Academic literature on the topic 'Contributions in hymnody'

The introduction of hymns and hymn-singing has been described as one of the greatest contributions made by dissent to English worship. Yet, with the exception of specialist studies by hymnologists, church historians have largely ignored eighteenth-century hymns and hymn-singing, though it is clear they represented a powerful and popular source of contemporary religious expression. Hymns, that is compositions which depart too far from Scripture to be called paraphrases, have been one of the most effective mediums of religious thought and feeling, second only to the Bible in terms of their influence. The only recent academic studies have been in English Literature, where hymns have been examined as literary texts for their poetic value. As a consequence neither the historical context of the development of the hymn in the decades following the 1689 Toleration Act, nor the liturgical significance of their introduction to public worship, has been addressed.

Creative Recycling: A Note on Two Grundtvig HymnsBy Jakob BallingThis short article, which consists in a slightly revised extract from the writer’s contribution to the Grundtvig conference in York, August 24th-27th, 2000, discusses two examples of the use by Grundtvig, the hymn-writer, of central elements of old church and old European tradition.The intention is to demonstrate how, in Tag det sorte kors fra graven he resumes and transmits, in his own independent way, the idea of older Christianity - engendered in part by its Biblical view - about the convergence of times in the now of the church service, and how, in his Te Deum: O, store Gud, vi love dig he extends the perspective of the Latin source with the result that the poem becomes more old church, so to speak, than the source itself. In support of the exposition, the writer’s translation of the two hymns into English prose is attached.

Grundtvig and the Latin Hymns - A Theological PerspectiveBy Lars ThunbergA number of scholars have devoted attention to Grundtvig’s hymns, as they are represented in his magnificent Sang-Værk. The hymns form a kind of corona of Christian poetry, intended for the congregation to use in its worship and outside the church. A number of them are congenial renderings of hymns from other traditions: the Greek, the Latin, the Anglo-Saxon, beside the Lutheran. As far as the Greek and the Latin material is concerned, Jørgen Elbek, the literary historian, has made a remarkable contribution. This article follows up Elbek’s intentions.In his Sang-Værk Grundtvig follows the principle that his collection of hymns should reflect what is given - to Christendom as a whole, and the Danish congregation specifically - through the seven historical traditions: the Hebraic, the Greek, the Latin, the English, the German, the Nordic (= Danish) and possibly a seventh, not yet fully discovered. Theoretically Grundtvig develops this idea in his late work Christenhedens Syvstieme, where an Indian congregation is indicated as the seventh one. Elbek has shown that - against this background - Grundtvig wanted to give to the Danish Church a collection of hymns, expressing the unison hymnody of the present day Danish congregation..Among the classical traditions, the Latin ‘congregation’ occupies a particular place. This particularity, however, is a problem to Grundtvig at the same time. Elbek has underlined that Grundtvig was aware of the fact that no Christian is basically able to speak on behalf of the universal Church. Thus, this is also true of Grundtvig himself in his translation/rendering of Greek or Latin hymns. His translation of them into present-day Danish involves a contextualisation, which means that they are at the same time felt to be close and familiar as well as distinct from their original setting. They become songs of praise, integrated into the Danish contemporary situation.However, it is characteristic of Grundtvig that he is very faithful to his Latin originals (which he studied in different versions and very carefully), and at the same time feels free to render them according to his own understanding of what is of importance to his own Danish Church. This combination of faithfulness and freedom is a genuine expression of Grundtvig’s unique ability as a hymn writer. He uses it to express his very personal feeling of what is - as a matter of fact - universal Christian belief.In the article these principles of Grundtvig are illustrated through a short analysis of his rendering of the following 14 Latin hymns: Conditor alme siderum, Veni redemptor gentium, Puer natus in Bethlehem, Vexilla regis prodeunt, Salve crux arbor, Stabat mater dolorosa, Salve mundi salutare, Mane prima sabbad, Mundi renovatio, Zyma vetus expurgetur, Laus tibi Christi, Beata nobis gaudia, Urbs beata Ierusalem and Pange lingua gloriosi.

Uffe Hansen 14.12. 1894 - 11.9. 1994By Henning HøirupThe obituary begins with a description of Uffe Hansen’s background as an Independent Congregation clergyman (from 1925) to the Grundtvigian Independent Congregation (Danish valgmenighed, i.e. a congregation within the National Church, claiming the right to employ their own minister) of Ubberup, where the prominent clergymen V.J.Hoff and Carl Koch were his predecessors. Carl Koch’s extensive writings, theologically erudite, but .popular. in their language, and thus accessible to the layman, were to become the model for Uffe Hansen’s studies in Grundtvig’s hymnwriting. Through his membership of the Hymn Book Commission of the free Grundtvigian congregations (HYMNS. Independent Congregations and Free Church Congregations, 1935), Uffe Hansen was motivated to realize his plan of a complete account of the whole of Grundtvig’s hymn writing in the book Grundtvig’s Hymn Writing. Its History and Content I. 1810-1837, published in 1937. In the following years Uffe Hansen was absorbed in organizational work (Grundtvigian Convent, the »No More War« organization) and by his membership of the Grundtvigian Hymn Book Committee (The Danish Hymn Book. A Grundtvigian Proposal, 1944). In the 1940s efforts were made to unite the hymn tradition of the re-united Southern Jutland with the traditions of the Kingdom, i.e. the old Danish treasury of hymns and the Grundtvigian hymns. Uffe Hansen became a member of the Hymn Book Commission which published the proposal The Danish Hymn Book in 1951. More than anybody else, Uffe Hansen is responsible for the large number of Grundtvig hymns in this proposal, often with verses from the original versions of the hymns added to them. In spite of vehement criticism on this point The Danish Hymn Book was authorized in 1953. Grundtvig remained the predominant contributor, even though significant Grundtvig hymns, expressing his church view, were omitted, much to Uffe Hansen’s regret. The Hymn Book includes Uffe Hansen’s own translation of the Latin antiphone Oh, Grant Us Peace, Our Lord. While this debate was going on, the continuation of Uffe Hansen’s work, Grundtvig9s Hymn Writing II. 1837-1850 appeared in 1951, an important contribution to a comprehensive interpretation of Grundtvig’s work to renew the Danish hymnody. However, Uffe Hansen’s main achievement as a hymn researcher was his work as a co-editor of Grundtvig’s Song-Work I-VI, 1944-1964. This new edition was worked out on scientific principles, and the hymns were brought in chronological order, as far as it was possible. The edition included a critical variant apparatus, compiled by Uffe Hansen. Concurrently with this work, Uffe Hansen participated in the compilation of a Register of Grundtvig’s Posthumous Papers 1-IXXX, 1956-1964, and, while engaged on this, found several hitherto unknown hymns, which were included in the new edition of the Song-Work.Here Uffe Hansen’s abilities as a researcher and scholar were amply demonstrated. Then, in 1966, came his finalwork, Grundtvig’s Hymn Writing III. 1851-1872, which, like the other volumes, testify to Uffe Hansen’s talent for combining erudition with easy comprehensibility. In his last years Uffe Hansen lived in Holland; he was laid to rest from the Independent Congregation Church of Ubberup.

Although hymn singing has always been a feature of Christian worship, it was largely lost in the Church of England after the Reformation. It experienced a revival in the eighteenth century among Dissenters and Wesleyans, though the Church of England was slow to grasp the opportunity that hymns offered. The Tractarians understood the devotional and didactic value of hymns and they worked to restore hymns within Anglicanism. A number of Tractarians made original contributions in words and music, bringing to their verses an intellectual rigour that discouraged mere emotionalism. Above all, in the publication of Hymns Ancient & Modern they changed permanently the face of Anglican worship.