Seventh-day Adventists

Between 1844 and 1869, the development of SDA hymnody was mainly the work of James S. White, the son of a voice teacher and one of the pioneers of the movement. His task was continued by his son, James Edson White, who published, among other works, Song Anchor: A Choice Collection of Favorites for Sabbath School and Praise Service (1878) and Songs for Class and School (1881). The first official hymnal of the SDA church, Hymns and Tunes for Those Who Keep the Commandments of God and the Faith of Jesus (1869), was published under the supervision of the General Conference of SDA. It was replaced in 1886 by a more comprehensive volume, Hymns and Tunes. In 1886 James Edson White also helped produce another Sabbath school songbook, Joyful Greetings for the Sabbath School. Subsequently, Franklin E. Belden, who became the denomination’s most prolific and popular hymn writer, contributed a large number of original hymn texts and tunes to the repertoire. His Christ in Song (1908) became a favorite of SDA congregations up to the 1930s although it was not the official denominational hymnbook. Two more collections followed: Church Hymnal (1941) and Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal (1985).