Guldberg's hymnal (published as ''Psalme-Bog eller En Samling af gamle og nye Psalmer'' 'Hymnal or A Collection of Old and New Hymns') is a hymnal that was created by Bishop Ludvig Harboe and Ove Høegh-Guldberg and was authorized for use in 1778.

Background

On behalf of King

Christian VII of Denmark Christian VII (29 January 1749 – 13 March 1808) was King of Denmark–Norway, Denmark and Norway and Duke of Duchy of Schleswig, Schleswig and Duchy of Holstein, Holstein from 1766 until his death in 1808. He was affected by mental illness and ...

, Denmark's de facto prime minister, Ove Høegh-Guldberg, appointed a two-person committee, consisting of himself and the bishop of

Zealand Zealand ( ) is the largest and most populous islands of Denmark, island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size) at 7,031 km2 (2715 sq. mi.). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 Januar ...

, Ludvig Harboe, to prepare a new hymnal. They sought to modernize Kingo's hymnal, primarily by removing the hymns that lacked the requisite "correctness, dignity, and strength" or whose poetic quality was too weak. To replace the hymns that would be removed from the authorized hymnal, Birgitte Cathrine Boye received royal funding to write and translate hymns.''Store norske leksikon'': Birgitte Cathrine Boye.
/ref>''Dansk Kvindebiografisk Leksikon'': Birgitte Boye (1742–1824).
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Content

The hymnal contains 438 hymns taken from various sources: *32 from Thomissøn's hymnal *101 from Kingo's hymnal *144 from Erik Pontoppidan's hymnal *161 new hymns, of which 24 were from Germany, 133 from Denmark, and two from Norway. Birgitte Cathrine Boye wrote 124 of the 133 new Danish hymns in the volume. The two Norwegian hymns were written by Johan Vibe.Liestøl, Knut, & Edvard Stang. 1938. ''Norges litteraturhistorie''. Oslo: Gyldendal Norsk Forlag, p. 129.Bull, Francis. 1958. ''Norsk litteratur historie: Norges litteratur, fra reformasjonen til 1814''. Oslo: Aschehoug. Boye also translated some hymns, so overall 146 hymns, or one-third of those in the volume, can be credited to her.

Editions and authorization

The book is arranged following the

liturgical year The liturgical year, also called the church year, Christian year, ecclesiastical calendar, or kalendar, consists of the cycle of liturgical days and seasons that determines when feast days, including celebrations of saints, are to be obse ...

, with hymns designated for each Sunday and hymns for other church events. The book also contains some morning and evening hymns, and at the end 38 hymns with the

Passion of Jesus The Passion (from Latin , "to suffer, bear, endure") is the short final period before the death of Jesus, described in the four canonical gospels. It is commemorated in Christianity every year during Holy Week. The ''Passion'' may include, amo ...

as their theme. Guldberg's hymnal introduced some

Pietist Pietism (), also known as Pietistic Lutheranism, is a movement within Lutheranism that combines its emphasis on biblical doctrine with an emphasis on individual piety and living a holy Christianity, Christian life. Although the movement is ali ...

hymns from Pontoppidan's hymnal into use in Norwegian churches. When Niels Schiørring's book of melodies was added to Guldberg's hymnal, some new hymn melodies came into use. The hymnal was issued for the first time in 1778 and was printed in new editions in the following years. It was authorized for use and adopted in Copenhagen in 1781 and in other towns in 1783; however, the powerful prime minister Guldberg was then forced to resign, and the introduction of the hymnal in rural areas was postponed. The book later came into more widespread use in Norway than in Denmark and, when Norway received its own assembly in 1814, the book was one of the three authorized hymnals in Norway, alongside Kingo's hymnal and the '' Lutheran-Christian Hymnal''.

Background

Content

Editions and authorization

References

Further reading