Civil War Hymns

[Micah Trent]

Re: Civil War Hymns

You can also check with Kentucky Country Day in Louisville, KY for addtional resources.

[GermanDraftee]

Re: Civil War Hymns

"O Come, O Come Emmanuel", with all the modifications, is also in the 1861 edition of Neale's "Hymns: Ancient & Modern", #036. (http://www.oremus.org/hymnal/am1861.html) With its history from 1851-1861 (see earlier post), I believe it would be safe to say that it made its way "across the pond" during the course of the war, at the latest.

The earlier, Latin, version, "Veni, Veni Emmanuel" (hymn form of the "O" Antiphons) appears from the early 1700s, but as a hymn used in the Liturgy of the Hours, specifically late Advent vespers. It would, therefore, have been most familiar in monastic circles. It would also have been familiar in Catholic Cathedrals or large urban churches where singing of vespers with parishioners was practiced. Unfortunately, this still leaves "Veni, Veni Emmanuel" in the "Maybe" category of popular, Catholic usage for the ACW era.

[hiplainsyank]

Re: Civil War Hymns

A couple thoughts. While the proof that a hymn was published by the time of the Civil War does not guarantee that people sung it, I would argue that hymns that Christians today are familiar with that were available then were being sung. As a Lutheran pastor who has an interest in music old and new, I have seen the introduction of many new hymns and songs in my lifetime (and I am fairly young, to boot). If a hymn were not immediately popular during the Civil War era, it would not have been kept in the general repertoire of congregation, and would have died out by today.

That is to say, many new hymns and songs are very popular when they first come out, but not all of them have staying power. A new hymn that was not popular would have little chance of staying around at all.

If you are close to any seminary libraries, they should have old hymnals in their stacks. But you will have to do extra leg work to find out what they were singing them to. At least in my tradition, there are a couple church music professors on faculty at seminaries, and they might be able to give you clues as well.

When denominations publish new hymnals in the past few decades, many have also published hymnal commentaries which give a brief history of every hymn/song in the hymnal. These might also prove a helpful resource.

[amity]

Re: Civil War Hymns

A couple thoughts. While the proof that a hymn was published by the time of the Civil War does not guarantee that people sung it, I would argue that hymns that Christians today are familiar with that were available then were being sung. As a Lutheran pastor who has an interest in music old and new, I have seen the introduction of many new hymns and songs in my lifetime (and I am fairly young, to boot). If a hymn were not immediately popular during the Civil War era, it would not have been kept in the general repertoire of congregation, and would have died out by today.

That is to say, many new hymns and songs are very popular when they first come out, but not all of them have staying power. A new hymn that was not popular would have little chance of staying around at all.

Joanna, I agree with part of what you say, but not with all, and here's why:

Let's say a new hymn is published for the first time in 2007. How long will it be before it is familiar to people in your church? Probably quite a few years. Unless of course it is a song that is popularized first through the radio. Or available as photocopied sheet music. Or something that a member of your congregation happens to hear at a sister church while they are at a weekend meeting, and then download it from CyberHymnal and teach others. Of course none of those resources were available to churches in mid 19th century.

I go to a church that takes traditional approach to singing, like most churches during the civil war. Our regular Sunday hymnal is over 30 years old. We do not replace it more frequently than that. Very occasionally a new song catches on in one of the above mentioned ways, and then some years later it might find its way into a future edition of a published hymnal, which we will eventually buy to replace our old well-used present hymnals, but that will take quite a few years. We are not going to run right out and replace our much loved hymnals to be on top of the latest musical trends. Only after it is in the hymnal in the benches, the one that is used every Sunday, will most people start to learn it. So basically we stick with the same songs we grew up with, without a rapid rate of change. Plus remember people are not especially musically literate during this time (although I am sure more musically literate than now!). Most hymnals do not have music printed. Choirs and instruments are not common in church. They are singing whatever their precentors, middle aged to elderly men all, are leading. Who is going to learn the new songs, and how?

Diffusion of religious music is generally very slow, and church has not historically been a place where the latest recently published songs are sung regularly. It is very unlike popular music in that regard. If a hymn or carol was first published in 1862 I would say that chances of anyone in particular being familiar with it by the end of the war were slim. That is why I think the best way to learn what hymns were sung in the U.S. during the civil war is to consult the hymnals that people were actually singing from during the period. And they are widely available now. In all there are a few dozen online hymnals mentioned in this thread so far. It is easy for each one of us to go down to our local historical society and check available records to find out what hymnals were in use in the various local churches, and then make our selections of what songs to represent.

The fact that a piece of music was available as sheet music, or sung during a performance somewhere, or published in a rather literary study of medieval music does not convince me at all that it was sung by ordinary people. We have so much good music available to use that WAS commonly sung during the civil war that there is no need to build a case that our present day favorites could have been sung unless we can find widely available sources for them.

[styler]

Re: Civil War Hymns

One of the issues I had looking up carols was discerning what was popular and well known in Britain versus what was known on this side of the Atlantic. Again, for some circles the familiar songs may have been one and the same (I'm thinking that it's likely American's who often rubbed elbows with English literati also picked up some of their traditions). However, what was played in the parlors of Beacon Hill may not have been familiar to the folks gathered together in Morrisville, Vermont, or Fishersville, Virginia. Then, there may have been a big difference between what was popular for rural vs. urban folk, or Lutheran (English or German) vs. P.E. vs. R.C., etc. That's where we really need diaries or accounts from other "earthy" period sources such as newspaper accounts of services or festivals to fill in the details.

Beadles may help here.