Hymnal Companion, The

Historical and background information on the words, music, and sources of the selections in the Hymnal, essays on church music, biographical information on authors and composers, and indexes for the collection have been published as Hymnal Companions for the 1940 and 1982 editions of the Hymnal. During the work of preparing The Hymnal (1940), the Joint Commission on the Revision of the Hymnal realized that a historical handbook for the Hymnal would be an important resource for the church. In 1939 Canon Charles Winfred Douglas was appointed as chair of the committee to compile The Hymnal 1940 Companion. He was replaced in 1941 by the Rev. Arthur Farlander. The Rev. Dr. Leonard Ellinwood contributed extensive original research to complete The Hymnal 1940 Companion. It was first published in 1949. A second edition was published in 1951, and a third edition was published in 1956. The Hymnal 1982 Companion has three volumes and includes four books. Volume 1, including a variety of scholarly essays on hymns, service music, and the liturgical and pastoral context of hymnody, was published in 1990. Volumes 2, 3A, and 3B were all published in 1994. Volume 2 includes background on the service music in The Hymnal 1982 and biographies. Volumes 3A and 3B include background on the hymns. The Hymnal 1982 Companion also has indexes, glossaries, and bibliographies for further study. It was edited by Raymond F. Glover, general editor of The Hymnal 1982. It is published by Church Publishing Incorporated, formerly Church Hymnal Corporation, a subsidiary of the Church Pension Fund. Other hymnal companions published outside the Episcopal Church include the Historical Companion to Hymns Ancient & Modern (1962), and the Hymnal Companion to the Lutheran Book of Worship (1981). See Hymnal, The.