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Learning to Sing: Presbyterian hymnals and psalters
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American Presbyterian governing bodies overturned efforts to form a sanctioned hymnal committee, but in 1819 the PCUSA General Assembly finally granted approval. After much work and several revisions, Psalms and Hymns Adapted to the Public Worship (first printed in 1830) became the first official American Presbyterian hymnal in 1831. Other Presbyterian denominations continued to sing only psalms; the United Presbyterian Church of North America, for example, published its first volume that included hymns in 1927. As musical tastes and worship practices changed, Presbyterians compiled new hymnals and collections of sacred songs that provided a rich heritage of ways to “sing to the Lord a new song.” (Psalms 96:1)
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The Psalter Hymnal: the Psalms and Selected Hymns. Pittsburgh: United Presbyterian Board of Publication and Bible School Work, 1927.
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The Presbyterian Hymnal. Philadelphia: Presbyterian Board of Publication, 1874. The first hymnal published by the newly reunited “Old” and “New” schools under the direction of a committee of five headed by Joseph T. Duryea.
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The Hymnal Published by Authority of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America. Philadelphia: Presbyterian Board of Publication and Sabbath-School work, 1895. Edited by Louis Benson (1855-1930), one of the premier American hymnologists, this hymnal was the first to include the word “amen” at the end of each hymn.
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The Hymnal Published in 1895 and Revised in 1911 by Authority of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America. Philadelphia: Presbyterian Board of Education and Sabbath-School Work, 1917. Published during World War I, this hymnal includes tunes such as “God of Our Fathers,” “The Star Spangled Banner,” and “Battle Hymn of the Republic.”
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Children's Praise: a Selection of Psalms and other Scriptures Cast in Metre Form and Set to Music, for Use in the Beginners, the Primary, and the Junior Grades in Sabbath Schools and in Junior and Intermediate Societies. Pittsburgh: United Presbyterian Board of Publication, 1921.
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The Hymnal for Youth. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1941. In addition to hymns, the book also contains instrumental music, suggestions for worship, readings from scripture, prayers and collects, and poetry and prose suitable for worship.
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The Worshipbook: Services and Hymns. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1972. This volume was a joint publication of the Presbyterian Church in the United States, the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, and the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America. In addition to hymns and musical responses, the Worshipbook also contains various orders of worship, litanies, prayers, and lectionaries.
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The Presbyterian Hymnal: Hymns, Psalms, and Spiritual Songs. Louisville, KY: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1990.
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