We are delighted with the tremendous response to our recent post “Are These the Ten Worst Hymns of All Time?” All along, our plan was to follow the ten worst with the ten best. So now, after much consideration (and a bit of solitary suffering, here and there, among our staffers; it does hurt, after all, to have one’s personal favorite hymn crossed off the list), we present, with musical links, what may be the ten best hymns of all time. We do, of course, welcome alternate suggestions and comments.
Note: We decided to considered hymns only, and not anthems, hymns being defined as those sacred songs that are written in poetic meter.
10. Holy, Holy, Holy
9. Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise
8. When I Survey the Wondrous Cross
7. Love Divine, All Loves Excelling
6. Ye Watchers and Ye Holy Ones
5. Oh Sacred Head, Now Wounded
4. The King of Love My Shepherd Is
3. Oh God, Beyond All Praising
2. Christ the Lord Is Risen Today
1. My Shepherd Will Supply My Need
July 12th, 2010 | 5:02 am
I nominate “O God Our Help in Ages Past”.
July 12th, 2010 | 6:11 am
Pange lingua gloriosi – or are you limiting to English only?
July 12th, 2010 | 6:55 am
#1 ? “My Shepherd Will Supply my Need”?
I lead singing regularly, and that’s way down my list. It’s okay for specific thematic needs, but not a general worshipful hymn. Too slow–it’s hard to keep a group singing joyfully.
#5, “Sacred Head” has a too complex harmony for a typical congregation.
I’m not familiar with 3 & 4, but not particularly impressed with the samples here. (And who’s trying to sing bass in in #3?!)
An old classic I recommend is Eternal Father When to Thee : http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/e/f/efw2thee.htm
Full agreement on 10, 9, 7, 2.
July 12th, 2010 | 7:09 am
Excellent list. Other than 1 and 9, these are all among my favorites. I’m less familiar with those two, no doubt because they’re the only ones not in the Catholic breviary. (Except for 3, which I know more from The Planets than from the hymn. And 6 is in there with the St. Francis lyrics, as All Creatures of Our God and King.) Both are beautiful tunes, but I’d probably replace them on my personal list with a couple of Marian hymns: Immaculate Mary and Hail Holy Queen.
Christ the Lord Is Risen Today is my favorite hymn. Hard to imagine Easter morning without it.
July 12th, 2010 | 8:17 am
Good List.
I would add “There Is a Green Hill Far Away”
July 12th, 2010 | 8:25 am
Curious how so many more on your “worst” list were from the US, but not quite so many here. Do I question your patriotism or your perspective?
Good catch on numbers 3 and 4.
July 12th, 2010 | 8:36 am
Very good, very good…hard task…but how about “Old 100th,” as in the Doxology or “All People that on Earth do Dwell?” Or something from Christmas like “Adeste Fideles?”
And you need another really stout one like “How Firm a Foundation,” or “A Mighty Fortress.” Your committee process has sanded off the edges a bit, perhaps.
I would add one seen through the eyes of the dying (we are all dying) like “Abide with Me,”
where human mortality is keenly felt.
July 12th, 2010 | 8:39 am
[...] Music Leave a Comment First Things reenters the liturgical music fray today with its Ten Best Hymns. It’s a follow up piece to the Ten [...]
July 12th, 2010 | 9:25 am
Fantastic list! However, I prefer the original title, “Jesus Christ is Risen Today” as “Christ the Lord” is a tad redundant.
July 12th, 2010 | 9:30 am
You should have clarified that you meant English only, otherwise I’d be scandalized that the Panis Angelicus, the Non Nobis and/or the Adoramus Te aren’t on the list.
July 12th, 2010 | 9:50 am
I assume you only did English language hymns, otherwise I’d have to include Ave Maria and probably at least a couple of the other latin hymns in my personal “best of” list.
July 12th, 2010 | 9:54 am
“To Jesus Christ, Our Sovereign King”.
July 12th, 2010 | 10:00 am
Oh Sacred Head Surrounded is probably in my top three of English hymns. I’m also glad you included The King of Love My Shepherd Is, which probably also cracks my top three. I’d only add Lift Up Your Head You Mighty Gates and Be Thou My Vision. Maybe Faith of Our Fathers as well.
July 12th, 2010 | 10:01 am
Also Come, Holy Ghost!
July 12th, 2010 | 10:17 am
Hey! Hey!
Where’s “A Mighty Fortress”?
July 12th, 2010 | 10:23 am
Oh, and also “Veni Creator Spiritus”
July 12th, 2010 | 10:34 am
A good list!
I would hesitate, however, with a couple of these hymns because they are so church year specific. On that basis, I would remove “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross”; “O Sacred Head, Now Wounded” (though I MUCH prefer the translation in the 1940 Episcopal Hymnal); and “Christ the Lord is Risen Today”. (Again, with original text).
Possible additions are “O God Our Help In Ages Past”; Crown Him With Many Crowns”; “Alleluia, Sing to Jesus”; and “Old 100th”. As a “hat tip” to my pre-conversion stomping grounds, I have to include, as an Honorable Mention “Firmly I Believe and Truly”; tune “Nashotah House”; text from Cardinal Newman’s “The Dream of Gerontius.”
July 12th, 2010 | 10:50 am
It’s no coincidence that the best Christian hymns, both as groups and individually, are Easter and Christmas tunes – what could more inspire us to sing? But your list seems a bit stacked toward non-seasonal hymns. Was that conscious, or just an accident?
That said, the great Christmas and Easter hymns are clearly underrepresented, if what we are talking about are singable, musically and textually excellent and deeply loved and enthusiastically sung hymns.
July 12th, 2010 | 10:52 am
“Ah, Holy Jesus” (translated by Robert Bridges from Herzliebster Jesu) and “Joy and Triumph Everlasting.” Look ‘em up.
July 12th, 2010 | 11:02 am
This is probably just “my favorites” rather than “the ones I think are the world’s best.”
Just as I am, without one plea
http://nethymnal.org/htm/j/u/justasam.htm
Come thou fount of every blessing
http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/c/o/comethou.htm
There is a fountain filled with blood
http://nethymnal.org/htm/t/f/tfountfb.htm
And almost anything Welsh:
Guide me o Thou great Jehovah
http://nethymnal.org/htm/g/u/guideme.htm
If “carols” are hymns, I’ve added the Welsh “All poor men and humble.”
July 12th, 2010 | 11:07 am
Links for the hymns I mentioned:
Ah, Holy Jesus: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbM5epqbhiE&feature=related (they’ve modernized the lyrics a bit in this version, so get the originals from here: http://www.hymnsite.com/lyrics/umh289.sht)
Joy and Triumph Everlasting: http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/j/o/joytrium.htm
July 12th, 2010 | 11:23 am
At my parish I’ve heard one of these Ten Best and none (so far) from the comments, whereas I’ve heard nine from the Ten Worst list and scores from its comments section. Is there a correlation between OCP/GIA and the Ten Worst, or are any of these Ten Best published by them?
July 12th, 2010 | 11:27 am
“The strife is o’er, the battle won”.
July 12th, 2010 | 11:59 am
“Come Down, O Love Divine”
July 12th, 2010 | 12:12 pm
Great is Thy Faithfulness
July 12th, 2010 | 12:16 pm
Alas, will no one else campaign for the greatness of “Nearer, My God, To Thee”?
http://gentlyhewstone.wordpress.com/2008/06/28/out-of-my-stony-griefs-bethel-ill-raise/
July 12th, 2010 | 1:04 pm
I tend to think Advent and Lenten hymns are the great ones: Lo, He Comes With Clouds Descending, for example, for Advent, or Drop, Drop, Slow Tears during Holy Week, or when the Gospel reading is the story of the woman who washes Christ’s feet with her tears.
“O Sacred Head” does have a complex harmony, but the melody is relatively straightforward and not that hard for a congregation to sing. A choir, or an ensemble of singers (which in my parish amounts to the same thing), can fill in the parts, though that’s not entirely necessary. “Ah, Holy Jesus” is another beautiful one with a tricky-ish harmony but a simple melody line. Our nice lady organist didn’t learn to play it, and some of our choristers had trouble singing the parts a capella, so we wound up singing it in unison a capella, which was surprisingly, starkly, effective.
July 12th, 2010 | 1:50 pm
IDEA: If you want to get a real challenge ask for 10 Respectable (not GREAT) Orthodox Hymns written since Vatican II. I also think it a valid exercise because I think we need to rid ourselves of the notion that NOTHING contemporary is worthy of the Mass “realizing” that probably only 1/10 of 1% of hymns has a longevity of 2 generations.
I like to mention that even though Bach’s B minor Mass is a monumentally glorious work it’s exactly the type of work that the Church DIDN’T WANT because of its excesses. Palestrina saved contrapuntal music that was both glorious and gave due emphasis to the text of the prayers where the musical tail didn’t wag the liturgical dog.
July 12th, 2010 | 2:07 pm
O sacred head, sore wounded
O saving Victim, opening wide
Humbly i adore thee, Verity unseen
Now my tongue, the mystery telling
July 12th, 2010 | 2:17 pm
Holy God We Praise Thy Name
For All the Saints (don’t underestimate Vaughn-Williams and the Anglican contribution to hymnody)
Humbly We Adore You
O Sacrament Most Holy
Praise O Zion Voices Raising (St. Thomas’ Corpus Christi Sequence in English)
July 12th, 2010 | 2:22 pm
I have never heard of #1 or #3 in 43+ years of weekly attendance at RC and Anglican churches. So I’m obviously baffled at how they could be on a top 10 list. How can “At the Name of Jesus” not be in the top 10? Or “Allelluia, Sing to Jesus?” (though “Love Divine” has the same melody). “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence” should certainly be in the running.
July 12th, 2010 | 2:27 pm
Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming.
July 12th, 2010 | 3:07 pm
How did people forget “The Church’s One Foundation”? Chesterton thought it was the perfect hymn and used the melody for “O God of Earth and Altar,” another underrated hymn.
Second the recommendation of “O God our Help in Ages Past” and what best hymns list would be complete without Old 100th?
July 12th, 2010 | 3:41 pm
For Christmas, be sure to add
In the Deep Mid Winter (Gustav Holst)
July 12th, 2010 | 3:52 pm
..oops…
Should be:
In the Bleak Mid Winter (Gustav Holtst)
July 12th, 2010 | 4:34 pm
Lord, Thee I Love with All my Heart
July 12th, 2010 | 4:42 pm
Number 9 always fills me with the feeling that reminds me of the phrase “holy fear.”
“‘Tis only the splendour of light hideth Thee”
Tears come.
July 12th, 2010 | 5:02 pm
Very surprised my favorite hasn’t been mentioned yet:
And Can It Be That I Should Gain
July 12th, 2010 | 5:03 pm
“O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go” should get honorable mention. It’s not nearly doctrinally comprehensive enough to make the top ten, and the original music is pretty dreary. But the lyrics are striking.
“For the Beauty of the Earth” should also get honorable mention for lyrics. “For the mystic harmony / Linking sense to sound and sight.” Indeed.
July 12th, 2010 | 6:22 pm
HAIL REDEEMER KING DIVINE should be there. I haven’t ever even heard of your #1, and I see others in the same boat. You’d think the greatest hymn of all time would be a little more well known.
July 12th, 2010 | 6:54 pm
Ditto to Te Deum (aka Holy God, we Praise Thy Name) and The Cherubinic Hymn (aka Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Te_Deum
http://songsforpraise.com/HolyGodWePraiseThyName.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherubic_Hymn
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let_all_mortal_flesh_keep_silence
July 12th, 2010 | 7:11 pm
Most of these are Anglican or Methodist. No Cathoic German, French, Italian or American composers wrote a great hymn.
How about Silent Night, Holy God We Praise Thy Name or Ave Maria, or too schmalzy for music geeks?
July 12th, 2010 | 8:58 pm
As a cradle Catholic & child of the 80′s, I’ve cantored in church just about my whole life, and have sung pretty much every hymn on BOTH the best & worst lists many times over …
May I add:
“Praise to the Lord” [LOBE DEN HERREN] (my personal all time fave).
Old 100th, “For All The Saints” [SINE NOMINE] and anything else composed/arranged by RVW.
Completely agree with the list, esp #7, 5, 4.
#1 was a bit of a letdown though, after such a strong #10-2.
#3 is a glorious expansive hymn, with which I have only become familiar in the past year. Should be sung more, definitely.
For Christmas: “Lo How a Rose E’er Blooming” is PERFECT. Esp in SAT trio or SATB quartet, and ending with verse 1 in German.
Thanks for sharing! May I suggest fave Latin chants for the next list?
July 12th, 2010 | 8:59 pm
Oh yes, I forgot:
“Lift High the Cross” [CRUCIFER]
July 12th, 2010 | 9:44 pm
As a matter of fact, an American did write a great hymn: Richard Smallwood’s ‘Total Praise”. Smallwood is a classically-trained Gospel composer. When performed correctly, it raises the hair on your neck. A very good version by the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir:
http://tinyurl.com/2bkg4uf
July 12th, 2010 | 9:48 pm
“How Can I Keep from Singing”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_Can_I_Keep_from_Singing%3F
“Just As I Am”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just_as_I_Am_(hymn)
July 12th, 2010 | 10:28 pm
[...] “other” blog, First Thoughts, has editors listing the ten worst hymns and the ten best hymns. Whether this is a useful exercise is up to readers to judge. What is lacking is a set of criteria [...]
July 12th, 2010 | 11:23 pm
@Amo
“Lift High the Cross” – Love it!
Thought I was going crazy and my taste stinks that no one else mentioned it. ;)
For sheer triumph of the Cross…that one wins for me.
I only recognized half on this list (I’m a convert of 12 years…so I’m a bit behind).
July 13th, 2010 | 5:28 am
I would substitute “All Creatures of Our God and King” for “Ye Watchers”, and add one of two modern hymns in place of “O God Beyond All Praising” – either “In Christ Alone My Hope Is Found” or the one exception to the “all modern Catholic music is crap” mantra: “One Bread, One Body”. Honorable mentions include “Praise My Soul the King of Heaven” and “We Know That Christ Is Raised and Dies No More”.
Of course, there is no better example of a hymn than “O Come, All Ye Faithful”, especially the Episcopal hymnal version that includes the verse that contains “who would not love thee, loving us so dearly.”
July 13th, 2010 | 7:27 am
Amo, right! Lift High the Cross!
July 13th, 2010 | 9:17 am
Quite a surprise what is listed as #1. Popular, maybe, but the best of a list of good ones? My own choices might be rather obscure, but I would offer “Jesus Has Come and Brings Pleasure Eternal” (alas I could not find a setting on line) or for poetry alone, Franzmann’s “O God, O Lord of Heaven and Earth” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjZ8iKDShPk… just to name a few…
July 13th, 2010 | 1:42 pm
How can I be the first to mention “Amazing Grace”.
July 13th, 2010 | 3:30 pm
Wachet Auf: Sleepers Wake
and
Break Forth O Beauteous Heav’nly Light
Congregations are capable of singing quite complex hymns, such as “God of our fathers, Whose almighty hand,
July 13th, 2010 | 5:23 pm
Is possible to suggest that not all old hymns are great, and not all new songs are bad? I’ve enjoyed some oldies and some newbies; they enhanced my worship. Then there are some oldies and newbies I have not delighted in.
July 13th, 2010 | 9:45 pm
Some are excellent choices, some merely very good. These were omitted. “Holy God, We Praise Your Name,” “Whate’er My God Ordains Is Right,” and “For All the Saints.”
July 14th, 2010 | 5:16 am
@Craig & Fr. Michael – Glad you too love “Lift High the Cross”. I’ll take it any day over the ‘social justice’ cant from the contemporary œvre (e.g. “Anthem”).
@Don in Phoenix – although my bias is toward the ‘oldie but goodie’ hymns, I will mix it up with some of the contemporary faves (such as OBOB, Be Not Afraid), as long as they are scripturally sound. NEVER On Eagle’s Wings, though (more a matter of taste than scriptural soundness, although even that is a matter of debate).
I really try and make the scripture readings/lesson the main criterion by which I choose the hymns. Unfortunately, like many church musicians, I am limited to the selections in the missalette [O St. Cecilia: please intercede on behalf of St. ___ Church, that Fr. ___ will budget $ for congregational hymnals].
More thoughts on the Top 10 Hymn List:
Anyone still on the fence about “O God Beyond All Praising” should seek out the Richard Proulx arrangement. Our diocesan cathedral choir sang this for a priestly ordination, with organ and full brass, and it was glorious.
Wanted to mention another hymn also referenced in the comments: “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence” [PICARDY] — Eucharistic, ancient (c. 4th century AD), and arranged by Ralph Vaughn Williams. ‘Nuff said.
Don’t get musicians started. Especially church musicians!
July 14th, 2010 | 10:28 am
Two of my favorites not on the list:
Praise To The Lord, The Almighty
All Creatures of Our God and King
Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
How Deep The Father’s Love For Us
July 14th, 2010 | 10:28 am
Obviously, I added a couple more and didn’t edit the lead-in. ;)
July 14th, 2010 | 11:00 pm
I think you guys missed the boat here:
Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence
Alleluia, Sing to Jesus
At the Name of Jesus
Shepherd of Souls
What Wondrous Love Is This
The Church’s One Foundation
How Firm a Foundation
All Glory, Laud and Honor
Jesus Christ is Ris’n Today
Come, Holy Ghost
All Creatures of Our God and King
O Come, O Come Emmanuel
O Sun of Justice
Attende Domine (English translation)
By All Your Saints Still Striving
Your Hands, O Lord, in Days of Old
Father, We Thank Thee Who Has Planted
Alleluia, The Strife is O’er
July 17th, 2010 | 8:34 am
You tackled an impossible task–as witnessed by the number of folks who disagree with your choices. How could a “best hymns” list not include: Rock of Ages; Jesus, Lover of My Soul; Hark, the Herald Angels Sing; Abide with Me; Be Still, My Soul…? Oh my!
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