Hymnal 1982 According to the Use of the Episcopal Church

Rating:
Summary: This is a hymnal for all who like to sing.
Review: ...As a Roman Catholic who often cringes in church at hymns with smarmy lyrics and tunes which only a musicologist from a Catholic women's college could love, I envy our Episcopal sisters and brothers who get to use this wonderful book every Sunday. Not only does it include some of the best church music written in English, it also includes parts for many (if not most) of the tunes. I recommend this for Catholics who are frustrated by only finding the bare-bones melodies in the hymnals in Catholic churches (usually disposable "missalettes"). You can learn the parts from this book. There are some gems here: "St. Patrick's Breastplate" (the tune used in two of its verses is the oldest extent piece of Irish music), several GOOD modern hymns, including one by W.H. Auden, as well as many old tunes arranged by Ralph Vaughn-Williams, and a lovely four-part arrangement of Bach's "Wachet Auf" ("Sleepers Wake"). I use it to learn the parts at home, so that I can sing the tenor part for some of the hymns used in my own parish. It's a great resouce for anyone who loves to sing in church.

Rating:
Summary: Lift every voice!
Review: Most visitors and regular attenders of Episcopal services will find themselves juggling two books through the service -- the Book of Common Prayer, the standard bearer for Anglican liturgy and identity, and this book, the authorised Hymnal, last revised in 1982. Many denominations revise hymnals in each generation -- this one has served the church well in the past two decades, and is likely to serve for at least another decade, perhaps two. The previous Hymnal, produced in 1940, was greatly revised in the present volume; the classic English hymnal Hymns Ancient and Modern also plays a significant part in this hymnal.

There are two primary sections to the hymnal -- service music (denoted by S--- numbers), and regular hymns. There are 288 pieces in the service music section (S1 - S288); these include Glorias, Te Deums, Fraction anthems, canticles, psalm tones, chant pieces, and more for all the major liturgies -- morning prayer, evening prayer, eucharistic services, and more. There are compositions by major composers past and present (Schubert, Willan, Sowerby, Rutter, etc.), as well as pieces of various chants (plainchant, Ambrosian, etc.)

The hymns, 720 of them, are arranged first for the Daily Office use (1-46), hymns appropriate to seasons in the Church Year (Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week, Ascension, Pentecost, Saints days and other occasions -- hymn 47-293), hymns for particular liturgies (baptism, eucharist, confirmation, ordination, etc.) and then a long section of general hymns (362-634). These hymns are arranged by broad theological topic -- The Trinity, Praise to God, Jesus Christ, Church, Mission, etc. The hymn section concludes with rounds and canons and some general national songs.

The collection of hymns is remarkable. There are hymns based upon scripture and psalms directly. There are hymns that come from the earliest centuries of the church, the medieval time, the Reformation, and all through the Anglican period proper. There is a generous collection of old standards and modern compositions, between Catholic standard-bearers and Evangelical and Protestant hymns. While some songs give only the melody line, this is in fact a rare thing; most include full-music scores, many even with a descant.

The book is well indexed, with lists according to composer/arranger/source, author/translator, tune names, and first lines/titles. Also, the construction of the hymnal is fairly remarkable. There are nearly a thousand pages here, but the book is not a thick volume; the pages, on the other hand, are not the obnoxious onion-skin, but rather substantial pages that stand up to years of use by many hands, as a hymnal will be used.

This hymnal is a remarkable treasure of hymns old and new, updated for modern times. It is the case that no hymnal satisfies all, even within particular denominations, and people grow remarkably attached to the hymnals with which they grew up; even with this being the case, this hymnal has achieved wide acceptance and admiration within and outside of the Episcopal church, and remains one of the major hymnals available of any denomination.

Rating:
Summary: They squandered their chance to make a great Hymnal better!
Review: This is a terrible Hymnal. The type is thin and difficult to read, and they start one hymn on the same page where another finishes rather than starting each hymn on it's own page. They've made the words *Gender-Neutral* (i.e. "Good Christian Friends Rejoice") and needlessly changed the wording on several hymns to make them more Politically Correct.

The group that compiled this sorry excuse for a Christian Hymnal had a wonderful opportunity to make the superb 1940 Episcopal Hymnal even better than it already was. Indeed, they did add a couple of good new hymns, but they also deleted far too many excellent hymns from the 1940 Hymnal.

All in all, it was a dismal collaborative effort by non-musical, politically-driven cretins. It is still in use by most Episcopal congregations today, perhaps partially explaining the disarray the Church finds itself in today.

Rating:
Summary: Standard Hymnal for the Episcopal Church
Review: This is the standard hymnal that Episcopalians use. This is the blue cloth edition, which probably graces the back of the average Episcopal Church pew. Inside this hymnal is a broad cross-section of traditional hymns, newer praise songs, and everything in-between. Many of the hymns are firmly placed within Catholic tradition, and were written by great theologians and hymn writers from ages past: Clement of Alexandria, Thomas Aquinas, St. Bernard, Francis of Assisi, and Martin Luther. There are also newer, more evangelical tunes. The variety demonstrates the varying beliefs within the church, but when these Catholic and Evangelical elements are combined, we have a substantial, yet living faith.

Each hymn is grouped according to the church season, such as Advent and Easter. Also, there are hymns listed by various themes, such as hymns for our nation. In the front of the hymnal we have the chants and hymns that make up much of the liturgical experience: the Agnus Dei (lamb of God), the Kyrie, the Alleluia, The Lord's Prayer, the Gloria in excelsius, the Trisagion (Holy, Holy, Holy). The Hymnal 1982 also includes more hymns and anthems than these. Each musical liturgical element is offered in both Rite I (older music) and Rite II (a newer, updated sound).

Overall, I cherish this hymnal. The music is always theologically deep and the songs are all well chosen. The songs are so varied that there is certainly an appropriate song available for each part of the service, and for different services entirely. For instance, once would choose a different hymn for a thanksgiving service, than for a service following a tragedy. For those who just want an excellent collection of deep and historic hymns, this book will work. For Episcopalians, this book has shaped, and will continue to shape, our community's worship of God.