Hymnals and Psalters

Bible Songs - Published in 1930 by the General Synod of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. Originally designed to be a supplement to the church's Psalter, it contains a selection of metrical Psalms set largely to music in a gospel-hymn style. It is the only Psalter still in print by the ARP church. Bible Songs contains settings of all 150 Psalms, either in part or in entirety.

Trinity Hymnal - Published in 1961 by Great Commission Publications in association with the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. This hymnal contains 662 traditional hymn and Psalm settings, a collection of 67 additional gospel-styled songs for "informal occasions," a selection of musical responses, and the complete Westminster Shorter Catechism and Confession of Faith. It is strong in its inclusion of hymns from throughout the ages of the church, especially the Reformation.

Trinity Hymnal, Revised Edition - Published in 1990 by Great Commission Publications in association with the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and the Presbyterian Church of America. This is a reworking of the original Trinity Hymnal including the addition of a number of newer hymns and less formal songs. The structure, emphases and elements remain basically the same.

The Hymnbook - Published in 1955 by five Presbyterian-Reformed denominations, including the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. This is a standard collection of traditional hymns with a strong emphasis on Psalter selections and Psalm paraphrases. While this hymnal has a good selection of varied hymns, an adequate section on service music, and a fine series of indexes, it naturally will not include any of the vast amount of hymnody made available since 1955.

Rejoice in the Lord - Published in 1985 by Eerdmans Publishing Company in association with the Reformed Church in America. Edited by Erik Routley and containing many of his tunes and arrangements, this collection focuses primarily on material from the reformation and the modern day. It includes many new texts and tunes. The hymnal is subtitled A Hymn Companion to the Scriptures and contains a Psalter with 63 entries and 561 other hymns organized thematically around the persons of the Trinity. The hymnal has no service music section.

Psalter Hymnal - Published in 1987 by CRC Publications in association with the Christian Reformed Church. This is one of the finest Psalters currently available in the English language. The collection begins with a single setting for each Psalm, the texts of which are largely new efforts. Next follow 86 Bible Songs taken from the whole scope of scripture, using both traditional and contemporary musical settings. The hymn portion contains 384 traditional hymns, spirituals, and contemporary choruses. This collection is especially rich in traditional Psalter tunes. A Doctrinal Standards section contains the Belgic Confession, Heidelberg Catechism, and the Canons of Dort.

The Celebration Hymnal: Songs and Hymns for Worship - Published in 1997 by Word Music/Integrity Music. The non-denominational hymnal is basically a compilation of praise and worship choruses, which have achieved "classic" status and old Pietistic revival hymns from the 1920's through the 1950's. A minimal collection of traditional hymnody is also included. Its primary strengths include a considerable emphasis on the holiness of God and numerous "Worship Sequences" which provide brief spoken liturgies couples with a pre-arranged medley of related hymns and choruses. Among its weaknesses are minimal emphasis on the sacraments and other rites of the church, the exclusion of most of the newer hymns which are elsewhere becoming standards, scant us of sung Psalmody, and only minor emphasis on such major attributes of God as His Sovereignty and Grace. In general, the collection focuses on hymns of personal feeling and human experience to the exclusion of hymns focusing on our interrelatedness in Christ and our resulting responsibilities.

Hymns, Psalms, and Spiritual Songs - Published in 1990 by Westminster/John Knox Press in association with the Presbyterian Church, USA. This work contains 605 settings of Psalms and hymns representing a mix of traditional hymns, gospel songs, a sizable collection of newly written texts set to both new and familiar music, and a separate Psalter section of 98 highly varied Psalm settings. Included are many new hymns dealing with theological issues not usually addressed in a hymnal. Notable also is the variety of musical and textual styles available in one book.

The Hymnal for Worship and Celebration - Published in 1986 by Word Music independently of any denomination. This hymnal contains 600 hymns and gospel songs with a strong emphasis on revival hymns and modern praise choruses. Frequently a number of hymns are connected by accompanimental interludes so that they may be sung together as a medley, if desired. The hymnal is interspersed with 23 "Brief Services" providing short liturgies and scripture passages on varied themes. Missing from this collection is any specifically Reformed theological focus, the majority of our traditional Psalter tunes and texts, and Psalm paraphrases in general. Twenty-six Psalms are included in an index for unison (not responsive) readings.

The Worshipping Church: a Hymnal - Published by Hope Publishing Company in 1990 independently of any denomination. For congregations seeking a hymnal containing the best of the more recent scripture songs and praise choruses from the "Worship and Praise" movement, this is the best resource for Reformed churches. The 903 selections include over forty such choruses, a sizable representation of traditional hymnody, and a fine sampling of recently composed hymns rapidly gaining inter-denominational favor. Of special interest is the "Psalms and Canticles" section included in the main body of the hymnal, containing 36 entries and offering various styles of Psalm singing. Still other Psalm-based hymns are included elsewhere in the hymnal.

The Book of Psalms for Singing - Published in 1973 by Crown and Covenant Publishers and the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America, this has been a popular option for those seeking a traditional psalms-only collection. Four-part musical settings are provided for each psalm, with a second musical option provided for many entries. From Calvin's time on, the challenge in producing a metrical Psalter has always been to paraphrase the psalm in such a way that the poetry is of high quality poetry that is easily understood. The collection suffers from awkward word orders and antiquated language which may tend to confuse or alienate modern worshipers.

Trinity Psalter: Words Only Edition - The Words-Only Psalter (no musical settings are included) is taken from the popular Book of Psalms for Singing. (See above.) Its purpose is to provide a complete Psalter that is smaller in size and less expensive than the full-sized Psalter from which it is taken. Accordingly, each psalm is included with only one setting, with the appropriate meter inscribed below. One appropriate tune is suggested, but the music is not included. The chief value of this collection is in its reduced size, designed to fit in pew racks along with a traditional hymnal. Further, as a paperback book, it is considerably less expensive. Another nice feature is the introductory information about how to sing metrical psalms. See above for an evaluation of the psalm settings themselves.

Great Hymns of the Faith, Compiled and Edited by John W. Peterson, Singspiration Music Publishers, 1968 - This hymnal, published in 1968, is at an age when most denominational hymnbooks would be scheduled for replacement. Considering all the new music which has been made available for congregational singing during the last thirty years, churches would be ill advised to purchase a hymnal which includes none of these resources. Coming from an independent publisher which largely services churches which are outside the Reformed family, this hymnal is not particularly strong in reinforcing Reformed doctrines, the attributes of God, divine initiation and grace, or use of the Psalms. It focuses, rather, on the subjects of personal testimony, making it, perhaps, better suited for special times of revival. However, most up to date hymnals will also provide a fine selection of such hymns.