Lost Hymns of The United Methodist Hymnal

As I travel to training events around the U.S.A., I get to participate in a wide variety of worship styles and settings. Sometimes I help plan and lead; at other times, I am part of the congregation. I have begun to ask people who lead these events — and those attendng the events — "What are the hymns in The United Methodist Hymnal (1989) that you NEVER sing in your home churches/" What hymns and songs in our now seventeen-year-old hymnal do you never have people sing in congregational worship?"

The responses vary widely, of course, but I can begin to compile a list of titles that are largely ignored by planners and unknown to congregations. Inevitably, when I share this list in a workshop I'm leading, there are some who say, ?Oh, no! I can't believe that! That's one of my congregation's favorites!" Yes, that may be true; but in general, I'd like to suggest that the following hymns in our hymnal are largely ignored and remain unknown. Some of the possible reasons follow the list.

It is important to remember that a hymn's appearance on this list is not a reflection of its quality, beauty, or worth. It is merely an indication that, for whatever reason, it is not being sung by United Methodists in the majority, English-speaking U.S.A congregations. And here are some of those reasons:

81, "¡Canta, Débora, Canta!" Many non-English hymns are still unknown. They were included as a reflection of the growing ethnic and cultural diversity of the church and its presence around the world and to encourage us to celebrate and embrace that diversity by singing global music. The barriers of language and indigenous musical styles have not been overcome. Some of these hymns have entered the repertoire, while others have not.

93, "Let All the World in Every Corner Sing": George Herbert's text, known to many from its appearance in The Cokesbury Worship Hymnal and the 1966 Methodist Hymnal, acquired a new tune by Erik Routley in our hymnal that has bold harmonies, long sweeping phrases, multiple meters, and some light dissonances. These are traits many singers find unpleasant, difficult, and reasons for not wanting to learn the new tune. Similar statements might be said of "Christ Upon the Mountain Peak" (260 ), "Silence, Frenzied, Unclean Spirit" (264), "Weary of All Trumpeting" (442 ), "Serenity" (499), and "Father We Thank You" (563).

728, "Come Sunday": This song contains a number of non-hymn traits, including the introductory phrase's "Oo" text, jazz-pop harmonies, wide leaps, an extreme melodic range, and a line of spoken text. Duke Ellington's sacred song was never intended for congregational singing. There are a number of ethnic hymns on my list that may enjoy good popularity within those congregations; but in the wider church, they are unknown and unsung.

275, "The Kingdom of God": Austin Lovelace's melody is simple enough, pentatonic, consisting of only steps and thirds, with no dissonant harmonies. But can congregations sing such a rhythmically free and expressive line, almost improvisational in character? This is but one of many on this list that are true masterpieces waiting to be discovered by congregations.

508, "Faith, While Trees Are Still in Blossom": Sometimes the text is the obstacle. In this case, it requires the singer to think hard on the symbols and beauty of the poetry to glean the meaning. The words are simple enough, but the thoughts are complex. The thickness, density, and complexity of the language can also make it difficult for modern singers to understand the theology and meaning of a hymn, including some by Wesley. Compare, for instance, the language and phrasing of 650, "Give Me the Faith Which Can Remove" (Wesley), whose text is not really all that difficult to grasp, with that of almost any modern-day praise chorus.

716, "Rejoice, the Lord Is King": This loved Wesley text has been with us in all hymnals with the more familiar tune at 715. The GOPSAL tune, composed by Handel expressly for this Wesley text as a solo song, shares traits with music found in his oratorios, including the concluding musical coda. The obstacle for today'scongregations is that the DARWALL'S 148th tune is so well-liked and familiar.

A number of hymns on my list were undoubtedly included in the hymnal primarily for a soloist or the choir. Some hymns were included, not for the broad majority of people, but for a number of smaller constituencies with specific musical needs. Some hymns are intended for quite specific and limited liturgical or seasonal use, thus limiting their frequency of singing and their familiarity. Some texts express emotional contents or evoke emotional responses — sadness, suffering, evil, anger — that are thought to be unpleasant or difficult to sing and are thus avoided.

I have listed "all the canticles." There are eighteen in the hymnal, indexed on page 935. There are several problems with the canticles:

• The accompaniments are missing and must be found in a separate volume;
• For those who actually want to sing the verses, the pointing and melodies are also missing from the hymnal; and
• We're not quite sure when to use them. We know that they are not psalms because they are not contained in the Psalter in the back of the hymnal, and they don't show up each week in the lectionary. They are so different from the hymns. When in the service do we use them? Do we sing them as we would a hymn? Or is there some proper liturgical use?

My list of ignored hymns is long, and there are more reasons why they appear on the list than can be covered here. There are reasons resulting from musical style, text style and content; theology; generational differences of our worshipers; and differences of geographical regions, cultures, ethnic, and language groups, and politics in the church. I'm willing (and anxious) to hear evidence that one or more of these titles do not belong on my list; but remember that their inclusion here is not a reflection of worth, beauty, or quality — only frequency of use.

Read "Finding the Lost Hymns of The United Methodist Hymnal" (Music Musing 105)