Over 800 music lovers recently participated in an online survey conducted by the Hymn Society of the U.S. and Canada. See the full bracket of well-loved hymns.
Adelle Banks recently reported for Religion News Service (RNS) on the search for the greatest hymn of all time. Organized by the Hymn Society of the United States and Canada, the hymns were seeded (ranked) in four divisions.
The “Elite Eight” were: “Holy, Holy, Holy!”; “Be Thou My Vision”; “O Come, All Ye Faithful”; “My Hope Is Built/On Christ the Solid Rock”; “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”; “Of the Father’s Love Begotten”; “Holy God, We Praise Your Name”; and “How Great Thou Art.”
The final rounds played out at the organization’s annual conference, and the winner was announced on July 18: “Holy, Holy, Holy!”
Banks quotes Eileen Guenther, Wesley Theological Seminary, as saying, “I think what it really speaks to is our quest today for the past,” she said, adding that people may have voted for ‘Holy, Holy, Holy!’ because they recalled singing it as children.”
Interested in reading the lyrics and tunes for these and other hymns? Check out Hymnary.org, a great resource for professional musicians and amateur hymn lovers alike. “In partnership with The Hymn Society in the United States and Canada, Hymnary.org houses the Dictionary of North American Hymnology — making Hymnary.org the most complete database of North American hymnody on the planet.”
Last Updated on October 31, 2023