English Congregational Hymns in the Eighteenth CenturyHistorians of the English congregational hymn, focusing on its literary or theological aspects, have usually found the genre out of step with the rationalist era that produced it. This book takes a more balanced approach to the work of four writers and concludes that only eighteenth-century Britain, with its understanding of public verse, common truth, and the utility of poetry, could have invented the English hymn as we know it. The early hymns sought to inspire, teach, stir, and entertain congregations. The essential purpose shifted slightly in line with each poet's setting and in accord with the poetic thought of his day. For Isaac Watts's Independents, powerful traditional imagery was appropriate. Charles Wesley's enthusiasm proceeded from and served the spirit of the revival. John Newton's prophetic vision particularly suited the impoverished community at Olney. William Cowper's masterful handling of formal conventions and his idiosyncratic personal hymns reflect his poetic, rather than clerical, vocation. Despite such temporal variations, the great poetry by each man displays themes of general Christian relevance, suggesting common experience, showing normative features of the genre, and bearing a complex and intriguing relationship to secular literature. |
From inside the book
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... Exemplary Method Hymns for Preachers IV. John Newton, Olney Prophet Newton at Olney History & Prophecy Of Things to Come V. William Cowper: Exemplary Tradition & the Loss of Control Master Craftsman Cowper's Private Vision VI ...
... exemplary literature as the hymn writer skillfully exploits the situation in which the singers recite his words, making them their own. This collective recitation of the verse of a modern poet, unhallowed by biblical authority, was a ...
... exemplary Pamela taught her readers how they should cope with moral dilemmas, so the persona of Charles Wesley's hymns demonstrated correct devotional response. If Wesley's hymns are not precisely sentimental, at any rate they show the ...
Madeleine Forrell Marshall, Janet M. Todd. Watts's visual power, Wesley's exemplary sensibility, and Newton's vitality come together in many of Cowper's sixty-seven hymns. His work enables us to examine more closely the place in hymns of ...
... exemplary Christian attitudes, to focus songs on Christian answers, in this case remedies for spiritual desolation. Second, although private use was appropriate, hymns were, by and large, intended for public, congregational singing. The ...
Contents
Self Sense the Revival | |
John Newton Olney Prophet | |
Exemplary Tradition the Loss of Control | |
Conclusion | |
Notes | |
Other editions - View all
English Congregational Hymns in the Eighteenth Century Madeleine Forell Marshall,Janet Todd Limited preview - 1982 |
English Congregational Hymns in the Eighteenth Century Madeleine Forrell Marshall,Janet M. Todd No preview available - 2014 |