Which of the older, classic hymns do you love?

When I think classic, I think way, way back to the 12th century and Bernard of Clairvaux with "O Sacred Head, Now Wounded." That will be the musical centerpiece of our Good Friday observance. It's interesting that "How Great Thou Art" was written only in 19th century, but, if I recall correctly, was popularized in the 20th century by Billy Graham and Bev Shea at their crusades. And, again if I recall correctly, Paul Simon used the msuic from "O Sacred head" for his song "American Tune."

I assume 'classic' means a hymn I heard growing up, so I'll go with "Children of the Heavenly Father"

I've always liked "God of Our Fathers," although it isn't in the ELW. The hymn tune "Rhosymedre" is also very nice, as are the Gregorian chants for Sunday services (although we rarely use those outside of anthems, naturally).

I must say, I have yet to discover any really good new hymns in the ELW...

So, so much depends on cultural context. As a musician, I have come to see a wide range of the world's cultures and traditions as having great meaning, whereas the American evangelicalism of the Billy Graham ilk has popularized one type of sentimental song of one era and made it such a benchmark of spiritual/emotional power for one generation. With this context, though I know my mom loves stuff like "How Great Thou Art" and other products of the 19th century evangelical mentality, an Anglo-American phenomenon which American Lutheranism of previous generations has absorbed in inverse proportion to the degree that it represents Lutheran tradition!

Oh, well, it's part of our reality, and that's a given. But once we get out of the evangelical Top 10, Lutheran classics like the passionate proclamation of "A Mighty Fortress" make the list of something universal and powerful. "Soul, Adorn Yourself with Gladness" could be embraced by mystics of any religious tradition - one friend made an observation that "A Buddhist could sing that with conviction!" And what strange twist of grace led an ELCA Churchwide Assembly to sing "If You But Trust in God to Guide You" after the big decision to allow committed gay people to serve in ordained ministry? I will never forget sitting there, riveted to my seat watching the live video feed from the assembly as the debate proceeded, the silence following the vote, and the spontaneous request from a group somewhere in that crowd for that hymn from my old Missouri Synod background?

I could go on and on about the heritage of hymnody and various classic traditions before the 19th century that seems to dominate much popular hymnody. At the same time, the re-discovery of world music and its application to Christian worship - call-response, echo, and other music that by its nature can be shared person-to-person, orally/audibly, and without hymnals/paper/projections, is one possible "great movement" in today's cultural and ecclesiastical flux. This general sort of approach, based on more primal ways people have learned to "participate" together in song across the millenia and across the ages, lay the foundation for the singing of some of the "emergent", less-churchy-but-still-deeply-traditional church communities like House for All Sinners and Saints, Denver, CO, and St. Lydia's Dinner Church in Brooklyn, NY. These simple gems of melody, many of them promoted by Scotsman John Bell and included in the ELW, are sure to become mini-classics of a different sort. Literate poetic songs like beautiful newer texts in the ELW are likely to continue to be created, but musical and worship cultures that continually adapt tradition to new contexts are likely to be a force in our musical future too.