Welcome to The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology.

PUBLIC LAUNCH OF THE 'IMPOSSIBLE TASK'

The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology is the public launch of the ‘impossible task’ – the replacement for the Dictionary of Hymnology produced by John Julian in 1892, with a supplement in 1907.

The Dictionary is the result of ten years' research by a team of editors headed by Professor J.R. Watson, University of Durham, UK, and Professor Emma Hornby, University of Bristol, UK.

It is an essential reference resource for scholars of global hymnody, with information on the hymns of many countries and languages, and a strong emphasis on the historical as well as the contemporary. It will be of interest to literary scholars, musicians, church historians, and theologians, and a delight for those who love the hymn as an art form.

The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology offers:

Depth: It contains 2 million words, over 5700 individual entries and more than 400 authors from over 30 countries writing on hymns of the Judaeo-Christian tradition, from the earliest years to those written today.

Breadth: It includes articles on individual hymns, authors from many countries, hymnals, organisations, and themes, as well as information on hymn tunes and their composers.

Scope: The work covers a multitude of hymn traditions from all the world’s continents, regions, and denominations,  it is ecumenical and international.

Accuracy and updates: Published online to allow for regular additions, amendments and corrections.

The editors acknowledge with gratitude the financial help that made this dictionary possible, from the following benefactors (in chronological order):

The Leverhulme Trust • The Arts and Humanities Council of Great Britain • The British Academy • The Modern Humanities Research Association • The Council of Hymns Ancient and Modern • The Farmington Institute • The Westminster Experiment and Research in Evangelism Trust • Harris Manchester College, Oxford • The West Gallery Music Association • The Jackman Foundation (Canada) asdv

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