The ''Australian Hymn Book'' () was published in 1977, and was the culmination of almost ten years' work by an

ecumenical Ecumenism ( ; alternatively spelled oecumenism)also called interdenominationalism, or ecumenicalismis the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships ...

committee, chaired by A. Harold Wood, intent on producing a new, contemporary and inclusive

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' d ...

book that could be used in worship by the varied

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

congregations across Australia. The first meetings were held in 1968 amongst representatives of the

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

(Church of England),

Congregational Congregationalism (also Congregational Churches or Congregationalist Churches) is a Reformed Christianity, Reformed Christian (Calvinist) tradition of Protestant Christianity in which churches practice Congregationalist polity, congregational ...

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

and

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

churches. A draft list of hymns was circulated in 1972, and in 1974, the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

asked to be included and two versions of the hymn book were eventually published: the ''Australian Hymn Book'' (containing 579 items) and the ''Australian Hymn Book with Catholic Supplement'' (adding a further 25 items). The new hymn book was taken up widely, especially with the union of the Congregational, the Methodist and most of the Presbyterian parishes that created the

Uniting Church in Australia The Uniting Church in Australia (UCA) is a united church in Australia. The church was founded on 22 June 1977 when most Wiktionary:congregation, congregations of the Methodist Church of Australasia, about two-thirds of the Presbyterian Church o ...

in 1977. In its international edition, the hymn book is known as ''With One Voice'' (not to be confused with the 1995 work published by the

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is a mainline Protestant church headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The ELCA was officially formed on January 1, 1988, by the merging of three Lutheran church bodies. As of December 31, 2023, it ...

as a supplement to the ''

Lutheran Book of Worship The ''Lutheran Book of Worship'' (''LBW'') is a worship book and hymnal published in 1978 and was authorized for use by several Lutheran denominations in North America, including predecessors of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and ...

''). The hymn book contains indexes to first lines, tunes,

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

author In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...

s, subjects,

scripture Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They often feature a compilation or discussion of beliefs, ritual practices, moral commandments and ...

and the religious calendar. A companion book, ''Songs of the People of God'', by Wesley Milgate, was released in 1982, and contains notes on the sources and history of each tune and hymn text, along with short biographies of all authors and composers. After a survey conducted in 1990, it was decided that a new edition of the ''Australian Hymn Book'' was needed. '' Together in Song: Australian Hymn Book II'' was released in 1999. The major changes were the modernisation of the texts (particularly the use of inclusive language), the removal of hymns that had fallen out of use, and the addition of more modern musical settings, worship songs and psalm settings. A companion volume with notes on songs, lyrists and composers compiled by Rev. Dr. H. D'Arcy Wood is also available.

External links

* Protestant hymnals Catholic hymnals 1977 non-fiction books 1977 in Christianity 1977 in music Christianity in Australia Anglican liturgical books {{Christian-music-stub

See also

External links