The Handbook of the Lutheran Hymnal

Book excerpt: The Lutheran Hymnal (1941), the most significant and widely-used American Lutheran hymnal of the twentieth century, contains 644 hymns and 16 spiritual songs, in addition to services and liturgical material. This handbook, the grandfather of American Lutheran hymnal companions and a classic in the field of hymnology, discusses the history and origin of the texts and tunes of all 660 hymns and songs of The Lutheran Hymnal. The second half of the book is devoted to biographical and historical notes on the authors, composers, and translators. Includes bibliography; index of biblical references; table of hymns for the feasts, festivals, and Sundays; index of first lines of original hymns; index of first lines of stanzas (except of first stanzas); alphabetical index of tunes; metrical index of tunes; index of subjects (topical index); alphabetical index of authors; alphabetical index of composers; alphabetical index of translators; and index of first lines. W. Gustave Polack (1890-1950), pastor, poet, hymnologist, was professor of church history at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri, and was for twenty years chairman of the committee on hymnology and liturgics, which produced The Lutheran Hymnal.