If you grew up in church, you’re probably familiar with these things called “hymns”. Even if you didn’t, you might be more familiar with hymns than you think you are. The definition of a hymn can be fairly nebulous and for many it simply translates to something like, “boring old song my grandparents used to sing”.

Legacy

First, I want to discuss a little about the legacy of faith. In general, the term “hymn” often describes songs written anywhere from about the 15th or 16th century, to the early 1900s, though this description is inaccurate for a few reasons we’ll look at in a minute. But for the most part, many of the hymns that described our church experiences growing up aren’t just something our grandparents cooked up and hold onto because it was something of their own.

No, when we sing traditional hymns, we are taking part in a shared legacy of faith that spans hundreds of years. We join in with the voices of martyrs and church fathers before us, singing the same words and same praise to the God who is worthy of all praise. That means when those old words leap off the pages of the hymnal into our voices, we are taking part of something bigger than ourselves. Now, I’m not saying newer songs aren’t bigger than we individually are, or that newer songs aren’t great. But there is something significant about taking part in something that has centuries of history in addition to something with only weeks of history.

In fact, the departure from the idea of hymns has been a fairly recent development. Most consider the “worship song revolution” to have occurred in the 1960s, which means in a single generation we’ve moved largely past something that has transcended many generations.

But we still haven't defined a hymn. So what does it mean?

What is it though?

Notice above I described the hymns we grew up singing as “traditional hymns”. I use that term to differentiate between classic hymn literature and recent hymns. Classic, at least for the purposes of this blog, meaning early 1900s and earlier. Yes, hymns have been written since then, and they very much are still written today.

When researching what a hymn is, I found a lot of definitions ranging from arbitrarily pedantic to apparently legitimate.

One characteristic that seems to fairly universally define a hymn is the idea that the lyrics and music are composed separately, often completely unrelated to each other. Hymns, then, are more like poems with a predictable meter that can be set to music.

It may be helpful to describe a meter, in relation to music. The meter of a song or hymn describes how many syllables are in a given line. For example, the meter for Amazing Grace is 8.6.8.6 (also called common meter).

Amazing grace how sweet the sound
that saved a wretch like me
I once was lost but now I’m found
was blind but now I see

See how the number of syllables in the first and third lines is 8, while the second and fourth lines have 6 syllables each? Some hymnologists call the meter of a hymn a “metrical contract” with the singer of the hymn. That basically means the entire song will be predictable and repeatable with a very short learning curve.

Since hymns are structured in such a predictable and repeatable way, the music for the hymns can be changed or decided on later. Amazing Grace is set to a tune called New Britain, for example. But in theory, it can be set to any tune that is in the common meter (8.6.8.6.). If you have a hymnal, open it up and look at the bottom of each song, you’ll see words attributed to one person, and then the name of the tune the hymnal recommends for this arrangement in all caps. In days of yore, organists would have a large repository of these tunes to be able to call up at will and play, and whoever was directing the words would then lead a congregation in a hymn with the corresponding meter.

Modern songs don’t typically follow this pattern, as they are often written in conjunction with the music they’ll be performed with and they aren’t required to adhere to any specific syllabic meter. What about modern hymns?

Modern hymns do, in fact, follow these patterns. one of the most popular modern hymns is In Christ Alone, written by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend in 2001. This song is in the 8.8.8.8. D meter. That means each line of the song has exactly 8 syllables.

Here’s a fun way to illustrate this idea: the classic hymn Before the Throne of God Above (written in 1863) is also in 8.8.8.8. which means you can sing In Christ Alone to the tune of Before the Throne, or vice versa. The emphases might get a little weird, but it’s a fun exercise to show how the metrical predictability can be useful, give it a shot!

False Definitions

A lot of people, especially in the more conservative circles, have endeavored to define hymns and songs along thematic and lyrical lines in addition to the structural differences, but these are inconsistent and often seem arbitrary.

Some, for example, have defined hymns as singing about God, while newer worship songs are singing to God. Oddly enough, I found a definition or two that is the exactly the opposite of that, so that alone proves the arbitrary nature of that definition.

Others propose that hymns are rich in theological depth and accuracy, while this isn’t strictly true. There are plenty of hymns from days past (even some that are tentpoles of our upbringing!) that are theologically imprecise at best, and downright wrong in other cases. Meanwhile, modern songs are not always absent theological depth or precision (though they are just as susceptible as the classic hymns).

Others still might try to define a hymn by a certain narrative flow. Verse 1 must be about God, verse 2 must be about Jesus, verse 3 is about our sin, and verse 4 is about our redemption. Other narrative flows also might abound, for example, some might say there must a “heaven verse” in every hymn—a verse about the Kingdom Come. In reality, it’s much easier to find exceptions to this “rule” than hymns that follow the structure.

The Bottom Line

It seems like the only real way to define a hymn that everyone agrees on is the predictable structure with the opportunity for interchangeable music. It’s part of this nature that has led to the staying power of hymns for centuries—and aided the addition of verses and refrains over time.

I think the important thing for us today is to recognize that useless pedantry is not the answer—on either side of the proverbial aisle. We need to recognize the importance of legacy and the importance of sharing in praise with those who came before. Recognizing that traditional hymns aren’t an artifact of a failed solemnity of our grandparents, but a heritage shared with hundreds of centuries of believers adds a lot of gravity to those classic songs.

Even though hymns aren’t always saturated in flashy guitar licks or exciting light shows, they have just as much of a place in our liturgy as any other element that glorifies God. The same is true of modern worship songs—there is a valuable place for both. Remember the goal: the genuine worship of God and the edification of God’s people. If we can all work towards those goals, our singing will be the better for it.

Love hymns and the great traditional songs of the faith? You would love The Soul Felt Its Worth: A 25-Day Devotional Journey Through the Music of Christmas.

Centered on Christmas, but encouraging any day of the year, you can read the first day’s devotional (Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing) completely free at the link below.