HYMNS OF THE CHURCH

           A DVD recording of all 647 hymns in The Lutheran Hymnal is now available. The music for these hymns is played by the late James Thiele on the pipe organ of Bethlehem Lutheran Church Adelaide. Each hymn is preceded by an introductory verse and then the appropriate number of verses as printed in the hymnbook.

            The intention is to enable Christian families to sing these hymns in their homes with good music even if none of them can play an instrument. These hymns may be used in small gatherings and church services where there is no organist.  All that is required is a DVD player as used to play videos and other music in the home, or a computer that can play DVDs.  In order to fit such a vast amount of material on one DVD disc, it was necessary to record it in MP3 format. Unfortunately some early DVD players may not read MP3 format or they might not handle such a large number of separate files as is needed for the 647 hymns.  Fortunately the price of DVD players has come down dramatically so that a player which can play these MP3 files can now be bought for less that $100.

            The present DVD disc contains the music for the hymns as originally intended at the time of printing the LUTHERAN HYMNAL. Some believe that better tunes could have been selected for many of these hymns. Therefore an ongoing effort is being made to substitute other tunes for many of these hymns and produce a second edition with this music.  If anyone is interested in this project and ready to help, his or her assistance would be very welcome.

            The price of the Hymns of the Church DVD is only $15.00 posted to anywhere in Australia. Furthermore, on principle, there is no copyright to this production.  It is only the recording process and postage that is paid for, not the content or the message itself. This belongs to the Church, as the title asserts, and ultimately to the Lord of the Church, and is intended for all to use and cherish.  Everyone is therefore free to make additional copies and distribute them freely without reference to those who have spent untold hours and months in the preparation of this disc. Their reward is that the Hymns of the Church may be sung far and wide in worship and praise to the Heavenly Bridegroom.

 
If you would like a copy, or for enquiries, please email us.