John A. Behnke’s concertato setting of the beloved Christmas carol “Angels We Have Heard on High” is written for SATB choir, congregation, and organ, and the setting also includes optional parts for handbells and orchestra. If handbells and/or an orchestra are unavailable, the concertato remains a fine setting for the congregation and choir this Christmas. Perform it with everything or incorporate just the subset of instruments you have available.

Paul Gerhardt (1607–76) is considered to be a prolific composer, writing 123 hymns during his lifetime that are still enjoyed by the church today. His dedication to hymn writing even during times of war and suffering showcase how Christ's love can be a rock of comfort no matter what. Read about his top five hymns below to see insights on both the hymn texts and history surrounding each one. 

Jeffrey Blersch’s organ collection Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation features four variations on the tune WESTMINSTER ABBEY. The first masterfully incorporates a Purcell sonata for a regal feel, with the tune in the pedal. The next variation is a light tricinium, with a slow-moving cantus firmus in the left hand, continuous movement with ornamentation in the right hand, and a walking bass in the pedal. This is followed by a movement of lush harmonies utilizing strings with a flute solo in the pedal. The collection finishes with a gripping variation that shifts back and forth between a big, grand, almost menacing maestoso section and an energetic, dancing 6/8 that keeps shifting keys—full of surprises and fun to play.

One staple of worship every Sunday is the Hymn of the Day. Whether printed in your bulletin or posted on the hymn outline board at the front of the church, the Hymn of the Day connects to the theme of the worship service. These hymns become a staple of the service as they’re repeated every one or three years, depending on your preferred lectionary. They help your congregation members familiarize themselves with the hymnal and connect similar themes across church seasons.

Treating sixteen tunes commonly associated with the Lord’s Supper, Grace Unbounded is a book you will always want handy for Communion distribution. When you’re not sure how much music will be needed, these brief pieces of two or three pages in length are an ideal choice. A wide variety of techniques keep the settings interesting and fun while being easy to play.

One and All Rejoice (OAR) contains numerous opportunities for teaching children part singing. A great way to get started is by learning one of the many canons included in OAR. To discover everything that can be sung in canon in OAR, check out the index “Hymns and Songs in Canon” on page 361 of the hymnal.

In 1523, Martin Luther wrote to Georg Spalatin (1484–1545), private secretary to Elector Frederick III (“the Wise”) of Saxony. With his superb humanist education, Spalatin was sought by Luther as one skilled in the German language and capable of writing German hymns based on psalms. Thus, by 1523—a mere six years after the posting of the Ninety-Five Theses—Luther was committed to providing German-language hymns for the people to sing and was actively seeking gifted poets to work with him on this project. This work led to the publication of the first Lutheran hymnals in 1524 for which we now mark the five hundredth anniversary.

Following the successful Hymn Prelude Library series for organ comes a comprehensive set of piano preludes for all the hymn tunes in Lutheran Service Book. Not an adaptation of the organ series, this collection features newly composed pieces by dozens of composers who write in a variety of styles and harmonizations. The pieces are useful as preludes and postludes, as music at the offering, for introductions, and during distribution, as well as for those who play hymns at home.

[Historically, in church music] Lutherans sang hymns from the beginnings of the Reformation. Calvinists, though, in their zeal to use nothing but the Bible in worship, tended to restrict their singing to biblical psalms. Though they might have chanted them—a musical style that makes possible the singing of prose just as it is written without alteration, straight from the Bible—instead they made metrical translations, complete with regular rhythms and rhymes. In practice, these metrical psalms were closer in some ways to vernacular hymns than to the text of the Bible. Such psalm singing is still the practice in some conservative Reformed churches today, and it was the norm for early English Protestantism. Then came Isaac Watts

Eight recently discovered organ works of distinguished composer, teacher, and parish musician Dr. Richard Hillert (1923-2010) are being newly released in Richard Hillert: The Unpublished Organ Works. These settings have never been published before and are all settings of commonly used hymn tunes. They should be a welcome addition to the church organist’s repertoire, especially for those who have studied with Hillert; for those who have played, sung, and admired his work; and for those in the future who have yet to encounter the music of this remarkable man.