Dictionary of Hymnology
Learn hymn terms, meters, forms, and the history behind Christian worship music — curated for hymn lovers, worship leaders, and students.
A little while—our Lord shall come
Hymn
James George Deck's influential 1841 Advent hymn, rooted in Plymouth Brethren hymnody and adopted across prom…
A look to Jesus saves the soul
History
Albert Midlane’s 1862 conversion hymn, featured in Gospel Echoes and compiled across several late Victorian r…
A mighty mystery we set forth
History
George Rawson's 1857 baptismal hymn exploring the spiritual union of the believer with Christ's death and res…
A mourning class, a vacant seat
Hymn
An anonymous 1835 Sunday School hymn composed to comfort classmates after the death of a fellow student, wide…
A nation God delights to bless
Hymn
Charles Wesley's 1762 patriotic hymn focusing on national peace, rooted in the text of Job 34:29 and preserve…
A Patre Unigenitus
History
An anonymous Latin Epiphany hymn originating between the tenth and thirteenth centuries, notable for its uniq…
A Patre Unigenitus (English Translations)
History
The principal nineteenth-century English translations of the ancient Latin Epiphany hymn 'A Patre Unigenitus'…
A pilgrim through this lonely world
Hymn
Sir Edward Denny's solemn 1839 Passiontide hymn detailing Christ's earthly isolation, popular within Plymouth…
A sinful man am I
History
Horatius Bonar's 1867 Short Meter invitation hymn exploring human brokenness and Christ's call, published in …
A solis ortus cardine (Coelius Sedulius)
History
Coelius Sedulius's landmark fifth-century alphabetical acrostic poem on the life of Christ, which shaped medi…
A solis ortus cardine (Translations and Structural Variants)
History
An index of the nineteenth-century English and German translations of Coelius Sedulius's hymn, detailing the …
A sure and tried foundation stone
Hymnology
A historical summary of James Montgomery's 1822 foundation stone hymn, detailing its composition for St. Phil…
A thousand oracles divine
Hymnology
An overview of Charles Wesley's intensely dogmatic Trinitarian hymn, tracing its publication history, denomin…
A time to watch, a time to pray
Hymnology
A historical summary of John Mason Neale's 1842 Good Friday children's hymn, detailing its structural composi…
A voice comes from Ramah
Hymnology
A publication history of William Knox's scriptural hymn on bereavement, tracking its textual origins from Jer…
A voice upon the midnight air
Hymnology
A publication summary of the anonymous Passiontide hymn 'A voice upon the midnight air,' charting its origin …
A widow poor, forlorn, oppressed
Hymnology
A publication summary of Charles Wesley's prayerful hymn based on the Gospels, tracing its history from a 176…
A widowed mother lost her son
Hymnology
A publication history of Dorothy Ann Thrupp's hymn on divine compassion, tracking its 1840 debut under her in…
A---y.
History
The pseudonym "A---y." used in the Gospel Magazine by Job Hupton, representing the parish of Ashby where he r…
A. (Ann Gilbert)
History
The signature "A." as used to denote Ann Gilbert (née Taylor) in William Bengo Collyer's Collection of Hymns,…
A look to Jesus saves the soul
History
Albert Midlane’s 1862 conversion hymn, featured in Gospel Echoes and compiled across several late Victorian r…
A mighty mystery we set forth
History
George Rawson's 1857 baptismal hymn exploring the spiritual union of the believer with Christ's death and res…
A mourning class, a vacant seat
Hymn
An anonymous 1835 Sunday School hymn composed to comfort classmates after the death of a fellow student, wide…
A nation God delights to bless
Hymn
Charles Wesley's 1762 patriotic hymn focusing on national peace, rooted in the text of Job 34:29 and preserve…
A Patre Unigenitus
History
An anonymous Latin Epiphany hymn originating between the tenth and thirteenth centuries, notable for its uniq…
A Patre Unigenitus (English Translations)
History
The principal nineteenth-century English translations of the ancient Latin Epiphany hymn 'A Patre Unigenitus'…
A pilgrim through this lonely world
Hymn
Sir Edward Denny's solemn 1839 Passiontide hymn detailing Christ's earthly isolation, popular within Plymouth…
A sinful man am I
History
Horatius Bonar's 1867 Short Meter invitation hymn exploring human brokenness and Christ's call, published in …
A solis ortus cardine (Coelius Sedulius)
History
Coelius Sedulius's landmark fifth-century alphabetical acrostic poem on the life of Christ, which shaped medi…
A solis ortus cardine (Translations and Structural Variants)
History
An index of the nineteenth-century English and German translations of Coelius Sedulius's hymn, detailing the …
A sure and tried foundation stone
Hymnology
A historical summary of James Montgomery's 1822 foundation stone hymn, detailing its composition for St. Phil…
A thousand oracles divine
Hymnology
An overview of Charles Wesley's intensely dogmatic Trinitarian hymn, tracing its publication history, denomin…
A time to watch, a time to pray
Hymnology
A historical summary of John Mason Neale's 1842 Good Friday children's hymn, detailing its structural composi…
A voice comes from Ramah
Hymnology
A publication history of William Knox's scriptural hymn on bereavement, tracking its textual origins from Jer…
A voice upon the midnight air
Hymnology
A publication summary of the anonymous Passiontide hymn 'A voice upon the midnight air,' charting its origin …
A widow poor, forlorn, oppressed
Hymnology
A publication summary of Charles Wesley's prayerful hymn based on the Gospels, tracing its history from a 176…
A widowed mother lost her son
Hymnology
A publication history of Dorothy Ann Thrupp's hymn on divine compassion, tracking its 1840 debut under her in…
A---y.
History
The pseudonym "A---y." used in the Gospel Magazine by Job Hupton, representing the parish of Ashby where he r…
A. (Ann Gilbert)
History
The signature "A." as used to denote Ann Gilbert (née Taylor) in William Bengo Collyer's Collection of Hymns,…