FIVE Characteristics of Church Hymns – Old and New

I used to think that hymns were old church songs written by dead people. Then I did more research and lo and behold people still write hymns today! People such as Keith Getty, Stuart Townend, Vikki Cook, Melody Green, Matt Merker, Bill Gaither, Martin Nystrom, Dawn Rodgers, Eric Wyse etc.

Ok, then what's the difference between a hymn and any other worship song you hear on the radio? A-HA! That's the million-dollar question!

Turns out a hymn isn't just an old church song written by a dead guy. Nor is it any song that happens to have a Christian message. A hymn is a living genre with specific characteristics, such as:

1.METER

For a hymn to be singable and intuitive enough for a large congregation to sing together, the lines of each verse must have the same number of syllables. This allows a hymn to be written on one page with all the verses neatly stacked on top of each other, rather than being spread out over several pages of lead sheets. Have you ever been in a situation when half the congregation entered a beat early because the pickup notes were too ambiguous? Or perhaps spent too much rehearsal time with the worship team deciding how to sing a syncopated line? Well-written hymns avoid these problems. Everyone, whether a trained musician or not, can sing a hymn confidently at the same time because of the meter!

Here are some common meter schemes found in popular hymns:

SHORT METER – 6686
• Rise Up, o Church of God
• Blest Be the Tie That Binds

COMMON METER – 8686
• Amazing Grace
• All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name
• O, For a Thousand Tongues to Sing

LONG METER – 8888 (D indicates doubled – sung twice in each verse)
• Just As I Am
• All People That on Earth Do Dwell
• All Creatures of Our God and King (D)
• Before the Throne of God Above (D)
• In Christ Alone (D)

OTHER METERS – 8787
• Love Divine, All Loves Excelling
• Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus


2.POETRY

Good hymn-writers make ample use of metaphors, similes, juxtapositions, repetitions, leitmotifs, oxymorons, and rhetorical questions to illuminate  doctrine without requiring us to consult a commentary. Consequently, when you unpack good poetry in literature class you can easily end up with several pages of explanations. In well-written hymns, each poetic device is a portal into a deeper doctrinal sphere. Good hymns are miniature sermons because of good poetry that illuminates doctrine. 

Examples of poetic devices found in hymns:

METAPHORS
• teach me some melodious sonnet sung by flaming tongues above (Come, Thou Fount)
• a mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing (A Mighty Fortress)
• this solid ground, firm through the fiercest drought and storm (In Christ Alone)
• cause our faith to rise (Speak, O Lord)
• my chains fell off (And Can It Be)

SIMILES
• Savior, like a shepherd lead us (Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us)
• the earth shall soon dissolve like snow (Amazing Grace)

REPETITIONS / LEITMOTIFS
• What is our hope in life and death? Christ alone! Christ alone!
• What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
• God in three persons, blessed Trinity (Holy Holy Holy, the end of verse 1 and 4)
• Lord, let me never, never outlive my love for thee (O, Sacred Head Now Wounded)
• Great Is Thy Faithfulness

RHETORICAL QUESTIONS
• And can it be that I should gain an interest in the Savior’s blood?
• Alas and did my Savior bleed, and did my Sovereign die?

JUXTAPOSITIONS
• and then as death gives way to victory (Because He Lives)
• died He for me, who cause him pain (And Can It Be)
• mine was the transgression, but thine the deadly pain (O, Sacred Head Now Wounded)

OXYMORON
• The immortal dies (And Can It Be)

3.MELODY

Melody follows meter. Good hymns are generally written with one melodic note per syllable: Ho-ly Ho-ly Ho-ly Lord God Al-might-y or Won-der-ful, mer-ci-ful sa-vior, pre-cious re-deem-er and friend. In other words, there are very few melismas (singing more notes for one syllable). Why? Because melismas are confusing when you have more than one singer carrying the melody! Melismas aren’t intuitive. And yet, there are some hymns that use melismas – that’s why it’s helpful to have the hymnal open so you know how long each syllable lasts! Here are some examples: “A-ma-ZI-ING grace,” or “Be Thou MY-Y vision,” or in And Can It Be: “Let A-A-ANGEL MI-I-INDS in-QUI-I-IRE no more. Oh, the most difficult one in my opinion: “Sing, Choirs of Neeeewwwww Je-ruuuuu-saaaa-lem!” But, thankfully, these melismas are the exception, not the rule!

Another characteristic of a good melody is that the melodic notes, as they follow the meter, are written ON the beat and not OFF the beat. Have you ever seen a lead sheet of a contemporary worship song or gospel song? In those genres the natural flow of the spoken word dictates the melody, and the result is one syncopation after another. Singers and professional bands can most definitely sing those genres beautifully! But syncopations can be difficult for a congregation to sing with confidence. Keep in mind – if a worship team requires significant rehearsal time to master the syncopations, that is a sign that the song will NOT be comfortable for the congregation. By contrast, good hymns are written on the beat (combinations quarter notes, eighth notes, half notes) to facilitate congregational singing.

Good composers also make use of musical devices, similarly to how lyricists use poetic devices. Musical devices include:

MOTIFS – a short musical idea that repeats often throughout a piece
• Holy Holy Holy (each verse opens with the same words)

SEQUENCES – a motif that is repeated on a higher note
• Great Is Thy Faithfulness (chorus, first two phrases)

PARALLELISM – when two lines begin with the same motif
• Before the Throne of God Above

STRUCTURE – AABA is a very common hymn melody structure
• Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing
• In Christ Alone

STRUCTURE – AABC is older, but still works well:
• A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
• Praise to the Lord the Almighty

Last but not least, the melodic range ought to be within one octave (+/- a few notes for stylistic purposes). Solo pieces can have a much wider range depending on each soloist's vocal range. But congregations sound BEST when they sing melodies that span a single octave.

4.HARMONY

This follows melody and meter. In most hymns the harmony changes on each beat. That's because in hymns the musical elements (melody and chords) carry the tune and the congregation forward, as opposed to the natural flow of the spoken word, or the instrumental groove. By contrast, in gospel music and contemporary worship music the harmony changes with each new measure (or every other measure) and you then have very long segments of vamping on the same chord before the next chord comes in. Hymns do not abide by the same rules – harmony changes often, sometimes on each beat. Therefore, the harmonic structure is the strongest pillar in a congregational hymn sing.

There has been a tendency to modernize old hymns in order to appeal to the younger generation (whether or not that approach was successful is yet to be determined). When a hymn is modernized, generally the harmony is simplified, which weakens the musical integrity of the hymn.  An instrumental groove is then added to make up for the lack of a strong harmonic structure. I strongly believe that when you simplify the harmony the hymn loses one of its greatest strengths. Keep the original harmony! It is a service to your congregation! It will build their confidence. And then they can all sing in parts because you use the standard harmony that everyone is already familiar with! I want you to close your eyes and imagine a full congregation singing their hearts out on “Holy Holy Holy” with the original harmony. Do you hear their confidence? There is not a quiet person in the room, because they all KNOW how to sing it already. There is no confusion on when to come in with the next line, or how to sing the alto, tenor, or bass parts (my husband has such a low register, he can’t carry a normal melody; so he always sings the bass line, ha!).

EXAMPLES where the harmony changes on every beat (unless there’s a repeated note)
• Praise to the Lord the Almighty
• There Is a Redeemer
• Abide With Me
• Crown Him With Many Crowns

5.DOCTRINE

Needless to say, each Christian song, whether a hymn, a gospel song, or a worship song needs to be theologically correct. I believe each worship leader should have a strong theological training. I don’t mean they need to go to seminary, but under the leadership of the pastor (who ideally already has a theological training) they will develop the skill to assess the doctrinal quality of songs. Just because a song is No. 1 on the charts does not make it doctrinally sound.

Hymns feature a specific theological category: doctrine. Other Christian genres generally focus on one's personal relationship with God (gospel songs) or direct praise to God (praise & worship songs). Doctrine, by contrast, are theological categories that can stand the test of time, because doctrine doesn’t change. Ever. Christianity has affirmed the same doctrines since the Church Fathers in the centuries immediately following the apostolic period.

Let’s look at come common hymns (old and new) in order to see which doctrinal category they fit under:

Doctrine of the Trinity
• Holy, Holy, Holy
• Come, Thou Almighty King
• Wonderful, Merciful Savior
• There Is A Redeemer (chorus)

Doctrine of Creation
• For the Beauty of the Earth
• All Things Bright and Beautiful
• All Creatures of Our God and King
• Creation Sings

Christology
• In Christ Alone
• There Is a Redeemer (verses)
• Because He Lives
• Christ Our Hope In Life and Death
• All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name
• Crown Him With Many Crowns

Doctrine of Salvation
• The Power of the Cross
• How Deep the Father’s Love for Us
• Before the Throne of God Above
• And Can It Be
• Tell Me the Story of Jesus
• Nothing But the Blood
• I Will Sing of My Redeemer

Doctrine of Atonement
• Before the Throne of God Above (at one with him I cannot die – that’s actually how the word “atonement” came to be; not from this hymn, but from being “at one” with Christ)
• Jesus Paid It All

Hymns at their best are miniature sermons that communicate Christian doctrine. By use of meter, poetry, melody and harmony, they become a portable reminder of who God is and how God works in the lives of his people. It is my hope and prayer that churches today will resume the singing of hymns as part of their regular worship services. Let’s keep hymns alive! 

Pssst! While I have your attention – since I discovered that a hymn is not just an old church song written by a dead guy, but rather a living genre, I compiled some of my favorite modern hymns and released a new album of piano arrangements. Check it out!

Featuring:

1. In Christ Alone

2. As the Deer

3. How Deep the Father’s Love for Us

4. Because He Lives

5. The Power of the Cross

6. He Will Hold Me Fast

7. There Is a Redeemer

8. Christ Our Hope In Life and Death

9. Before the Throne of God Above

10. Wonderful, Merciful Savior