Welcome to the Hymn Descants Blog

A descant is a counter melody written above the original melody. Its main purpose is to enhance the original melody without overpowering it. It heightens the effectiveness of the worship experience by adding a sense of climax and joy to a hymn.

Why hymn descants? I felt a need to expand my flute playing in church to more that just playing the various lines in the hymnal. Descants allow me to do this and bring more glory to God through my music. I found a few descant resources scattered here and there about the internet, but no one comprehensive site, so www.hymndescants.com was born.

This blog provides a forum for all to discuss descants as used in hymns. Posts can cover finding descants, writing, playing and/or singing descants.

Sunday, August 15, 2010

“Why Write Hymns?”

“Why Write Hymns?” | New Old Hymns: "Hymns are purposeful in a way that many worship songs are not. To read or sing through a hymn is to be struck by theological weight, measured thought, and poetic beauty. Lines flow together simply and harmoniously in an unbroken pattern. It is easy to sense the writer’s care for the gospel and his or her personal experience of the topic at hand. A hymn can explore a particular subject, instruct the worshipper, relate humanity to God, and adore the beauty of God’s character. A good hymn does all this."

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