On twitter and on facebook I have been asking for resources for historical background and commentaries for hymns – especially online ones. I collect those resources here (thanks for all your help – some of the comments are pasted here in quotes). If you know of others please add them in the comments. This site is one of the central starting points for all things Liturgy on the internet. It produces original material, and where it does not, it does not replicate other resources but provides links to other sites of excellence. If this isn’t the best collection of hymnal links on the internet it will be after you add the ones missing 🙂
Lectionary.org Hymn Stories
Hymn History (Schaefer family)
Dr Chadwick’s Hymn Backgrounds
Oremus doesn’t have historical notes/reflections with each hymn, there is a lectionary index that is helpful for hymn selection. Hymnals (over 50 of them) where the hymns may be located are also listed and indexed.
“The Episcopal Church [USA] has an excellent Hymnal Compantion [4 Volumes no less]. A bit pricy, but excellect.”
Presumed to be ISBN: 978-0-89869-143-6
http://www.churchpublishing.org/products/index.cfm?fuseaction=productDetail&productID=64
“In book form only, the Church of Ireland has produced a companion to the church hymnal which gives background to every hymn in the collection. Both available from the Good Book Shop in Belfast and makes a terrific gift!” No title or website provided
“I have 1940 Hymnal and Companion (one volume) and love them.”
a very recently published resource for the United Methodist Book of Hymns and The Faith We Sing (which is an added volume in addition to the Book of Hymns in the United Methodist Church:
by Dean McIntyre from the General Board of Discipleship: Worship-Music…
http://www.amazon.com/Reference-Companion-United-Methodist-Hymnal/dp/0881775770/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1248383707&sr=1-1
also for the General Board of Discipleship Worship Resource site:
http://www.gbod.org/worship
http://www.hymntime.com/tch/
http://nethymnal.org/
From the Facebook Liturgy page:
http://songsandhymns.org/hymns/
Have you tried my site?
Over 37000 titles, 8000 hymn writers, 28000 hymn tune titles, 22000 Scripture refs.
“Cut and paste” lyrics from public domain material.
Can also use a “slide show” to project using a data projector.
busy adding a section for suggested hymns for the Revised Common Lectionary.
http://www.GodSongs.net – an eclectic collection with Catholic leanings, focussing on hymns from more “folk” genres that haven’t been so widely published, especially from Ireland and England.
Thanks a lot, Mary. Blessings.