Hymnography

Hymnography is the craft and study of composing, compiling, and preserving hymns—religious songs designed for liturgical use or devotional praise. The term combines Greek hymnos, “song of praise,” and graphein, “to write.” In Christian usage, hymnography encompasses the creation of new hymns as well as the organization of hymnals, canticles, sequences, and other liturgical songs used in worship, education, and celebration.

Its origins lie in biblical poetry and early Christian praise, with psalms and canticles providing the basis for later hymnody. In the Eastern churches, hymnography developed intricate forms such as the kontakion and kanon, with notable writers such as Romanos the Melodist and John of Damascus shaping theology and hymn culture. In the Western church, Latin hymns and sequences emerged in late antiquity and the Middle Ages, supplemented by liturgical poetry and medieval poets; Gregorian chant provided the sung framework around which many hymns were sung.

During the Reformation, hymnography increasingly produced congregational hymns in vernacular languages, and composers such as Martin Luther and his successors created tunes that enabled widespread participation. In later centuries, hymnody broadened through revival movements, hymnals, and contributions from poets and composers in Anglophone and other traditions, including figures such as Charles Wesley and Fanny Crosby, leading to a global repertoire spanning traditional chorales, hymn tunes, and contemporary worship songs.

Hymnography remains a multidisciplinary field, intersecting theology, liturgy, musicology, and philology. It studies authorship, translation, meter, melody, and function within worship, as well as the balance between historical tradition and contemporary innovation.