Latin hymns

Latin hymns The entry on ‘Latin Hymnody’ in JJ notes at the outset that ‘a complete history of Latin Hymnody has never been written. It would occupy a considerable volume’ (p. 640). Since that time much work has been done on the subject, beginning with James Mearns*’s Early Latin Hymnaries (Cambridge, 1913). Mearns deserves more than a passing note, for he was John Julian’s ever-reliable and extremely learned assistant, responsible for many of the Latin entries in the Dictionary of Hymnology, and probably for much more. His work, and that of his fellow scholars, was facilitated by the editions of Latin hymns published in Germany during the 19th century, including Franz Joseph Mone’s Hymni...