The ''Christian Science Hymnal'' is a collection of

hymn 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. The word ''hy ...

s used in Christian Science church services including Sunday services and Wednesday evening testimony meetings, as well as in occasional informal hymn sings.

Content

The ''Christian Science Hymnal'' includes both traditional Christian hymns and hymns unique to the Christian Science hymnal. The hymnal includes tunes from a variety of styles and nationalities. It gives metronomic markings to help musicians, but never a fixed tempo, so that the musicians may find the appropriate speed for the building, congregation, or situation themselves. The hymnal includes seven poems by the denomination's founder

Mary Baker Eddy Mary Baker Eddy (July 16, 1821 – December 3, 1910) was an American religious leader and author who founded The Church of Christ, Scientist, in New England in 1879. She also founded ''The Christian Science Monitor'', a Pulitzer Prize-winning se ...

set to various tunes: ''Christ My Refuge'', ''Christmas Morn'', ''Communion Hymn'', ''Feed My Sheep'', ''Love'', ''Mother's Evening Prayer'', and ''Satisfied''. The hymnal also includes hymns written by John Greenleaf Whittier,

Isaac Watts Isaac Watts (17 July 1674 – 25 November 1748) was an English Congregational minister, hymn writer, theologian, and logician. He was a prolific and popular hymn writer and is credited with some 750 hymns. His works include "When I Survey the ...

Samuel Longfellow Samuel Longfellow (1819–1892) was an American clergyman and hymn writer. Biography Samuel Longfellow was born June 18, 1819, in Portland, Maine, the last of eight children of Stephen and Zilpah (Wadsworth) Longfellow. His older brother was the ...

, and many others. A 2017 supplement added modern hymn and tune authors, such as

Dietrich Bonhoeffer Dietrich Bonhoeffer (; 4 February 1906 – 9 April 1945) was a German Lutheran pastor, theologian and anti-Nazi dissident who was a key founding member of the Confessing Church. His writings on Christianity's role in the secular world have ...

History

At the beginning of the Christian Science movement, congregants used other Christian hymnals, but in 1890 the Publishing Society printed a 17 hymn words-only booklet, which was followed two years later in 1892 by the first formal ''Christian Science Hymnal''.The Christian Science Hymnal
Longyear Museum. 24 April 2014 The hymnal contained 210 hymns, and generally presented two hymns on a single page, in their poetic form, in conjunction with two or three tunes to which either could be sung. Hymns 179-193 were presented individually, interlined with their respective tunes.

Organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists. In addition, an organist may accompany congregational h ...

and music editor for the hymnal Lyman F. Brackett (1852-1937) contributed 99 of the book's tunes. The layout of the book is described in the Preface: :"The system of arrangement is original and unique. On the pages with the hymns, have been placed standard tunes familiar to every church-goer. Every second tune is by an English or German composer of unquestioned musical ability, and will be found adapted either to chorus-choir, or advanced congregational singing. Every third tune has been composed by Mr. Brackett especially for this work;..." After 1892, the hymnal was revised in 1898, 1903, and 1910.Did Mary Baker Eddy approve all the selections in the 1932 “Christian Science Hymnal”?
Mary Baker Eddy Library. 26 October 2017 The revised hymnals presented the hymns interlined with their tunes for easier reading, as is common practice in America today. Eddy was not closely involved in the 1910 revision of the hymnal, but had input on a few hymns, for instance approving a tune for her poem ''Mother's Evening Prayer''.

1932 edition

In 1928 the Christian Science Board of Directors appointed initial committees in London and Boston to create another revision, which was published in 1932. Violet S. Hay was involved in this process as the chairman of the London committee, and seven of her hymns appear in the final product. The hymns in the 1932 edition were primarily alphabetical by first line, some with alternate tune settings, and include information on the author, tune composer,

meter The metre (British spelling) or meter (American spelling; see spelling differences) (from the French unit , from the Greek noun , "measure"), symbol m, is the primary unit of length in the International System of Units (SI), though its pref ...

, and use by permission. There were 429 hymns/tunes: 297 hymns were presented with different tune settings (241 appeared in the 1910 edition). Alternate tunes setting the same hymn were presented in numerical succession in the main body of the book (a change from the 1910 edition). The final 29 entries were in the Supplement section which was present in the original printing of the 1932 book: :"In a few cases the familiar arrangement of a tune has been placed in the Supplement, and a new arrangement in the body of the book.... The Supplement, which is serially numbered though not alphabetically arranged, includes also hymns and tunes which are more or less locally or nationally rather than internationally serviceable." Settings of Eddy's poems, ''Love'', and ''Satisfied'', first appeared with the 1932 edition. More numerous alternate settings of the seven hymns by Eddy were provided, as they are chosen often for use in worship services. Index listings include tunes alphabetically, tunes metrically, composers and sources, tempo indications, authors and sources, and first lines. Found in the Supplement section are the hymns, ''

I Need Thee Every Hour Annie Hawks (May 28, 1836 - January 3, 1918) was an American poet and gospel hymnist who wrote a number of hymns with her pastor, Robert Lowry. She contributed to several popular Sunday school hymnbooks, and wrote the lyrics to a number of well ...

'', ''I'm a Pilgrim and I'm a Stranger'', and ''Eternity'', which were originally included in the hymnal at the request of Eddy. The 1932 version became the standard through the present day, typically in first blue, then brown cover, with an

octagonal In geometry, an octagon (from the Greek ὀκτάγωνον ''oktágōnon'', "eight angles") is an eight-sided polygon or 8-gon. A '' regular octagon'' has Schläfli symbol and can also be constructed as a quasiregular truncated square, t, w ...

emboss EMBOSS is a free open source software analysis package developed for the needs of the molecular biology and bioinformatics user community. The software automatically copes with data in a variety of formats and even allows transparent retrieval o ...

of the Original Mother Church tower and Extension dome. It has been

translated Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''transla ...

into numerous languages; the tunes and hymn numbers are maintained, joined to the

vernacular A vernacular or vernacular language is in contrast with a "standard language". It refers to the language or dialect that is spoken by people that are inhabiting a particular country or region. The vernacular is typically the native language, n ...

versions of the texts. Visitors would be able to sing in their own language, joining with the congregation singing in the other language.

New supplements and editions

During the early 1980s, exploratory work was undertaken into a third edition, with many new tunes and texts planned for inclusion, but the project was shelved in 1988. In late 2008, a new supplement containing 33 additional hymns/tunes was published in booklet form. In 2017, The Church published ''Christian Science Hymnal: Hymns 430–603''. This hymnal complements the 1932 edition, and includes contemporary and traditional hymns, and hymns from around the world. The 2017 edition consists of 174 hymns, including 30 from the 2008 Supplement and 17 new settings of poems by Mary Baker Eddy.

References

External links