Sacred Music Collection
An expanded view of the sacred music collection is available in the Sacred Music Collection Gallery.
For centuries, those who composed music for the church were arguably the major influencers on the development of music in the western world. At other times, the culture of music in vogue was adopted by the church and integrated into worship elements. Church music has generally been based on singing, written for individuals and choirs to express the words of Scripture and the experience of faith as encouraged by the words of Bible, "Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord" (Ephesians 5:19).
From the early, simple monophonic chants sung by the clergy and monks alone, to the complex polyphony of the Renaissance sung by choirs, to the vibrant congregational singing inspired by the Reformation and the revivals, to the simple singing of the Psalms without instruments in the settlements of the New World, music has continued to lead God's people in personal and corporate worship experiences. This collection includes selected examples of church music starting with the plainsong of the Middle Ages on through the development of Gospel hymns and the shape-note tradition of the 19th century.
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Sternhold & Hopkins Psalter, 1614
Thomas Sternhold, Groom of the Robes to Henry VIII and Edward VI, was the principal author of the first English metrical versions of portions of the Psalms (1547).
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Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs, 1707
The Cedarville University copy of the Watts hymnal was printed in Cincinnati in 1840 and includes 200 to 300 additional hymns "from the best authors."
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Hymns and Sacred Poems, 1739
The Cedarville University copy of Hymns and Sacred Poems is a photographic facsimile of the first edition published in London in 1739.
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Olney Hymns, 1779
The Olney Hymns, first printed in England in 1779, was a collaboration of John Newton and William Cowper, the poet.
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Kentucky Harmony
Kentucky Harmony, a shape-note tune book, was compiled by Ananias Davisson and first printed at Harrisonburg, Virginia, in 1816.
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Wyeth's Repository of Sacred Music, Part Second
Wyeth's Repository of Sacred Music, Part Second, was originally published in 1813, with this second edition following in 1820.
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Village Hymns for Social Worship, 1827
This hymnal, printed in New York in 1827, was "designed as a supplement to the Psalms and hymns of Dr. Watts."
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The Easy Instructor
The Easy Instructor by William Little and William Smith was an early contribution to the tradition of shape note singing.
