Slide Show: 10 hymns with not so sacred musical roots

----------

Picture 1 of 11

You've probably heard the argument that only hymns should be sung in church as they are the most holy (read: can be played softly on a piano or organ) and don't have those evil voodoo beats. You've probably also heard the counter-argument that most hymn tunes originated as a bar song. We've always wondered about this and decided to do a little digging into the history of some beloved hymns. (Note: All hymns come from the Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal, 1986 edition. Yeah, we're old school like that.) Now get ready to rock!


(Visited 1,493 times, 1 visits today)

8 Comments

  1. Travis Losey

    “Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken” (#423) is set to the tune “God save Francis the Emperor” by Haydn, which has been the tune for the German and Austrian national anthems (including the “co-national anthem” of Nazi Germany).

    1. Coincidence?

      Once upon a November 11th Sabbath, this was the closing song at the university church.
      All us history majors in the back row were wondering if the organist who made the selection was aware…

  2. Dan

    That early Advent favorite, “How Sweet Are the Tidings” (#442), is set to “Bonnie Eliose, the Belle of the Mohawk Vale.” Eloise proved popular with both Yankees and Rebs during the Civil War!

Leave a Reply to Travis Losey Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *