[Hymns] Famous hymns and sacred songs. Recommended hymns and sacred songs.
Hymns and sacred songs beloved around the world.
Hymns and sacred songs are known as songs that praise the Christian God, but in Japan—where many people are Buddhist—their recognition is by no means high.
There are many excellent pieces, but the difficulty is that they can be hard to find.
This time, we’ve picked out some famous works among hymns and sacred songs.
We also explain in detail the background of each piece and the meaning of the lyrics, so even those without prior knowledge of hymns and sacred songs can enjoy it.
How about soothing a heart worn down by daily stress with hymns and sacred songs?
Please sit back and enjoy!
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[Hymns] Famous Hymns and Sacred Songs. Recommended Hymns and Sacred Songs (41–50)
Hymn No. 312: “What a Friend We Have in Jesus”Charles Crozat Converse
This is a beloved hymn by Charles Crozat Converse, who also worked as a lawyer.
The original lyrics are said to have been written by someone who suffered the profound sorrow of losing a fiancée twice.
The warm, enveloping melody—overflowing like a prayer to a friend who shares every burden—soothes the heart.
Composed around 1868, the piece’s composer, Converse, was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree in 1895.
It’s a recommended song to listen to when you want to quietly reflect or drift off to sleep with a sense of peace.
Hymn No. 370 “Awake, O My Soul”Philip Doddridge
“Awake, my soul” is the oldest morning hymn among English hymns and one of the four great English hymns.
The original author was Bishop Thomas Ken, a 17th-century English poet.
He composed it while serving as a special fellow at Winchester College for the religious instruction of the students there, and it later came to be used in worship.
I vow to thee my countryChoir of King’s College, Cambridge
If you listen to this piece, most people will probably recognize the melody as Holst’s “Jupiter.” This hymn, “I Vow to Thee, My Country,” sets a poem by Cecil Spring Rice, a British diplomat, to the tune of “Jupiter.” It is a British patriotic song and also a hymn of the Church of England.
The lyrics speak of loyalty to one’s homeland and an ideal nation, and the piece is often sung at state occasions.
The King of Love My Shepherd Is (Arr. Dan Forrest)Dan Forrest
This hymn, “The Lord Is My Shepherd,” is a very popular piece that portrays God as the shepherd and us humans as the sheep who are protected and cared for by the shepherd.
It has been performed in various places; this particular performance is by the Concordia University Chicago Wind Symphony, conducted by Richard R.
Fischer.
Hymn No. 294: ‘Abundant Is Thy Grace’William Bradbury
This is a hymn whose lyrics were written in 1862 by Joseph H.
Gilmore, a Baptist pastor in Philadelphia, United States, and set to music by William Bradbury.
It is said to have been written based on Psalm 23 in the Old Testament: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.”