It was only natural that thehymnody of the Old Testament should have exerted a marked influence upon Christian practice.
Before the main stream of hymnody in the Greek language is traced, two sources from the second century will serve as an introduction.
Even these were sparingly used, for psalmi idiotici, as the novel and original compositions were called, were forbidden by the Church and a new hymnody was thus stifled at its very birth.
Our best accounts of early Christian hymnody are often subordinated to a general history of Christian hymns.
They are mentioned here only as a reminder of the long succession of great poets who created and maintained Greek hymnody throughout the ancient and medieval centuries.
Once more, a traditional theme in Christian hymnody is set forth, familiar from biblical as well as classical connotations and perpetuated either in the praise of virginity or in the form of the mystic union of Christ and the Church.
The use of canticles, more particularly in their variations, is of supreme interest to the hymnologist, because it offers a theory of the origin of Christian hymnody apart from liturgical interpolations or from the psalms.
But there is no evidence at hand to support the assumption of a popular hymnody enjoyed either in connection with worship or independently of it.
There is not a hymn of real merit in the Latin which has not been translated, and in not a few cases oftener than once; with the result that the gems of Latin hymnody are the valued possession of the Church in all English-speaking lands.
One does not proceed far before making some discoveries which may account, to a certain extent, for the neglect of Greek hymnody by men who are best qualified to pursue the study of it.
One prime characteristic of Greek hymnody should be referred to.
This fact is mentioned to indicate an appreciation of Greek hymnody which, it is hoped, may grow.
His influence on Greek hymnody was immense, and he is held in high esteem by the Greek Church for his work in that department, and as a theologian.
That collocation of languages gives the order in which the hymnody of the Church developed.
A few sentences may be added bearing upon the hymns contained in the service-books of the Church of Rome, and upon the relation of Latin hymnody to the Churches of the Reformation.
In the Eastern or Greek Church hymnody was in both private and public use from earliest times.
Hebrew hymnody is contained for the most part in the Hebrew Psalter; for the distinction between psalms and hymns is not one that admits of being applied to all Hebrew poetry.
If an apology should be required for the book, it may perhaps be enough to say that, while south of the Tweed Latin hymnody has had considerable attention paid to it, the subject has hitherto been all but neglected in Scotland.
Come ye faithful" has for its modern interpreter Sir Arthur Sullivan, the celebrated composer of both secular and sacred works, but best known in hymnody as author of the great Christian march, "Onward Christian Soldiers.
Culture smiles at this unclassic hymnody of long ago, but its history should disarm criticism.
Latin hymnody and hymnography, appealing to the popular ear and heart, had gradually substituted accent for quantity in verse; for the common people could never be moved by a Christian song in the prosody of the classics.
Martensen recalls how Grundtvig at times aroused the committee to enthusiasm by an impromptu talk on hymnody or a recitation of one of the old hymns, which he loved so well.
The Reformation produced a worthy hymnal, but none of the great hymnwriters whose splendid work later won Danish hymnody an honorable place in the church.
In this respect, they resemble the hymnodyof the whole church, which contains remarkably few really great hymns on the greatest events in its history.
If the following contribution from a heretofore meagerly represented branch of hymnody adds even a little to that enrichment, the writer will feel amply rewarded for the many hours of concentrated labor he has spent upon it.
In this imperishable song, Pre-Reformation hymnody reached its highest excellence, an excellence that later hymnody seldom has surpassed.
Aside from his Christmas hymns, Brorson's greatest contribution to hymnody is perhaps his revival hymns, a type in which the Lutheran church is rather poor.
In this accomplishment Evangelical hymnody played a prominent part.
In 1835 Grundtvig at last wrote to Gunni Busck that he was now ready to commence the long deferred attempt to renew the hymnody of his church.
For though Danish hymnody long ago became favorably known in Northern Europe, no adequate presentation of the subject has appeared in English.
Of his numerous hymns on baptism, the following, which an American authority on hymnody calls the finest baptismal hymn ever written, is perhaps the most representative.
The regular practice of hymnody in English musical history dates from the beginning of the 16th century.
An important development of hymnody at Constantinople arose out of the Arian controversy.
For the origin and idea of Christian hymnody we must look, not to Gentile, but to Hebrew sources.
No further step towards any authorized hymnody was taken by the kirk of Scotland till the following century.
After the conversion of Constantine, the progress of hymnody became closely connected with church controversies.
After the Reformation, the development of hymnody was retarded, in both parts of Great Britain, by the example and influence of Geneva.
Oriental hymnody as to have been supposed by Michaelis and others to be extracts from original hymns of the Apostolic age.
He rejected the hymnody of the breviaries and missals, and fell back upon the idea, anciently held by Paul of Samosata, and condemned by the fourth council of Toledo, that whatever was sung in churches ought to be taken out of the Scriptures.
It was not till the 4th century that Greek hymnody was imitated in the West, where its introduction was due to two great lights of the Latin Church--St Hilary of Poitiers and St Ambrose of Milan.
Almost all French dioceses followed, not indeed the Breviary, but the example, of Paris; and before the end of the 18th century the ancient Latin hymnody was all but banished from France.
The Greek hymnody contemporary with Ephraem followed, with some licence, classical models.
It is not, however, to be assumed that the hymnody thus introduced by Ambrose was from the first used according to the precise order and method of the later Western ritual.
However, it is a matter of record that hymnody suffered a gradual decline in the Eastern division of the Christian Church and eventually assumed more of a liturgical character.
The Pietist movement, however, gave birth to a great revival in hymnody in Germany, both in Lutheran and Reformed circles.
It was spring-time in the religious life of Germany, and the sweet notes of evangelical hymnody again were heard throughout the land.
This marked the beginning of evangelical hymnody in Sweden.
Tersteegen's conception of the high place whichhymnody should occupy in Christian worship is revealed in his writings.
Rationalism cast its blight over the hymnody of all Europe, but particularly in Germany.
Through the efforts of these translators, an increasing number of Lutheran hymns from the rich store of German and Scandinavian hymnody are being introduced in the hymn-books of this country.
The Pearl of English Hymnody When I survey the wondrous cross On which the Prince of glory died, My richest gain I count but loss, And pour contempt on all my pride.
From the fourth century onward the tide of Oriental hymnody steadily rose, reaching its culmination in the eighth and ninth centuries.
The rise of an English hymnodycorresponding to that of Germany was, therefore, delayed for more than one hundred and fifty years.
Among the historic groups of hymns that have appeared since Clement of Alexandria and Ephraem the Syrian set in motion the tide of Christian song, the Lutheran hymnody has the greatest interest to the student of church history.
The Syrian school of hymnody died out in the fifth century, and poetic inspiration in the Eastern Church found its channel in the Greek tongue.
Ideas common to thehymnody of all ages are to be found there.
The first questions which present themselves in tracing the historic connections of the early Lutheran hymnody are: What was its origin?
German Protestant hymnody dates from Martin Luther; his lyrics were the models of the hymns of the reformed Church in Germany for a century or more.
This hymnody and its music afforded the first adequate outlet for the poetic and musical genius of the German people, and established the pregnant democratic traditions of German art as against the aristocratic traditions of Italy and France.
For the use of hymnody in the early Church of the succeeding generations see Plin.
Psalmody and hymnody were highly developed in the religious services of the Jews at this time: see Philo in Flacc.
The above list will hopefully give you a few useful examples demonstrating the appropriate usage of "hymnody" in a variety of sentences. We hope that you will now be able to make sentences using this word.
