The singing church

Every Christian Science church service includes the singing of hymns. The primary goal of hymn singing is spiritual, not musical. Mary Baker Eddy wrote: “Music is divine. Mind, not matter, makes music; … ” (Message to The Mother Church for 1900, p. 11). When we sing a hymn, we’re not giving a musical performance, but offering a song to God. No one is excluded, and everyone is encouraged to participate. All may sing to the best of their ability without fear of criticism or rejection.

Hymn singing is shared by everyone present, and through creating a common sound, the congregation expresses divine harmony. “Harmony in man is as real and immortal as in music,” Mrs. Eddy noted (Science and Health, p. 276). We leave selfishness behind by keeping tempo and pitch together, and by appreciating and accepting each person’s contribution. Singing together brings people together. We “join hands” musically, and hymn singing becomes an expression of God’s love.

Hymn singing is not a rehearsal, a performance, or a showcase for one person’s voice. It is the congregation voicing spiritual truth in song. As an integral part of Church, or “the structure of Truth and Love” (Science and Health, p. 583), hymn singing serves as a purposeful and coordinated action that elevates and enlivens the service. It awakens thought, and helps focus attention on the spiritual ideas presented throughout the service. It expresses the thoughts, feelings, and understanding of the congregation as a whole. Therefore, hymn singing is a democratic activity, which builds unity in the congregation.

Singing hymns is also a wonderful teaching tool that makes it easy to assimilate and retain important spiritual ideas. By linking melody and text, singing helps us to remember words and ideas. And hymns help define and articulate Christian Science theology. For example, when we sing these lines from Mary Baker Eddy’s poem “Love,” “Brood o’er us with Thy shelt’ring wing, / ‘Neath which our spirits blend …” (Christian Science Hymnal, No. 30), we voice together a common trust in a loving God. But we’re also declaring that God tenderly watches over “us” as a congregation, and this common prayer binds us together.

Breathing, listening, following, responding, and intelligently engaging with the text while singing heighten receptivity, and can bring new understanding. Hymns don’t live on the page. They come alive only when they are sung. They live in those moments when, in singing, we partake of their inspiration and feel their message. Since hymns are a part of every Christian Science church service, we are a singing church. The spontaneous beauty of a singing congregation can change “chaos into order and discord into the music of the spheres” (Science and Health, p. 255).

Harriet Beecher Stowe rose every day at 4:30 in the morning to walk in silence before her busy day began. She wrote the poem “Still, Still with Thee” to describe her feeling of closeness to God in the early morning hours (see Christian Science Hymnal, No. 317). In the contemporary hymn “Tender Mercies” from the recently published Hymnal Supplement, Susan Mack wrote: “I awake each morn to a brand-new day, / Singing Hallelujah! as I go on my way . . .” (No. 445). Both hymns use similar imagery, but deliver their message using different language and musical styles.

The 1932 Christian Science Hymnal and the new Supplement have much in common. Like the 1932 Hymnal, the Supplement contains several traditional four-part hymns (for example, Nos. 435, 440, 450). Several of the hymn tunes in the Supplement are from the same musical era as the 1932 Hymnal, and had already been written when the 1932 Hymnal was compiled (including Nos. 431, 437, 448, 449). Six of the hymns in the Supplement are new settings of words from the 1932 Hymnal (Nos. 436, 438, 440, 442, 451, 457). And the Supplement has seven new settings of the same poems by Mary Baker Eddy that appear in the 1932 Hymnal (Nos. 432, 433, 434, 435, 447, 454, 456).

The Supplement also contains hymns written recently. These hymns introduce musical and poetic styles that have come into wide use in church music since 1932. Five hundred years ago hymns or chants looked quite different from today’s musical notation:

The first book printed in North America was the Bay Psalm Book in 1640. It was a words-only hymnal consisting of the psalms in metrical verse. One of the most influential hymn books in the United States is the Sacred Harp, used widely in the 1800s and early 1900s. Here’s a sample:

By the time of the publication of the Christian Science Hymnal in 1910, hymns looked much the same as they do today.

However, a few new musical notations have been included in the Supplement hymns that are worth mentioning. Below is the first line of Hymn No. 444 from the new Supplement.

At the very beginning of the hymn is a metronome marking*. This gives the tempo of the hymn and is essential to interpreting the hymn correctly. Choosing a tempo that is neither too fast nor too slow makes it easier for everyone to sing. Thus, the composer has given guidance to the best tempo. However, there is some flexibility depending on the size of the congregation, the size of the room, and personal taste. Above the melody line are chord symbols*. By including these, the composer is allowing the accompanist to play exactly what is written or to invent his own accompaniment. Including chord symbols also accommodates musicians, such as guitarists, who use chords more often than standard notation. The word unison appears at the beginning of the hymn, indicating that all should sing the melody in unison. There are also several unison hymns in the 1932 Hymnal (for example, Nos. 4, 149, 412).

There’s also a metronome marking at the beginning of Hymn No. 446 along with the musical description “Gospel,” followed by a notation telling the accompanist to “swing” the rhythm by making 1/8th notes like triplets. Introducing this

new musical style into Christian Science hymnody does many things. It opens the door to a greater variety of musical expression; it encourages us to leap forward into present-day musical vocabulary; and it makes welcome those who are comfortable singing in this style. If we allow it to happen within our hearts, hymns in gospel style give us a fresh way to express God’s joy.

The Supplement contains other hymns that introduce new musical styles. There are hymns in a flowing, lyrical pop style (Nos. 432, 436, 447, 457); hymns with a strong beat and African or Caribbean influenced rhythms (Nos. 438, 441, 460); two in folk/country style (Nos. 445 and 462); two more with jazz influenced harmonies and dramatic melodic leaps (Nos. 442 and 454); and one with a descant, an overarching line that complements the main melody (No. 455). This rich outpouring of musical expression encourages Christian Scientists everywhere to embrace the opportunity to “sing unto the Lord a new song” (Ps. 96:1).

When the 1932 Hymnal was released, there was resistance to giving up the 1910 Hymnal, which it replaced. In a Christian Science Sentinel article dated April 9, 1932, Margaret Morrison, the author of Hymns 179 and 371, wrote: “… let us work and watch and pray that our new messenger of song—this beautiful development of good—be protected from the erroneous beliefs of the carnal mind, the notes of discord which would seek to annul its mission and destroy our joy in taking this revealed step of progress… .

“… we shall undertake the learning of the new hymns, not as a task, but as a great joy. May we see in this effort to sing our new songs a means of growing closer together in love, making melody in our hearts, praising our God, who is the God of salvation” (Song and Salvation, p. 625). The same can be said of the new Supplement.

During Mrs. Eddy’s lifetime, the Hymnal was updated and republished several times. There was a major revision with the 1932 Hymnal, which gradually replaced the previous edition. However, the new Supplement does not replace the current Hymnal, which has been in use for 77 years. The Supplement extends and expands the Hymnal. This is evident in the familiar and new texts and music already noted, but also in its embrace of musical styles from areas of the world where Christian Science branches did not exist in 1932.

I hope we’ll come to see the Supplement not as a confusing diversion, but as a rich blessing, one that deserves a warm, unanimous reception. There’s great value to expanding the range of music among our hymns, and in how this move forward includes a greater range of people and cultures.

All music embodies and represents the culture that produced it. Singing a hymn is an affirmation of one’s culture, as well as an act of worship. But Christian Science is universal and is not owned by any particular culture. As the church expands around the globe, Christian Scientists can welcome various cultural expressions of the universal truths of Christian Science. Everyone can feel accepted and included. “God is at once the centre and circumference of being,” wrote Mary Baker Eddy (Science and Health, pp. 203–204). Since God is everywhere, we can expand the boundaries of our church walls without losing the center, or the purity of Truth.

Congregations can take some practical steps to help learn new hymns: hold hymn sings, use new hymns as solos, select new hymns for Sunday and Wednesday services and Sunday School, practice hymns at home, and use one of the recordings of the Supplement to learn the music and words and get a feel for the style. I’ve found it helpful to read each verse of the texts and become familiar with how the music is laid out on the page. If any hymn seems unfamiliar, the remedy is to continue singing it until it becomes familiar. Even “difficult” hymns can become loved favorites.

Some of the happiest and most profound moments of my life have happened while singing hymns. I am deeply grateful that in her design for church services, Mrs. Eddy provided for singing hymns, making us a singing church. Now, with the new Supplement, we have more songs to lift our hearts in praise.

Peter B. Allen is a professional composer and performer. The Hymnal Supplement includes four of his compositions, and he also wrote the words to No. 453. Peter lives in Santa Rosa, California, with his wife, Bess, and their two children, David and Ruth.

For more information on new hymns, please visit www.spirituality.com/hymns.

We appreciate your feedback and support. Please share your thoughts and comments about this   article.
* Name:
* Email:
* Confirm Email:
Your message:
* Designates a required field. By submitting to the site, you agree to the site's Terms of Service. All submissions may be used by spirituality.com as described in the Terms of Service.

Printer friendly