A History of Hymnody : Vol. 1 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Psalms

The book of Psalms is divided into 150 poetic works to be used in worship. These were written by several different authors over a considerable period of time but collected together in their present form at some point after the exile in Babylon.

Answer: Philippians

"Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2 v. 5-11 - NIV translation)

Other possible fragments of hymns include John 1 v. 1-18, Acts 4 v. 24-30, 1 Corinthians 8:6, Colossians 1 v. 15-20, Ephesians 2 v. 14-16, 1 Timothy 3 v. 16, Hebrews 1 v. 3-4, Hebrews 1 v. 13 and 1 Peter 3 v. 18-22.

Answer: St. Patrick's Breastplate

This is an example of a lorica or protective prayer. These are particularly associated with monastic communities and derive their name from the Latin word for body armour. Another famous lorica turned into a hymn is the "Rob tu mo bhoile" which became "Be Thou My Vision".

St. Patrick was a fifth century Irish bishop, later recognised as the country's patron saint. Although this lorica is attributed to him, it probably dates from no earlier than the eighth century. The traditional English translation is the work of Cecil Frances Alexander. Her other hymns include "Once in Royal David's City", "All Things Bright and Beautiful" and "There is a Green Hill Far Away".

Answer: Joseph the Hymnographer

Joseph was born in Sicily circa 810 AD but lived most of his life as a monk in Constantinople. He spent several years in prison, having been captured by pirates, and it was there that, according to tradition, he received his vision.

He is credited with writing more than a thousand hymns which include (in English translation), "O Happy Band of Pilgrims"; "Let Us Now Our Voices Raise"; "Stars of the Morning"; "Safe Home, Safe Home in Port" and "And Wilt Thou Pardon Lord?".

Answer: Plainsong

Plainsong is a form of unison singing, normally without any musical accompaniment. It is also known as Gregorian Chant (although strictly this is just one form of plainsong), named from the sixth century Pope Gregory.

Answer: Good King Wenceslas

John Mason Neale was born in London in 1818. His beliefs were those of the Anglo-Catholic Oxford Movement, to which he was introduced whilst a student at Cambridge University. This was a religious grouping within the Church of England. One of their prime intentions was to trace a lineage from the Anglican Church back to the Early Church, and Neale's translations of ancient hymns for contemporary usage should be seen against this backdrop. These translations include "O Come, O Come Immanuel"; "Jerusalem the Golden"; "Of the Father's Love Begotten" and "Good Christian Men, Rejoice".

"Good King Wenceslas" is based upon legends about the life of Svatý Václav, a tenth century duke of Bohemia.

Answer: They wanted the whole congregation to be involved.

Prior to the Reformation, almost all hymns in the Western Church were sung in Latin by clergy or choirs. One of the central desires of the Protestant reformers was to enable congregations to collectively sing hymns in their native tongue. This was facilitated by the recent invention of the printing press and the development of written musical notation.

Answer: Black and red

There were two further psalters of significance produced for use in the English church. "The Whole Booke of Psalmes, Collected into English Meter" was first printed in the 1560s and largely consisted of the work of Thomas Sternhold and John Hopkins. This was superseded in 1696 by a psalter written by two Irishmen, Nicholas Brady and Nahum Tate. Tate was sufficiently well regarded as a poet to become Poet Laureate but lived an indisciplined lifestyle and died a penniless drunkard.

Many people sing the hymn "All People That on Earth do Dwell", to the tune known as "The Old 100th", without realising that old in this case refers back to the "old" Sternhold and Hopkins psalter.

Answer: John Milton

John Milton was born in London in 1608. His most famous works include "Paradise Lost"; "Paradise Regained" and "Samson Agonistes". The lines quoted first appear in his 1645 publication "Poems", with a note that they were written when he was aged 15. They are based upon Psalm 136.

Answer: The Lord's My Shepherd

Although the work has come to be known as the "Scottish Psalter" because it was approved for use in that country, it was actually produced in London by the Westminster Committee. The intention was for a collection of metrical psalms that was simple and easy to sing.

"The Lord's My Shepherd" is now usually sung to the nineteenth century tune "Crimond" and is based upon Psalm 23. Other well-known hymns contained within the psalter include, "I to the hills will lift mine eyes"; "Pray that Jerusalem may have peace and felicity"; "Ye gates, lift up your heads on high" and "O send thy light forth and thy truth".