Church Hymns Background

The early forms of hymns were initially developed with a poetic style (four-line stanzas) due to simplicity. Later, during the Middle Ages, choirs began to form to finesse the delivery of the hymns, which further advanced the development of 'hymn styles' with more ornate melodies improving upon previous works.

Congregational Hymn singing during the Liturgy increasingly became popular during the Reformation. In particular, the Lutheran Church in Germany is notable for its efforts.

The early Chorale, or German Hymn melody, was initially unharmonised and sung unaccompanied, although harmonised versions with varying choir and organ combinations were added later.

Martin Luther was also notable in his contribution to Hymns with his collection of texts in 1524. His contemporaries included Johann Walther and later Georg Rhau(1544)

The Calvinists  also encouraged metrical translations of the Psalter, and English and Scottish Protestant Churches were also noted for their inclusion of the singing of Psalms.

The 17th Century greatly contributed to English hymnody through the hymn writer Isaac Watts (Hymns and Spiritual Songs 1705-19). Further development and dynamic works were continued during the evangelical revival (18th Century). The founders of Methodism (John and Charles Wesley) became known for establishing Hymnody in England and America.

Charles Wesley's poems included experimental metres, and John Wesley's translations introduced many German Hymns. Their work contains a variety of musical tunes in the style of Handel.

In the 1800s, there was further development of the yymn, including singing hymns with new compositions, translations of metrical hymns, and plainsong melodies. The English Hymnody reflects excellent works in the early production of Hymns Ancient and Modern 1861, which also conformed to the Anglican Book of Common Prayer - with the setting of hymn text to its proper tune.

The Counter-Reformation in the 16th Century enabled the development of Catholic hymns. Further renewals later produced the Westminster Hymnal in 1940. These initial movements, combined with the re-introduction of congregational singing during Mass, provided the stimulus required for the composition and development of today's new hymns. 

The future relevance of the hymn's value to society look spromising. Based on past and current hymn trends, there is a strong likelihood that this form of expression will continue to adapt and mature.