Monthly column on hymns and songs

Christopher Idle  |  Features
Date posted:  1 Sep 2001
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Of all the questions winging their way to me as a result of this column, the most frequent is: 'Where can I find out more about these hymns?'

It depends on which hymns you mean, which book you use, what kind of information you're after. But here are some sources I have found helpful, in five groups.

Group 1 comprises two items, one of which isn't a book at all. John Julian's Dictionary of Hymnology is the Britannica of hymns and hymnwriters, appearing in 1892; second edition with New Supplement, 1907. Many contributors were authors in their own right. Most were clergy; among those who were not is Catherine Winkworth. Look in secondhand lists; I paid £25 some years ago and would double that now. An inexhaustible gold mine. One snag; you may want to know about hymns written since 1907.

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