The Sing! Hymnal
The Sing! Hymnal by Getty Music is a legacy hymnal that will define our generation and will bless generations to come. As a worship leader, I’ve been singing Getty songs ever since they wrote In Christ Alone with Stuart Townend — so I had been waiting for this hymnal for a long time. Now that it’s finally here, it has exceeded my expectations on every level.
The hymns themselves are an excellently curated collection of 497 of the best songs we sing. Alongside classics like Be Thou My Vision, there are hymns I consider to be modern classics, such as Yet Not I But Through Christ in Me, as well as traditional hymn texts with modern arrangements like Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken. The Gettys are known for their theologically rich hymns with singable melodies — and the included hymns by other artists fully deliver on that front. The hymn selection committee includes Alistair Begg, H. B. Charles Jr., Mark Dever, Bob Kauflin, Tim Keller, Trip Lee, Shai Linne, John MacArthur, Andrew Peterson, John Piper, David Platt, Philip Ryken, Joni Eareckson Tada, Paul Tripp, and more.
For the Church and for the Home
This hymnal is for both the church and the home. One of my favorite features is the section on hymn stories. To read the tales behind the tunes is of particular interest to me as a songwriter myself. There are also 403 liturgical readings, as well as Psalms paired with popular hymns. The readings include quotes from saints across history such as Luther, Calvin, Bunyan, Spurgeon, C. S. Lewis, Billy Graham, J. I. Packer, John Piper, and Joni Eareckson Tada. You can get creative with how you use this hymnal — for personal prayer, family devotions, small groups, and of course, corporate worship.
What I was most pleased to see were my favorite classic hymns with new praise choruses — like Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone) and Turn Your Eyes. I was also pleasantly surprised by the number of Christmas hymns: between Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany, there are over 70 hymns. Another special category is Hymns for Little Children, which includes over 50 selections.
Outstanding Arrangements and Exceptional Construction
The arrangements by Dan Kreider are outstanding, with beautiful accompaniment and rich harmonies. I found the notation easy to read alongside the lyrics. The accompanying liturgies are also tastefully incorporated throughout. The back matter of the book provides where the readings came from, the hymn sources, meters and tunes, a Scripture index, a topical index, and a title/first line index.
The construction of the hymnal is exceptional, showcasing beautiful craftsmanship — from the scuff-resistant cover to the sewn binding. According to the colophon, it was printed on custom 70gsm acid-free paper. Every physical component was carefully selected, with beauty and durability as guiding principles. When I left the hymnal on our coffee table, it immediately caught my wife’s attention — she had to stop and said, “That is a beautiful book!”
The Best Hymnal Available Today
A. W. Tozer once said:
“I say without qualification, after the Sacred Scriptures, the next best companion for the soul is a good hymnal.”
And I say without qualification: The Sing! Hymnal is the best hymnal available today.
I received a media copy of The Sing! Hymnal (Amazon, Crossway+, WTS 5% off with code DIVEINDIGDEEP) and this is my honest review. Find more of my book reviews and follow Dive In, Dig Deep on Instagram - my account dedicated to Bibles and books to see the beauty of the Bible and the role of reading in the Christian life. To read all of my book reviews and to receive all of the free eBooks I find on the web, subscribe to my free newsletter.