HYMNS AND TUNES FOR PRAYER AND SOCIAL MEETINGS. COMPILED BY REV. GEORGE C. ROBINSON. "O come let us sing unto the Lord; let us make a joyful noise unto the Rock CINCINNATI: PUBLISHED BY POE & HITCHCOCK, CORNER MAIN AND EIGHTH STREETS. RP THOMPSON. PRINTER. M 2117 на Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1860, BY POE & HITCHCOCK, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Southern District of Ohio. STEREOTYPED AT THE FRANKLIN TYPE FOUNDRY, CINCINNATI. PREFACE. THE preparation of this work was undertaken in the hope of assisting devotional singing, and of thus rendering acceptable service to God. It is now offered, not to create, but to supply a want, of the existence of which there can be no doubt. The Rev. Dr. D. W. CLARK has thus expressed himself concerning it: "The recent contributions to our social melodies have been numerous and valuable; yet no one of them has appeared to me exactly to meet the wants of the Church and the times. Some have depended mainly, for success, upon a few new and popular songs or tunes; others have been deficient in careful selection; and still others, by the insertion of many hymns and tunes, rarely, if ever, used in social meetings, have been made too large and too expensive for popular use. The real want for our social meetings is a small and cheap volume, comprising the old hymns and tunes which have become sacred by almost universal use, and also a judicious selection from the later popular songs and melodies." Rev. Dr. McCLINTOCK has also expressed substantially the same opinion. He says: "A fit collection of Prayer and Class-meeting tunes I have long desired to see. It certainly is one of the serious wants of the Church." The plan of the book is as follows: It is small enough to make selection always easy, and to allow pastor and people to become thoroughly familiar with it: it is large enough to include several hymns under each of the topics which are ordinarily introduced into our social meetings. The great mass of the hymns are those which universal use has indicated as the best; so of the tunes. Those hymns and tunes are put together which in our Church usage have always been so associated. Where different tunes have been attached to a given hymn in different sections, the two most widely known in connection with the hymn are here put with it. Where hymns in the same meter occur on opposite pages, the intention is that either of the tunes may be used, according to preference. For instance, on pages 94 and 95, the tunes "Joy" and "Commuck" are both appropriate to the hymns "O! how happy are they," and "Come let us ascend." There is also, it is hoped, a sufficient selection from the popular chorus tunes, of such as are superior in music and words, and likely to last. There have also been added a few grand hymns and tunes from various sources; chiefly from the German. The topical index will be found to facilitate selection, and indeed will be indispensable until one becomes thoroughly familiar with the book. Many of the tunes are copy-righted, and are used here by permission of their respective proprietors. If any trespass has been committed in this respect, it has been unintentional; and upon information, the owners will immediately be paid a fair equivalent, or the piece will be omitted. The compiler begs to acknowledge his very great obligations to Mrs. Dr. OLIN, and Rev. Drs. CLARK and MCCLINTOCK, for their valuable assistance in the matter of selection and adaptation; and to Prof. T. C. O'KANE, whose culture, taste, and kindness have been largely taxed to bring the work to completion. May God prosper this book to fill our social meetings with a "joyful noise," and crowd our altars with those who come to hear our song. RECOMMENDATION. A FIT collection of Prayer and Class-Meeting Hymns and Tunes, we have long desired to see. It certainly is one of the serious wants of the Church, and we are greatly gratified to find that the Rev. G. C. ROBINSON has gone to work under the pressure of a similar sense of want, and has prepared, so far as we are able to judge, just such a book as the Church needs. Of its success there can, we think, be no doubt. JOHN MCCLINTOCK, D. D., LL. D., ABEL STEVENS, LL. D., JOHN KENNADAY, D. D., WM. P. STRICKLAND, D. D., W. S. STUDLEY, D. W. CLARK, D. D., R.'S. FOSTER, D. D., C. KINGSLEY, D. D., (5) |