History of Korean Hymnals

Background

In the early period of Protestant missions in Korea, churches sang British and American hymns that missionaries had translated into Korean. At first the Methodist and Presbyterian missions each published their own hymnals. Thereafter, cooperative efforts to produce a hymnal shared by several denominations alternated with the publication of separate hymnals as denominations divided. The history of Korean hymnals is therefore closely intertwined with the history of relations among the denominations.

Development

Early Mission Period (1890s)

• 1892, Chanmiga: A small book of 27 translated hymns compiled by the Methodist missionaries G. H. Jones and L. Rothweiler. It contained texts only, without musical notation, and is regarded as the first Korean hymnal.
• 1894, Chanyangga: Published by the Northern Presbyterian missionary Horace G. Underwood, it contained 117 hymns and is known as the first hymnal to include both texts and music. However, it did not receive the approval of the Northern Presbyterian mission.
• 1895, Chanseongsi: The hymnal officially approved by the Northern Presbyterian mission.
• In the Holiness tradition, Bogeumga was published in 1907, followed by Sinjeung Bogeumga (1919) and Buheung Seongga (1930).

The First Union Hymnal (1908)

In 1908 the Presbyterian and Methodist missions published the first union hymnal, Chansongga. It first appeared in a words-only edition, and a music edition followed the next year. It contained some 260 hymns; sources variously give the number as 262 or 266. The two denominations used this hymnal jointly until the 1930s.

Denominational Hymnals (1930s)

In 1924 the Federal Council of Protestant Evangelical Missions and Churches in Korea resolved to produce a new hymnal. The result, Sinjeong Chansongga (314 hymns), appeared in 1931, but the Presbyterian General Assembly decided not to adopt it, so only the Methodists used it. The Presbyterians published their own Sinpyeon Chansongga (400 hymns) in 1935.

The Union Hymnal (1949)

After Korea's liberation, three denominations—the Presbyterian, Methodist, and Holiness churches—formed a Joint Hymnal Study Committee in 1946. The Hapdong Chansongga (Union Hymnal) produced by this committee appeared in 1949. It combined the Presbyterian Sinpyeon Chansongga, the Methodist Sinjeong Chansongga, and the Holiness Buheung Seongga into a single volume, and it is regarded as the first hymnal edited by Koreans themselves.

Division and the Era of Three Hymnals (1960s)

During the Presbyterian schisms (Korean Presbyterian schisms), the Presbyterian Church in Korea (Hapdong) and the Presbyterian Church in Korea (Kosin) regarded the Hapdong Chansongga as a product of the ecumenical movement (the movement for church unity across denominational lines). The two denominations resolved to produce a hymnal consistent with conservative theology, and in December 1962 they published the Sae Chansongga (New Hymnal), containing 671 hymns and 53 responsive readings. In response, the Korean Methodist Church, the Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea, the Presbyterian Church of Korea (Tonghap), and others published the Gaepyeon Chansongga (Revised Hymnal) in 1967. For some time thereafter, three hymnals—the Hapdong Chansongga, the Sae Chansongga, and the Gaepyeon Chansongga—were in concurrent use.

The Unified Hymnal (1983)

The Korean Hymnal Society was established in 1981. In November 1983 the society published Chansongga (Hymnal), which merged the three hymnals into one and is commonly known as the Tongil Chansongga (Unified Hymnal). It contains 558 hymns in all.

The 21st Century Hymnal (2006)

In 2006 the Korean Hymnal Society published the 21st Century Hymnal, containing 645 hymns. Although it is a different book from the 1962 hymnal, it is also commonly called the New Hymnal. It added more than 160 hymns to the contents of the Unified Hymnal, removed others, and revised the texts and keys of a considerable number of hymns. It included more than 100 new hymns composed by Koreans, as well as additional hymns from Europe, Asia, and Africa. In the autumn of the same year, major denominations, including the Presbyterian Church of Korea (Tonghap) and the Presbyterian Church in Korea (Hapdong), resolved to adopt it.

Outcome and Influence

After repeated divisions, most Korean denominations came to use the same hymnal from 1983 onward. As a result, believers from different denominations could sing together using the same hymn numbers. Even after the 21st Century Hymnal appeared, a considerable number of churches continued to use the Unified Hymnal.

Assessment

The development of Korean hymnals is regarded as having closely mirrored the theological orientations of the denominations and the relations among them. Several criticisms were raised concerning the Unified Hymnal:

• More than 80 percent of its hymns were translations of British and American hymns.
• American revival songs of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries made up nearly half of its contents.
• Only 17 hymns were original Korean compositions.

The 21st Century Hymnal responded to these criticisms by increasing the number of original Korean compositions. Nevertheless, it became the subject of several criticisms and controversies:

• Rev. Han Myung-su, a former co-president of the Korean Hymnal Society, criticized the inclusion of works by members of the committee that had reviewed the submissions.
• Other publishers objected to the granting of publication rights to only a few publishers.
• Copyright issues also arose.