I love hymn-stories.
I have read several books that tell the story behind some of our greatest hymns. I love glimpsing into lives of the people that wrote them. It’s always inspired and encouraged. Ordinary people, ordinary lives like mine that God uses leave legacies of trust and hope and faith for years to come: I love it!
Ever since I saw a review of the special edition of Then Sings My Soul, I’d wanted to read one of the series for myself.
I finally got my wish when a copy of Then Sings My Soul, book three by Robert J. Morgan, arrived on my doorstep. I didn’t get a chance to start reading it until after Christmas. When I read the first story, I was hooked.
This particular edition studied the history of hymnody in depth.
The first part had six categories: Biblical hymns to Medieval Hymns to Gospel and present day hymns. It was so interesting to see the development of music over the generations. How it was different and how it has also stayed the same over generation to generation was intriguing to me. It is also amazing how hymns written hundreds of years ago can still inspire and encourage our hearts just as they did others in the day they were written.
The second part is a large collection of hymns that are not very commonly sung in most circles anymore. But they are beautiful—both the stories of the people who penned them, and the hymns themselves. I did know quite a few of them, but others I’d never taken the time to read or learn. On our occasional extended family gatherings on the weekend at our place, we’ve taken to trying to learn a song or two. It has been fun!
The third part was hymn stories the author loved to tell and the last discussed why we draw so much courage from hymns and music.
Besides all that good content, the book itself is beautiful. It has a rough cut edge to the paper, making it look older. I love how it all tied in with the theme inside.
Another thing I loved about this book as well is that it has the music printed right into the book. No digging through my stacks of music books and hymnals to try to find music to the songs that are being shared!
I suppose Book Three is a strange place to start a collection, but I would like to own all of the books in the series one day. Music and poetry and hymns are some of the things main things I turn to when I face rainy days, and I can’t think of much better than to have a library of musical encouragement at my fingertips.
thanks to booksneeze for a complimentary copy of this book. the review states my personal thoughts and opinions about this book.
I just might need to look into that as well. Have you watched the movie Amazing Grace? It’s the story and history behind the song. How Great Thou Art is one of my favorite hymns.