The Methodist Hymnal (1939)

The Methodist Hymnal (1939)
Name	The Methodist Hymnal (1939)
Caption	Cover of the 1939 hymnbook
Country	United States
Language	English
Publisher	Methodist Episcopal Church, The Methodist Church
Pub date	1939

The Methodist Hymnal (1939) was the official hymnbook published for The Methodist Church in 1939 following the 1938 unification of Methodist bodies in the United States. It served congregations across urban centers like New York City, regional hubs such as Chicago and Atlanta, Georgia, and rural circuits in Appalachia and the Midwest. The hymnal combined poetic texts, hymn tunes, and liturgical orders shaped by leaders with ties to Boston University, Duke University, Emory University, Vanderbilt University, and seminaries such as Garrett–Evangelical Theological Seminary and Candler School of Theology.

Background and Development

Development began after the 1938 union that created The Methodist Church (USA), which brought together the Methodist Episcopal Church, the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and the Methodist Protestant Church. Committees drew on antecedents including the Hymns and Psalms tradition, the works of Charles Wesley, and hymnals used in denominations like the United Methodist Church's predecessors. Influences included hymnody associated with John Wesley, revival movements centered in Camp meetings, and the liturgical reforms promoted by scholars at Oxford Movement-aligned institutions and American seminaries. The 1939 compilation responded to cultural contexts shaped by the Great Depression and the international tensions preceding World War II.

Editorial Process and Content Selection

An editorial board composed of ministers, theologians, and musicians from institutions such as Boston University School of Theology, Drew University, Union Theological Seminary (New York City), and Wesley Theological Seminary oversaw selection. Committees evaluated texts associated with poets and hymnwriters like Charles Wesley, Isaac Watts, John Newton, Fanny Crosby, and William Cowper, and tunes by composers connected to Lowell Mason, Thomas Hastings, and Samuel Sebastian Wesley. The board balanced denominations' regional preferences—drawing on Southern hymn traditions linked to Ralph Vaughan Williams' editorial influence indirectly through the English Hymnal—with congregational needs in cities like Philadelphia, Cincinnati, and St. Louis. Copyright, publishers such as Oxford University Press and Hymns Ancient and Modern Ltd., and litigation trends in music publishing also shaped selections.

Structure and Musical Features

The hymnal organized material into thematic sections reflecting seasons and rites used in parish life in places like Baltimore and Richmond, Virginia: Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, and general worship. Musical notation adhered to standard four-part harmony familiar from choral traditions at Cathedral of St. John the Divine-style churches and collegiate chapels at Harvard University and Princeton University. Tunes included traditional meters—Common Meter and Long Meter—often set in arrangements influenced by Gregorian chant revivalists and hymnodists connected to Ralph Vaughan Williams and Sir John Stainer. Organ accompaniments catered to instruments made by firms such as Aeolian-Skinner and congregational singing patterned after practices in Trinity Church, Boston.

Liturgical and Theological Emphases

Textual choices reflected Wesleyan theology rooted in the legacy of John Wesley and shaped by theologians associated with Boston University and Emory University School of Theology. Emphases included prevenient grace, sanctification, and social holiness resonant with leaders like Francis Asbury and later Methodist reformers who engaged with issues addressed by Social Gospel activists. The hymnal included canticles and psalm settings that aligned with liturgical forms practiced in parish contexts similar to St. Paul's Cathedral (London)'s musical tradition while maintaining distinctly Methodist doctrinal language tied to Arminianism and the itinerant ministry model exemplified by Circuit riders.

Reception and Adoption in Methodist Churches

The 1939 hymnal saw wide adoption across conferences and annual meetings of The Methodist Church (USA), from the North Georgia Annual Conference to the Pacific Northwest Annual Conference. Many congregations in cities such as Los Angeles and San Francisco incorporated the book into worship alongside local hymn traditions. Responses varied: some conservative parishes preferred older collections associated with Methodist Episcopal Church, South heritage, while progressive clergy at institutions like Boston University and Drew University promoted its liturgical resources. Hymnologists at centers including Princeton Theological Seminary and Yale Divinity School critiqued and praised its balance of doctrinal fidelity and musical breadth.

Revisions, Supplements, and Successors

Over ensuing decades, supplements and alternative hymnals emerged from publishers and denominational committees responding to cultural shifts after World War II and during the Civil Rights Movement. Successor hymnals drew on the 1939 foundation while incorporating new music from composers linked to Hymn Society in the United States and Canada, contemporary writers influenced by Taizé Community and liturgical renewal movements connected to Vatican II reforms. The later official book replacing the 1939 collection reflected mergers and ecumenical dialogues culminating in the formation of the United Methodist Church in 1968 and subsequent hymnals used by annual conferences throughout the United States.

Category:Methodist hymnals Category:1939 books