worship/ |access-date=2024-04-09 |website=www.fpchurch.org.uk}}</ref>

{{Listen
 | filename =Ein' Feste Burg.ogg
 | title =Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott
 | description =Luther's paraphrase of [[Psalm 46]], a popular [[Lutheran hymn]]
}}
The other Reformation approach, the [[normative principle of worship]], produced a burst of hymn-writing and congregational singing.<ref>{{Cite book |last =Marshall |first =I. Howard |url =https://books.google.com/books?id=m6iY-Nc9Q5UC&pg=PA40 |title=Beyond the Bible: Moving from Scripture to Theology |publisher =Baker Academic |year =2004 |isbn =978-0-8010-2775-8 |pages =40–42 |language =en}}</ref> [[Martin Luther]] is notable not only as a reformer, but as the author of hymns including {{lang | de | Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott}} ("[[A Mighty Fortress Is Our God]]"), {{lang | de | [[Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ]]}} ("Praise be to You, Jesus Christ"), and [[List of hymns by Martin Luther|many others]].<ref>Dr. Martin Luther's Deutsche Geistliche Lieder''. The Hymns of Martin Luther set to their original Melodies with an English version,'' ed. Leonard Woolsey Bacon and Nathan H. Allen (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1884).</ref> Luther and his followers often used their hymns, or [[Lutheran chorale | chorale]]s, to teach tenets of the faith to worshipers. The first Protestant hymnal was published in Bohemia in 1532 by the [[Unitas Fratrum]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Appendix B: Early German Lutheran and Reformation Hymnals |url =https://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/History/early_german_hymnals.htm |access-date =2024-04-09 |website=www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com}}</ref>

Count [[Nicolaus Zinzendorf | Zinzendorf]], a Lutheran bishop of the [[Moravian Church]] in the 18th century, wrote some 2,000 hymns.<ref>{{Cite web |title= Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf |url =https://www.hymnologyarchive.com/nikolaus-ludwig-von-zinzendorf |access-date=2024-04-09 |website=Hymnology Archive |language=en-US}}</ref>

Some of the works of the Anglican "[[metaphysical poet]]" the Reverend [[George Herbert]] (1593-1633) have found their way into hymnals.

The earlier English writers tended to paraphrase biblical texts, particularly [[Psalm]]s; [[Isaac Watts]] (1674–1748) followed this tradition, but is also credited as having written the first English hymn which was not a direct paraphrase of Scripture.<ref>{{cite book
 | last = Wilson-Dickson
 | first = Andrew
 | title = The Story of Christian Music
 | publisher = Lion, [[SPCK]]
 | location = Oxford
 | year = 1992
 | pages = 110–111
 | isbn = 0-281-04626-3
}}</ref> Watts, whose father was an Elder of a dissenter congregation, complained at age 16, that when allowed only psalms to sing, the faithful could not even sing about their Lord, Christ Jesus. His father invited him to see what he could do about it; the result was Watts' first hymn, "Behold the glories of the Lamb".<ref>{{cite book
 | last = Routley
 | first = Erik
 | title = Christian Hymns, An Introduction to Their Story (Audio Book)
 | publisher = Prestige Publications, Inc.
 | location = Princeton
 | year = 1980 
 | page = Part 7, "Isaac Watts, the Liberator of English Hymnody"
}}</ref>
Found in few hymnals today, the hymn has eight stanzas in common metre and is based on Revelation 5:6, 8, 9, 10, 12.<ref>{{cite book
 | last = Routley and Richardson
 | title =  A Panorama of Christian Hymnody
 | publisher = G.I.A. Publications, Inc.
 | location = Chicago
 | date = 1979
 | pages = 40–41
 | isbn = 1-57999-352-4
}}</ref>

Relying heavily on Scripture, Watts wrote metered texts based on New Testament passages that brought the Christian faith into the songs of the church. Isaac Watts has been called "the father of English hymnody", but Erik Routley sees him more as "the liberator of English hymnody", because his hymns, and hymns like them, moved worshippers beyond singing only Old Testament psalms, inspiring congregations and revitalizing worship.<ref>{{cite book
 | title = Christian Hymns, An Introduction to Their Story (Audio Book) op. cit.
 | page = Part 7, "Isaac Watts, the Liberator of English Hymnody"
}}</ref>

Later writers took even more freedom, with some even including [[allegory]] and [[metaphor]] in their texts.

{{Listen
 | filename=Love Divine All Loves Excelling.oga
 | title="Love Divine All Loves Excelling"
 | description="[[Love Divine, All Loves Excelling]]", one of [[Charles Wesley]]'s most popular hymns, is commonly sung to the tune ''Blaenwern'' composed by W.P.Rowlands.
}}
[[Charles Wesley]]'s hymns spread Methodist [[theology]], not only within [[Methodism]], but in most Protestant churches. He developed a new focus: expressing one's personal feelings in the relationship with God as well as the simple worship seen in older hymns.<ref name=":2" /> {{Listen
|title=Battle Hymn of the Republic
|filename=Battle Hymn of the Republic, Frank C. Stanley, Elise Stevenson.ogg
|description=The Battle Hymn of the Republic, performed by [[Frank C. Stanley]], [[Elise Stevenson]], and a mixed quartet in 1908. 
}}

Wesley's contribution, along with the [[Second Great Awakening]] in [[United States|America]], led to a new style called [[Gospel music| "gospel"]], and a new explosion of sacred-music writing with [[Fanny Crosby]], [[Lina Sandell]], [[Philip Bliss]], [[Ira D. Sankey]], and others who produced testimonial music for revivals, camp-meetings, and evangelistic crusades.<ref name=":2" /> The tune style or form is technically designated "gospel songs" as distinct from hymns. Gospel songs generally include a refrain (or chorus) and usually (though not always) a faster tempo than with hymns. As examples of the distinction, "[[Amazing Grace]]" is a hymn (no refrain), but [[How Great Thou Art (hymn)|"How Great Thou Art"]] is a gospel song.<ref>{{Cite web |last =Frank |first =Cameron |title =Is There a Difference Between a Hymn and a Song? |url =https://www.afrankvoice.com/hymns-history/is-there-a-difference-between-a-hymn-and-a-song |access-date =2024-04-09 |website =A Frank Voice |language =en-US}}</ref> During the 19th century, the gospel-song genre spread rapidly in Protestantism and {{--}} to a lesser but still definite extent {{--}} in Roman Catholicism;<ref>{{Cite journal |last=DjeDje |first =Jacqueline Cogdell |date=1986 |title=Change and Differentiation: The Adoption of Black American Gospel Music in the Catholic Church |url =https://www.jstor.org/stable/851995 |journal =Ethnomusicology |volume =30 |issue =2 |pages =223–252 |doi =10.2307/851995 |jstor =851995 |issn =0014-1836 |url-access=subscription }}</ref> the gospel-song genre is unknown in the worship ''per se'' by Eastern Orthodox churches, which rely exclusively on traditional chants (a type of hymn).

The [[Methodist Revival]] of the 18th century created an explosion of hymn-writing in [[Welsh language|Welsh]], which continued into the first half of the 19th century. The most prominent Welsh hymn-writers are [[William Williams Pantycelyn]] and [[Ann Griffiths]]. The second half of the 19th century witnessed an explosion of hymn-tune composition and congregational four-part singing in [[Wales]].<ref>E. Wyn James, 'The Evolution of the Welsh Hymn', in ''Dissenting Praise'', ed. I. Rivers & D. L. Wykes (Oxford University Press, 2011); E. Wyn James, 'Popular Poetry, Methodism, and the Ascendancy of the Hymn', in ''The Cambridge History of Welsh Literature'', ed. Geraint Evans & Helen Fulton (Cambridge University Press, 2019); E. Wyn James, 'German Chorales and American Songs and Solos: Contrasting Chapters in Welsh Congregational Hymn-Singing', ''The Bulletin of the Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland'', No. 295, Vol. 22:2 (Spring 2018), 43–53.</ref>

Along with the more classical sacred music of composers ranging from [[Marc-Antoine Charpentier|Charpentier]] (19 ''Hymns,'' H.53 - H.71) to [[Mozart]] and [[Monteverdi]], the [[Catholic Church]] continued to produce many popular hymns such as "[[Lead, Kindly Light]]", "[[Silent Night]]", "O Sacrament Most Holy", and [[Faith of Our Fathers (hymn)|"Faith of Our Fathers"]].

In some radical Protestant movements, their own sacred hymns completely replaced the written Bible. An example of this, the ''Book of Life'' (Russian: "Zhivotnaya kniga") is the name of all oral hymns of the [[Doukhobors]], the Russian denomination, similar to western [[Quakers]]. ''The Book of Life of the Doukhobors'' (1909) is firstly printed hymnal containing songs which  have been composed as an oral piece to be sung aloud.<ref>{{cite book |editor-surname=Peacock |editor-given =Kenneth |title =Songs of the Doukhobors: An Introductory Outline |translator =E. A. Popoff (song texts) |place =Ottawa |publisher=The National Museums of Canada; Queen's Printer of Canada |year=1970 |series=National Museums of Canada Bulletin No. 231, Folklore Series No. 7 |url =https://collections.museedelhistoire.ca/public/objects/common/webmedia.php%3Firn%3D5192506&ved=2ahUKEwjd3v6YrNDzAhWHXSsKHW8tCg8QFnoECAkQAQ&usg=AOvVaw2uboqpPg0K3gg_tBlPBkDz |archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20230405010942/https://collections.museedelhistoire.ca/public/objects/common/webmedia.php?irn=5192506&ved=2ahUKEwjd3v6YrNDzAhWHXSsKHW8tCg8QFnoECAkQAQ&usg=AOvVaw2uboqpPg0K3gg_tBlPBkDz |url-status=dead |archive-date=5 April 2023 |format=PDF }}</ref>

Many churches today use contemporary-worship music which includes a range of styles often influenced by [[popular music]]. This often leads to some conflict between older and younger congregants (see [[contemporary worship]]).<ref>{{Cite web |last =Moring |first=Mark |date =2011-03-09 |title=Pop Goes the Worship |url =https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2011/march/popgoesworship.html |archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20110312194703/https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2011/march/popgoesworship.html |archive-date =2011-03-12 |access-date=2024-04-09 |website =ChristianityToday.com |language =en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last =Frankforter |first=A. Daniel |url =https://books.google.com/books?id=mJD52cIAl9QC |title =Stones for Bread: A Critique of Contemporary Worship |date =2001-01-01 |publisher =Westminster John Knox Press |isbn =978-0-664-22284-0 |pages=11–12 |language=en}}</ref> This is not new; the Christian [[Contemporary Christian Music|pop-music]] style began in the late 1960s and became very popular during the 1970s, as young hymnists sought ways in which to make the music of their religion relevant for their generation.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Frame |first=John M. |url =https://www.christianstudylibrary.org/files/pub/book_previews/John-M-Frame_Contemporary-Worship-Music_Orientation.pdf |title =Contemporary Worship Music: A Biblical Defense |publisher =Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company |year =1997 |isbn =0-87552-212-2 |location =USA |pages=6–8 |language=en}}</ref>

This long tradition has resulted in a wide variety of hymns. Some modern churches include within hymnody the traditional hymn (usually describing God), contemporary-worship music (often directed to God) and [[gospel music]] (expressions of one's personal experience of God). This distinction is not perfectly clear; and purists remove the second two types from classification as hymns. It is a matter of debate, even sometimes within a single congregation, often between revivalist and traditionalist movements.

Swedish composer and musicologist [[Elisabet Wentz-Janacek]] mapped 20,000 melody variants for Swedish hymns and helped create the Swedish Choral Registrar, which displays the wide variety of hymns today.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2013-01-21|title=Vi gratulerar Elisabet Wentz-Janacek! |url=https://lundsdomkyrka.se/2013/01/21/vi-gratulerar-elisabet-wentz-janacek/ |access-date =2021-04-03 |website =Lunds domkyrka |language =sv-SE |archive-date =27 February 2021|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20210227060831/http://lundsdomkyrka.se/2013/01/21/vi-gratulerar-elisabet-wentz-janacek/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In modern times, hymn use has not been limited to strictly religious settings, including secular occasions such as [[Remembrance Day]], and this "secularization" also includes use as sources of musical entertainment or even vehicles for mass emotion.<ref>{{cite book |last1 =Adey |first1 =Lionel |title =Hymns and the Christian Myth |date =1986 |publisher =UBC Press |isbn =978-0-7748-0257-4 |url =https://books.google.com/books?id=K-l1UD2jIKIC |language=en |page =x}}</ref>

====American developments====
Hymn-writing, composition, performance and the publishing of Christian hymnals throve in the 19th-century and many hymn-writers often linked this activity to the [[Abolitionism in the United States | abolitionist movement]].<ref>{{Citation |last=Caron |first=Nathalie |title =Abolition in the United States as a Religious Social Movement |date =2022 |work =Ending Slavery : The Antislavery Struggle in Perspective |pages =221–246 |editor-last =Aje |editor-first =Lawrence |url =https://books.openedition.org/pulm/22407 |access-date =2024-04-09 |series =Horizons anglophones |place =Montpellier |publisher =Presses universitaires de la Méditerranée |language=en |doi=10.4000/books.pulm.22407 |isbn=978-2-36781-513-8 |editor2-last=Raynaud |editor2-first =Claudine|url-access =subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date =2020-12-20 |title =Reminder: 'O Holy Night Started Out As An Abolitionist Anthem |url =https://relevantmagazine.com/culture/music/reminder-o-holy-night-started-out-as-an-abolitionist-anthem/ |language=EN}}</ref> [[Stephen Foster]] wrote a number of hymns that were used during church services during this era of publishing.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Foster's Complete Songs |url =https://www.library.pitt.edu/foster-songs |access-date =2024-04-09 |website =www.library.pitt.edu}}</ref><!-- references forthcoming -->

Thomas Symmes, a clergyman of the third generation of [[Puritans]] in New England, spread throughout churches a new idea of how to sing hymns, in which anyone could sing a hymn any way they felt led to;<ref>{{Cite journal |last =Becker |first =Laura L. |date =1982 |title =Ministers vs. Laymen: The Singing Controversy in Puritan New England, 1720-1740 |url =https://www.jstor.org/stable/365704 |journal =The New England Quarterly |volume =55 |issue =1 |pages =79–96 |doi =10.2307/365704 |jstor =365704 |issn =0028-4866|url-access =subscription}}</ref> this idea was opposed by a writer of the time, Rev. Thomas Walter, who felt it was "like Five Hundred different Tunes roared out at the same time".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Earle |first =Alice Morse |date=1891 |title=The Sabbath in Puritan New England, Chapter 15 {{!}} The Reformed Reader |url =https://www.reformedreader.org/puritans/sabbath.puritan.newengland/sabbath.puritan.newengland.chapter15.htm |access-date=2024-04-09 |website= |edition=7}}</ref> [[William Billings]], a [[singing school | singing-school]] teacher, created the first [[tune book | tune-book]] with only American-born compositions. Within his books, Billings did not put as much emphasis on "[[common measure]]" - a [[quatrain]] that rhymes ABAB and alternates four-stress and three-stress iambic lines<ref>{{Cite web |title=Common measure |url =https://www.poetryfoundation.org/learn/glossary-terms/common-measure |access-date =2024-04-09 |website =Poetry Foundation |language=en}}</ref> - which was the typical way hymns were sung. Noting in his preface the fondness of other compilers for tunes in common measure, Billings promised his subscribers a well-balanced collection, with "a Sufficiency in each [[Metre (poetry)|measure]]".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Introduction - MUSIC IN BOSTON, 1750–1770 |url =https://www.colonialsociety.org//node/3323 |access-date =2024-04-09 |website =Colonial Society of Massachusetts |language =en}}</ref> And indeed ''The Singing Master's Assistant'' has many tunes whose declamation is based on the [[Dactyl (poetry)|dactyl]] in [[Duple and quadruple metre|duple time]].<ref>{{Cite web |title =The American Musical Landscape - Part III Three Composers and a Song - William Billings (1746-1800) and American Psalmody: a Study of Musical Dissemination |url=https://publishing.cdlib.org/ucpressebooks/view?docId=ft0z09n7gx&chunk.id=d0e2282&toc.depth=1&toc.id=d0e2276&brand=ucpress |access-date =2024-04-09 |publisher =University of California Press |pages =129}}</ref> Boston's [[Handel and Haydn Society]] aimed at raising the level of church music in America, publishing their "Collection of Church Music" in 1822.<ref>{{Cite web |title =The Boston Handel and Haydn Society Collection of Church Music (Mason, Lowell) - IMSLP |url =https://imslp.org/wiki/The_Boston_Handel_and_Haydn_Society_Collection_of_Church_Music_(Mason,_Lowell) |access-date =2024-04-09 |website =imslp.org}}</ref> In the late-19th century [[Ira D. Sankey]] and [[Dwight L. Moody]] developed the relatively new subcategory of [[gospel hymn]]s.<ref>Music, David. ''Hymnology A Collection of Source Readings''. 1. 1. Lanham MD: Scarecrow Press, Inc., 1996.</ref>

Earlier in the 19th century, the use of musical notation, especially [[shape note]]s, exploded in America, and professional singing-masters went from town to town teaching the population how to [[Sight-reading|sing from sight]],<ref>{{Cite web |title =Shape Note Singing {{!}} Ritual and Worship {{!}} Musical Styles {{!}} Articles and Essays {{!}} The Library of Congress Celebrates the Songs of America {{!}} Digital Collections {{!}} Library of Congress |url =https://www.loc.gov/collections/songs-of-america/articles-and-essays/musical-styles/ritual-and-worship/shape-note-singing/ |access-date=2024-04-09 |website=Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA}}</ref> instead of the more common [[lining out]] that had been used before that.<ref name="Shepherd">{{cite book |last1 =Shepherd |first1 =John |title =Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World: Volume II: Performance and Production, Volume 11 |date =2003 |publisher =A&C Black |page =146}}</ref> During this period hundreds of tune-books were published, including [[Benjamin Franklin White|B.F. White]]'s ''[[Sacred Harp]]'', and earlier works like the ''Missouri Harmony'', ''[[Kentucky Harmony]]'', [[The Hesperian Harp|''Hesperian Harp'']], D.H. Mansfield's ''The American Vocalist'', ''The Social Harp'', the ''[[Southern Harmony]]'', [[William Walker (composer)|William Walker]]'s [[The Christian Harmony|''Christian Harmony'']], [[Jeremiah Ingalls]]' ''Christian Harmony'', and literally many dozens of others. Shape-notes were important in the spread of (then) more-modern singing-styles, with tenor-led 4-part harmony (based on older English [[West gallery music|West Gallery music]]), [[Fuguing tune|fuging]] sections, [[anthem]]s and other more complex features. During this period, hymns were incredibly popular in the United States, and one or more of the above-mentioned tune-books could be found in almost every household. It is not uncommon to hear accounts of young people and teenagers gathering together to spend an afternoon singing hymns and anthems from tune-books, which was considered great fun, and accountst survive of [[Abraham Lincoln]] and his sweetheart singing together from the ''Missouri Harmony'' during his youth.<ref>{{Cite web |title =The Missouri Harmony 2005 Edition |url =http://stlfasola.org/moharm.htm |access-date=2024-04-09 |website=stlfasola.org}}</ref>

By the 1860s musical reformers like [[Lowell Mason]] (the so-called "better music boys") were actively campaigning for the introduction of more "refined" and modern singing-styles,<ref>{{Citation | title = History of the Town of Medfield, Massachusetts, 1650–1886 | last = Tilden | first = William | place = Boston | publisher = GH Ellis | year = 1887 | url = https://archive.org/details/historyoftownofm00tild/page/n5/mode/2up}}</ref>{{page needed |date= April 2024}} and eventually American tune-books were replaced in many churches, starting in the Northeast and urban areas, and spreading out into the countryside as people adopted the gentler, more soothing tones of [[Victorian era|Victorian]] hymnody, and even adopted dedicated, trained [[choir]]s to do their church's singing, rather than having the entire congregation participate. But in many rural areas the old traditions lived on, not in churches, but in weekly, monthly or annual conventions were people would meet to sing from their favorite tune-books. The most popular one, and the only one that survived continuously in print, was the ''[[Sacred Harp]]'', which could be found in the typical rural Southern home right up until the living tradition was "re-discovered" by [[Alan Lomax]] in the 1960s (although it had been well-documented by [[Musicology|musicologist]] [[George Pullen Jackson]] prior to this). Since then there has been a renaissance in "Sacred Harp singing", with annual conventions popping up in [[United States|all 50 states]] and in a number of European countries recently, including the [[United Kingdom|UK]], [[Germany]], [[Ireland]] and [[Poland]], as well as in [[Australia]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.sacredharpbremen.org/ |title=Sacred Harp Bremen |website=www.sacredharpbremen.org |access-date=2018-01-04}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ukshapenote.org.uk/ |title=Welcome |last=Macadam |first=Edwin and Sheila |website=www.ukshapenote.org.uk |access-date=2018-01-04 |archive-date=15 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190815171257/http://www.ukshapenote.org.uk/ |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://sacredharp86.org/ |title=Sacred Harp in Poland {{!}} Polish Sacred Harp Community Website |website=sacredharp86.org |language=pl-PL |access-date=2018-01-04}}</ref>

==== Black America's hymns ====
[[African-American]]s developed a rich hymnody {{--}} from [[spiritual (music)|spiritual]]s during times of slavery to the modern, lively black-gospel style. The first influences of [[African-American culture]] into hymns came from the collection ''[[Slave Songs of the United States]]'', compiled by [[William Francis Allen]], despite difficulties pinning them down from the oral tradition. He points out the awe-inspiring effect of the hymns when sung by their originators.<ref>Music, David. Hymnology A Collection of Source Readings. 1. 1. Lanham MD: Scarecrow Press, Inc., 1996. 179/185–186/192/199/206. Print.</ref> Some of the first hymns in the [[black church]] were renderings of Isaac Watts hymns written in the African-American vernacular English of the time.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last =Salamone |first =Frank A. |title =Encyclopedia of Religious Rites, Rituals, and Festivals |publisher =[[Routledge]] |year =2004 |isbn =0-415-94180-6 |editor-last =Levinson |editor-first =David |location=New York |pages =17}}</ref>

===Hymn meters===
{{main|Meter (hymn)}}
{{further|Trochaic septenarius}}
The meter indicates the number of syllables for the lines in each [[stanza]] of a hymn.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-08-05 |title=Poetry 101: What Is Meter? Learn the Difference Between Qualitative and Quantitative Meter in Poetry with Examples |url =https://www.masterclass.com/articles/poetry-101-what-is-meter-learn-the-difference-between-qualitative-and-quantitative-meter-in-poetry-with-examples |website =Masterclass}}</ref> This provides a means of marrying the hymn's text with an appropriate [[hymn tune]] for singing. In practice many hymns conform to one of a relatively small number of meters (syllable-count and stress-patterns). Care must be taken, however, to ensure that not only the metre of words and tune match, but also the stresses on the words in each line.<ref>{{Cite web |date =2018-08-29 |title=How to Use the Metrical Index in Your Hymnal |url =https://www.ashleydanyew.com/posts/how-to-use-the-metrical-index-in-your-hymnal |access-date =2024-04-13 |website =Ashley Danyew |language =en-US}}</ref> Technically speaking, an iambic tune, for instance, cannot be used with words of, say, trochaic metre.

The meter is often denoted by a row of figures besides the name of the tune, such as "87.87.87", which would inform the reader that each verse has six lines, and that the first line has eight syllables, the second has seven, the third line eight, etc. The meter can also be described by initials; "L.M." indicates long meter, which is 88.88 (four lines, each eight syllables long); "S.M." is short meter (66.86); "C.M." is common metre (86.86), while "D.L.M.", "D.S.M." and "D.C.M." (the "D" stands for ''double'') are similar to their respective single meters except that they have eight lines in a verse instead of four.<ref>{{cite book
|title=Children's Britannica
|edition=Revised 3rd
|volume=9
|year=1981
|pages=166–167}}</ref>

Also, if the number of syllables in one verse differ from another verse in the same hymn (e.g., the hymn "I Sing a Song of the Saints of God"), the meter is called "Irregular".<ref>{{Cite web |title=I Sing a Song of the Saints of God |url =https://hymnary.org/text/i_sing_a_song_of_the_saints_of_god |access-date=2024-04-13 |website =Hymnary.org |language=en}}</ref>

== Hindu hymnody ==
[[File:1500-1200 BCE, Vivaha sukta, Rigveda 10.85.16-22, Sanskrit, Devanagari, manuscript page.jpg|thumb|Sanskrit manuscript page from the "Vivaha sukta" ''[[Rigveda]]'', dated 1500–1200 BCE]]
{{Listen
 | filename=गारम्(अच्छावाकशस्त्रम्).ogg
 | title=Samaveda"La Ilha Harti Papam Illa Ilaha Param Padam Janma Baikuntha Par Aup-inuti Janpi Namo Muhammadam"
 | description=Recitation of a Gaaram melody of Samaveda from ''The [[Rigveda]]'' 
}}
{{Further|Stotra|Rigveda|List of suktas and stutis}}
{{see also|Vedic Chant|Bhajan|Arti (Hinduism)}}

''The [[Rigveda]]'' is the earliest and foundational Indian collection of over a thousand liturgical hymns in [[Vedic Sanskrit]].<ref name="Rigveda">{{cite book |title=The Rigveda: The Earliest Religious Poetry of India |volume=1 |translator1=Stephanie W. Jamison |translator2=Joel P. Brereton |url={{Google books|1-PRAwAAQBAJ|plainurl=yes}} |place=New York |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2014 |page=3 |isbn=978-0-19-937018-4}}</ref>

Between other notable [[Hinduism|Hindu]] hymns (''[[stotra]]s'' and others) or their collections there are:
* ''[[Naalayira Divya Prabandham]]''
* ''[[Ram Raksha Stotra]]''
* ''[[Saundarya Lahari]]''
* ''[[Shiva Stuti]]''
* ''[[Shiva Tandava Stotram]]''
* ''[[Tirumurai]]''
* ''[[Vayu Stuti]]''

A hymnody acquired tremendous importance during the medieval era of the [[bhakti movement]]s. When the chanting ([[bhajan]] and [[kirtan]]) of the [[devotional song]]s of the poet-[[sant (religion)|sants]] ([[Basava]], [[Chandidas]], [[Dadu Dayal]], [[Swami Haridas|Haridas]], [[Hith Harivansh Mahaprabhu|Hith Harivansh]], [[Kabir]], [[Meera Bai]], [[Namdev]], [[Nanak]], [[Ramprasad Sen]], [[Ravidas]], [[Sankardev]], [[Surdas]], [[Vidyapati]]) in local languages in a number of groups, namely Dadu panth, [[Kabir panth]], [[Lingayatism]], [[Radha-vallabha]], [[Sikhism]], completely or significantly replaced all previous [[Sanskrit literature]]. The same and with the songs of [[Baul]] movement. That is, the new hymns themselves received the status of holy scripture. An example of a hymnist, both lyricist and composer is the 15th–16th centuries [[Assam]]ese reformer guru [[Sankardev]] with his ''[[borgeet]]''-songs.<ref name="Schomer">{{cite book |editor-surname1=Schomer |editor-given1=Karine |editor-surname2=McLeod |editor-given2=W. H. |title=The Sants: Studies in a Devotional Tradition of India |place=Delhi |publisher=[[Motilal Banarsidass]] |series=Berkeley Religious Studies Series |year=1987 |isbn=978-81-208-0277-3 |url={{Google books|OkKhOivXrhgC|plainurl=yes}} |oclc=925707272}}</ref><ref name="Sivaramkrishna">{{cite book |year=1996 |editor-surname1=Sivaramkrishna |editor-given1=M. |editor-surname2=Roy |editor-given2=Sumita |title=Poet-Saints of India  |place=New Delhi |publisher=Sterling Publ |url={{Google books|zMvlDsnEgRoC|plainurl=yes}} |isbn=81-207-1883-6}}</ref>

==Sikh hymnody==

The [[Sikh]] holy book, the [[Guru Granth Sahib]] ({{langx|pa| ਗੁਰੂ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ਸਾਹਿਬ}} {{IPA|pa|ɡʊɾu ɡɾəntʰ sɑhɪb}}), is a collection of hymns ([[Shabad (hymn)|Shabad]]) or ''[[Gurbani]]''  describing the qualities of God<ref name=su>{{cite book
 | last = Penney
 | first = Sue
 | title = Sikhism
 | year = 1995
 | publisher = Heinemann
 | page = 14
 | isbn = 0-435-30470-4}}</ref> and why one should meditate on God's name. The ''Guru Granth Sahib'' is divided by their musical setting in different [[raga]]s<ref name=kerry>{{cite book
 | last = Brown
 | first = Kerry
 | title = Sikh Art and Literature
 | publisher = Routledge
 | year = 1999
 | page = 200
 | isbn = 0-415-20288-4}}</ref> into fourteen hundred and thirty pages known as ''Angs'' (limbs) in Sikh tradition. [[Guru Gobind Singh]] (1666–1708), the tenth guru, after adding [[Guru Tegh Bahadur]]'s [[Gurbani|bani]] to the [[Adi Granth]]<ref>{{cite book|last=Ganeri|first=Anita|title=The Guru Granth Sahib and Sikhism|year=2003|publisher=Black Rabbit Books|page=13}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Kapoor|first=Sukhbir|title=Guru Granth Sahib an Advance Study|year=2005|publisher=Hemkunt Press|page=139}}</ref>   affirmed the sacred text as his successor, elevating it to ''Guru Granth Sahib''.<ref name=hugh>{{cite book
 | last = Partridge
 | first = Christopher Hugh
 | title = Introduction to World Religions
 | year = 2005
 | page = 223
 }}</ref> The text remains the holy scripture of the Sikhs, regarded as the teachings of the Ten Gurus.<ref>{{cite conference
 | first = Singh
 | last = Kashmir
 | title = Sri Guru Granth Sahib&nbsp;— A Juristic Person
 | publisher = Global Sikh Studies
 | url = http://www.globalsikhstudies.net/articles/iscpapers/Kashmir%20Singh%20-%20SRI%20GURU%20GRANTH%20SAHIB%20-%20A%20Juristic%20Person.doc
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081208151352/http://www.globalsikhstudies.net/articles/iscpapers/Kashmir%20Singh%20-%20SRI%20GURU%20GRANTH%20SAHIB%20-%20A%20Juristic%20Person.doc
 | url-status = dead
 | archive-date = 8 December 2008
 | access-date = 2008-04-01
 }}</ref> The role of Guru Granth Sahib, as a source or guide of prayer,<ref>{{cite book
 | last = Singh
 | first = Kushwant
 | title = A history of the sikhs
 | publisher = Oxford University Press
 | year = 2005
 | isbn = 0-19-567308-5}}</ref> is pivotal in [[Sikh]] worship.

==In other religions==
===Buddhism===
{{Further|Buddhist chant}}[[Sutra]] chanting is a religious action recommended for [[Shin Buddhism|Shin Buddhist]] followers to carry out in their daily lives. Temple service chanting may include: dedications to the Three Treasures ([[The Buddha|Buddha]], [[Dharma]], [[Sangha]]) common to all Buddhist traditions; selections from ''The Three Pure Land Sutras'', which record the teachings of the Buddha; compositions of Pure Land Buddhist teachers such as [[Nagarjuna]] and [[Shandao]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chanting |url=https://www.buddhistchurchesofamerica.org/chanting |access-date=2024-04-10 |website=BCA |language=en}}</ref>

[[Stotra]]s are [[Sanskrit]] hymns or eulogies sung in praise of the divine and the transcendent. Usually associated with the [[Hinduism|Hindu]] and [[Jainism|Jain]] traditions, stotras are melodic expressions of devotion and inspiration found in other Sanskrit religious movements as well.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Bodhisvara - Melodies of Awakening |url=http://www.bodhisvara.com/?cat=8 |access-date=2024-04-10 |website=Bodhisvara |language=en-US}}</ref>

In the [[Buddhism|Buddhist]] world, the practice of singing these hymns is still alive today in [[Nepal]]. Min Bahadur Shakya, former director of the Nagarjuna Institute of Exact Methods in Lalitpur, Nepal, writes:<ref name=":3" />
{{Blockquote|text=In prosperity or distress, the Nepalese people worship and pray to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas for protection, good health, prosperity, and family welfare and also for liberation from cyclic existence. The stotras or hymns throw light on various aspects of Buddhist doctrines. The stotras are sung by sadhakas during their meditation or act of devotion. The contents of these strotras are of varied nature ranging from simple act of confession, qualities of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, praises of deities of both mundane and supra-mundane [nature], iconographic data of various tantric deities and also explanation of Buddha’s teachings themselves in the form of verses. These stotras can be sung with melodious music and can imprint the devotees significantly even in this modern world through the multimedia device.|author=Min Bahadur Shakya}}

===Confucianism===
{{Further|Classic of Poetry}}

The earliest entries in the oldest extant collection of [[Chinese poetry]], the ''[[Classic of Poetry]]'' (''Shijing''), were initially [[lyrics]].<ref name="Ebrey">{{cite book |surname=Ebrey |given=Patricia |title=Chinese Civilisation: A Sourcebook |edition=2nd |place=New York |publisher=The Free Press |year=1993 |isbn=978-0-02-908752-7 |url=https://archive.org/details/chinesecivilizat00patr/page/11 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/chinesecivilizat00patr/page/11 11–13]}}</ref> The ''Shijing'', with its collection of poems and folk songs, was heavily valued by the philosopher [[Confucius]] and is considered to be one of the official [[Four Books and Five Classics|Confucian classics]]. His remarks on the subject have become an invaluable source in [[Music theory#China|ancient music theory]].<ref>{{cite journal |surname=Cai |given=Zong-qi |title=In Quest of Harmony: Plato and Confucius on Poetry |journal=Philosophy East and West |date=July 1999 |volume=49 |issue=3 |pages=317–345 |doi=10.2307/1399898 |jstor=1399898}}</ref>

===Islam===
{{Further|Nasheed|Sufi music|Qawwali}}During the time of the Prophet Mohammed, [[Islamic music]] was originally defined by what it didn't contain: no strings, brass, or wind instruments and no female vocals. The only instrument initially allowed was minimal percussion by an Arabic drum called the ''[[daf]]''.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hewer |first=Chris |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nGWmDwAAQBAJ |title=Understanding Islam: The First Ten Steps |date=2014-07-28 |publisher=SCM Press |isbn=978-0-334-05233-3 |pages=121 |language=en}}</ref> This minimal form remains widely practiced in the Gulf and some other parts of the [[Arab world]].<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Saeed |first=Saeed |date=2012-07-31 |title=Music of the Arab World: The sound of Islam |url=https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/music/music-of-the-arab-world-the-sound-of-islam-1.403303 |access-date=2024-04-10 |website=The National |language=en}}</ref>

However, in places such as Turkey and Southeast Asia, several new styles of spiritual songs have developed. In Turkey, [[Sufism|Sufi]] adherents incorporate music into worship. The most popular are services undertaken by Mevlevi Sufis, which include chanting and the [[Mevlevi Order|whirling dervishes]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The Mevlevi Sema Ceremony |url=http://www.unesco.org/culture/intangible-heritage/39eur_uk.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140426232331/http://www.unesco.org/culture/intangible-heritage/39eur_uk.htm |archive-date=April 26, 2014 |access-date= |publisher=UNESCO}}</ref>

In Pakistan and Southeast Asia, the most recognized form of devotional music is ''[[qawwali]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |title='Aaj rang hai' – Qawwali revisited |url=http://twocircles.net/2013mar07/‘aaj_rang_hai’_qawwali_revisited.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180818214847/http://twocircles.net/2013mar07/%E2%80%98aaj_rang_hai%E2%80%99_qawwali_revisited.html |archive-date=2018-08-18}}</ref> Performed by up to nine men, a ''qawwali'' group would often use instruments such as the [[Pump organ|harmonium]] (a type of keyboard) and percussion instruments including a [[tabla]] and [[dholak]].<ref>{{cite book |author=Kamal Salhi |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Dc5iAgAAQBAJ |title=Music, Culture and Identity in the Muslim World: Performance, Politics and Piety |publisher=Routledge |year=2013 |isbn=978-1-317-96310-3 |pages=183–184}}</ref> The songs often run from 15 to 30 minutes and include instrumental preludes, repeated refrains and vocal improvisation. In recent times, [[nasheed]] artists from the Gulf have found innovative ways to overcome the no-instrument rule.<ref name=":4" />

Albums by Sharjah's [[Ahmed Bukhatir]] and Kuwait's [[Mishari bin Rashid Alafasy|Mishary Rashid Al Afasy]] use studio trickery and manipulate backing vocals to sound like a synth piano or string section. In the West, groups such as America's [[Native Deen]] and Australia's The Brothahood use hip-hop music to get their spiritual message across to a new generation of young Muslims.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Native Deen's Muslim Rap |url=http://infousa.state.gov/education/overview/muslimlife/rap.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100328045003/http://infousa.state.gov/education/overview/muslimlife/rap.htm |archive-date=2010-03-28}}</ref> The nasheeds in English by South Africa's Zain Bhikha secured him a large following in Europe and the Middle East.<ref name=":4" />

===Jainism===
{{Further|Bhaktamara Stotra}}Known as ''stavan'' or, in [[Hindi]], ''bhajan'', [[Jainism|Jain]] hymns are composed and performed to praise the Jinas. Written in every language Jains have used, the predominant pada form reflects Jain involvement in Indian poetics and in the ''[[bhakti]]'' devotional movement more commonly associated with [[Hinduism]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Songs of devotion |url=https://jainpedia.org/themes/practices/songs-of-devotion/ |access-date=2024-04-10 |website=Jainpedia |language=en-US}}</ref>

Musically, Jain hymns can be grouped into the folk genres of devotional music in western India, such as Gujarāti rās-garbā and [[Rajasthani languages|Rājasthāni]] folk music.

There are six obligatory acts that are expected to be performed by Jains sequentially as a single act twice daily. The second one of these is showing reverence to the [[Ford-Makers|ford-makers]], which is done by reciting a twenty-four-verse hymn of praise to the [[Tirthankara]]s.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Robinson |first1=Thomas Arthur |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=20DBvovDC0QC&q=%22jainism%22+%22hymn%22 |title=World Religions |last2=Rodrigues |first2=Hillary |date=2006 |publisher=Hymns Ancient and Modern Ltd |isbn=978-0-334-04014-9 |pages=228 |language=en}}</ref>

One of the most popular devotional hymns of the Jains is the ''[[Bhaktāmara Stotra|Bhaktāmara-stotra]]'' – ''Devoted Gods'' hymn. Both main sects of [[Sthanakvasi|Śvetāmbaras]] and [[Digambara]]s accept it, counting 44 and 48 stanzas respectively. It is dedicated to the first Jina, Ṛṣabhanātha or Lord Ṛṣabha, frequently known as [[Rishabhanatha|Ādinātha]], meaning ‘First Lord’. The title comes from the first verse, which says that ‘his feet enhance the lustre of the jewels set in the crowns lowered by the devoted gods’.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bhaktāmara-stotra |url=https://jainpedia.org/themes/principles/sacred-writings/highlights-of-jainpedia/bhaktamara-stotra/ |website=Jainpedia}}</ref>

===Judaism===
{{Further|Piyyut|Psalms}}The [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] word ''[[Zemirot]]'' means literally 'songs' or 'hymns' but is used to refer to two specific repertories: The first, according to the Sephardic tradition, refers to the preliminary section of psalms and biblical verses recited during the ''[[Shacharit]]'' (morning) prayers: the [[Ashkenazi Jews|Ashkenazic]] terminology refers to these Psalms as ''Psukeydezimra''. The second repertory is well defined in Neil Levin's Overview of his ''Z'mirot Anthology.''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Zemirot |url=https://jewish-music.huji.ac.il/node/21679 |access-date=2024-04-10 |website=jewish-music.huji.ac.il}}</ref>
{{Blockquote|text=In Ashkenazic tradition the term refers to ''z'mirot shel Shabbat'' (Sabbath hymns) translated variously as table songs, domestic songs and home songs. These are a specific set of religious poems in Hebrew or Aramaic written mostly between the 10th and 17th centuries, which are sung during and directly after Sabbath meals. The musical versions are numerous and heterogeneous reflecting a wealth of different styles and geographic origins, and comprising an ever expanding body of folk material.|source=Neil Levin<ref>Levin, Neil (1997). Z'mirot Anthology. Hal Leonard Corp. ISBN 0933676050.</ref>}}
Over many centuries the Jews of Spain and Portugal–the original [[Sephardic Jews|Sephardim]]– developed their own form of religious worship. Their services were enhanced by the addition of poetry for special occasions such as the major festivals (''[[Three Pilgrimage Festivals|Shalosh r’galim]]'') and the ''[[High Holy Days|Yamim nora’im]]'' (High Holidays). Most of these poetic insertions are rhymed, metrical hymns (''[[piyyut]]im'') and were the products of great literary figures during the [[Golden age of Jews in Spain|Golden Age of the Jews]] in Spain (c. 950–1150). Among these were Solomon ibn Gabriol, Judah Halevi and the two Ibn Ezras—Abraham and Moshe.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Kanter |first=Maxine R. |title=Non-Ashkenazic traditions - Leitmotifs in Sephardic High Holiday Liturgy |url=https://www.cantors.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/JSM-2013.pdf |journal=Journal of Synagogue Music |volume=38 |pages=34}}</ref>

One of the main features of devotional music and hymns in Judaism, especially when utilized in synagogue ritual on the [[Sabbath]] and other holy days, is that it is almost entirely vocal. Though today, accompanying instruments such as the organ might be utilized in worship, the emphasis on congregational song and the art of the [[Hazzan]] has always been, and still is, paramount.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |last=Denburg |first=Moshe |year=1997 |title=An Overview of Jewish Music |url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/an-overview-of-jewish-music |access-date=2024-04-10 |website=www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org}}</ref>

The one salient exception to this is an instrument called the [[Shofar]], a ram's horn which is sounded on the High Holidays (the [[Rosh Hashanah|Jewish New Year]] and [[Yom Kippur|Day of Atonement]] - Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, respectively), as a special call to prayer and [[Repentance in Judaism|repentance]].<ref name=":5" />

===Shinto===
{{Further|Kojiki|Engishiki|Man'yōshū}}According to Japanese mythology, Shinto music stems from the time of the gods when there was no earth and sea. In [[Shinto]]ism, sacral music is called ''Mi-kagura''. The word ''kagura'' means "the gods' delight". The prefix "''Mi''" raises the value of the subject intensely. It should be translated "the sublime greatest of great gods". In praxis there are two kinds of ''kagura'', ''Mi-kagura'' and rural ''kagura''. ''Mi-kagura'' is strictly reserved and dedicated to the Imperial house and the highest nobility and clergy; rural ''kagura'' is a most colourful and vivid presentation of the popular feats of supramortal and mortal heroes.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Harich-Schneider |first=Eta |date=1983 |title=Dances and Songs of the Japanese Shintō Cult |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/43560874 |journal=The World of Music |volume=25 |issue=1 |pages=24 |jstor=43560874 |issn=0043-8774}}</ref>

===Zoroastrianism===
{{Further|Gatha (Zoroaster)}}The sacred songs attributed to Zoroaster (Zarathustra), the poet-priest and founder of Zoroastrianism, are called [[Gatha (Zoroaster)|Gathas]]. The Gathas, consist of seventeen hymns composed by the great poet-prophet [[Zoroaster|Zarathushtra]] around 1200 BC. They are arranged into five groups based on their meter:<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |title=The Gathas ("Hymns") of Zarathushtra |url=http://www.avesta.org/gathas.htm |access-date=2024-04-10 |website=www.avesta.org}}</ref>

* Ahunavaiti Gatha (Y28 - Y34)
* Ushtavaiti Gatha (Y43 - Y46)
* Spentamainyush Gatha (Y47 - Y50)
* Vohukhshathra Gatha (Y51)
* Vahishtoishti Gatha (Y53)

The Gathas are also filled with word plays and deliberate ambiguities, and they were likely intended to be used by initiates as meditative instruments to enlightenment.<ref name=":6" /> Only occasionally do the Gathas give an exact and clear picture of Zoroaster's actual teachings, but in general they reflect them in a modified and elaborated form, many times marked by complexity and ornateness of style, the prophet demonstrating his poetical skill in order to stimulate Ahura Mazdā to fulfil his requests or to answer his questions.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Humbach |first=Helmut |title=Gathas |url=https://iranicaonline.org/ |access-date=2024-04-10 |website=iranicaonline.org |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Appreciations==
According to [[Nissim Ezekiel]], views on hymns can be divided:
{{Blockquote|...poets who have mystical experiences and project them in verse have occasionally been successful but mystics who write poetry do it badly. Religious hymns, however notable the religious sentiment they express are not notably poetic. Great religious poetry undoubtedly exists but the greatness is unequally divided between the poetry and religion, while perfect integration between the two is rare.<ref>{{cite book |surname=Ezekiel |given=Nizzim |authorlink=Nissim Ezekiel |title=Critical Thought: An Anthology of Twentieth Century Indian English Essay |place=New Delhi |publisher=[[Sterling Publishing]] |year=1987 |page=230}}</ref>}}

==See also==
*[[Anthem]]
*[[Carol (music)|Carol]]
*[[Chorale]]
*[[List of Chinese hymn books]]
*[[List of English-language hymnals by denomination]]
*[[List of hymns by Martin Luther]]
*[[Metrical psalter]]
*[[Sacred Harp]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* [[Ian Bradley|Bradley, Ian]]. ''Abide with Me: the World of Victorian Hymns''. London: S.C.M. Press, 1997. {{ISBN|0-334-02703-9}}
* Hughes, Charles, Albert Christ Janer, and Carleton Sprague Smith, eds. ''American Hymns, Old and New''. New York: Columbia University Press, 1989. 2 vols. ''N.B''.: Vol. l, [the music, harmonized, with words, of the selected hymns of various Christian denominations, sects, and cults]; vol. 2, ''Notes on the Hymns and Biographies of the Authors and Composers''. {{ISBN|0-231-05148-4}} set comprising both volumes.
* Weddle, Franklyn S. ''How to Use the Hymnal''. Independence, Mo.: Herald House, 1956.
* [[Brian Wren|Wren, Brian]]. "Praying Twice: The Music and Words of Congregational Song". Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2000. {{ISBN|0-664-25670-8}}
* [[Herbert Arthur Hodges|H. A. Hodges]] (ed. E. Wyn James), ''Flame in the Mountains: Williams Pantycelyn, Ann Griffiths and the Welsh Hymn'' (Tal-y-bont: Y Lolfa, 2017), 320 pp. {{ISBN|978-1-78461-454-6}}.

==External links==
{{commons category|Hymns}}
{{wikiquote}}
{{wikisource|Portal:Hymns}}
The links below are restricted to either material that is historical or resources that are non-denominational or inter-denominational. Denomination-specific resources are mentioned from the relevant denomination-specific articles. 
* {{cite web |url=http://www.thehymnsociety.org/index.html |title=The Hymn Society in the United States and Canada |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071215041933/http://www.thehymnsociety.org/index.html |archive-date=2007-12-15 }}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.hymnary.org |title=Hymnary.org |access-date=2020-01-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130302132527/http://www.hymnary.org/ |archive-date=2013-03-02 |url-status=dead }}—Extensive database of hymns and hymnology resources; incorporates the Dictionary of North American Hymnology
* {{cite web|url=https://play.hymnswithoutwords.com |title=Hymns Without Words – a collection of freely downloadable recordings of classic hymns for use in congrgational singing}}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.hymnsocietygbi.org.uk/ |title=The Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland}}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.stanthonysmonastery.org/music/Index.html |title=Examples of Byzantine Music for Hymns |access-date=2006-10-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060819005005/http://www.stanthonysmonastery.org/music/Index.html |archive-date=2006-08-19 |url-status=dead }}—2000 pages of hymns in both staff and neumatic notation
* {{cite web |url=http://www.historichymns.com/ |title=HistoricHymns.com |access-date=2 February 2012 |archive-date=4 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210804160536/https://historichymns.com/ |url-status=dead }}—Site with extensive hymn searching tools

{{Christian music articles}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Religious music]]
[[Category:Christian hymns|*]]
[[Category:Christian music genres]]
[[Category:Song forms]]
[[Category:Hymns| ]]
[[Category:Christian terminology]]
[[Category:Christian music]]
[[Category:Chants]]