# Hymnwise, full text

> A free, private hymn planner for the parish music director: your hymnals, the church year computed, last-sung dates and repeat warnings, and printed music lists, hymn board slips and bulletins.

Hymnwise is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to any church, denomination, diocese, hymnal publisher, lectionary body or licensing service, including the Consultation on Common Texts, Augsburg Fortress, Church Publishing, GIA, OCP, Hope Publishing, Hymnary.org, OneLicense and CCLI. Hymnwise ships no hymn texts, no lectionary tables and no liturgical texts: you type or import your own, under your own licences. Everything below is our own summary of published calendar rules; your parish's calendar wins if they differ. Site: https://hymnwise-web.pages.dev/

# How to plan a quarter of hymns in one sitting

URL: https://hymnwise-web.pages.dev/guide/how-to-plan-hymns-for-a-quarter/
Last reviewed: 27 September 2026

To plan a quarter of hymns, lay out every Sunday and feast in the three months with its season and readings, fill the fixed points first (the feasts and anything the choir is rehearsing), then fill the ordinary Sundays from hymns that match the season and have rested longest, and finish with a rotation check for repeats, tunes heard twice and empty slots. The [planning desk](https://hymnwise-web.pages.dev/plan/) does the laying out, the last-sung dates and the check for you.

## A quarter in six steps

Set aside one sitting at the start of the quarter, with the hymnal, the readings and last quarter's list.

1. **Lay out the quarter.** List every Sunday and feast in the three months with its name, season, colour, lectionary year and proper, and add the midweek services you know about.
2. **Enter the readings you already have.** Type or paste each Sunday's readings, or import the file your parish keeps, so the texts are in front of you when you choose.
3. **Fill the fixed points.** Choose for the feasts first, and for any Sunday where the choir, a baptism or a visiting preacher already decides something.
4. **Fill the ordinary Sundays by rest.** For each remaining slot, choose among hymns tagged for the season the one sung longest ago, unless the readings call for another.
5. **Run the rotation check.** Look for any hymn sung twice in the quarter, a hymn repeated inside the repeat window, the same tune under two texts close together, and slots still empty.
6. **Print and send the list.** Print the quarterly music list for the clergy and choir, and keep the weekly slips for the week itself.

## Why a quarter works

Week by week planning is where the same dozen hymns come round again: on Thursday night the familiar choice is the easy one. A quarter is long enough to see a season whole (all of Advent and Christmas, all of Lent, or the long green stretch after Pentecost) and short enough that the readings, the choir's repertoire and the parish calendar are known. It is also what most clergy and choirs want in hand: a list they can rehearse and preach from.

Calendar quarters work well for the office (October to December holds Advent and Christmas; January to March usually holds the Epiphany and the start of Lent), but any three months will do. The rotation check on the [planning desk](https://hymnwise-web.pages.dev/plan/) takes any quarter.

## What to balance

- Season and readings: the hymn should belong to the day. Tag hymns with the seasons and feasts they suit so the planner can offer them.
- Rest: a hymn sung within the last 8 weeks is flagged by default. Change the window in Settings if your parish sings a smaller or larger repertoire.
- Tunes: the same tune under two texts in 4 weeks is flagged too, because the congregation hears a repeat even when the words differ.
- Familiar and new: a new hymn learned once is forgotten. Plan it on two or three Sundays in the quarter on purpose, and the repeat warning will tell you exactly how far apart they are.

## Worked example: the demo parish's next quarter

The Demo Parish (invented) is built from the public domain starter index: 86 hymns and 74 services, 59 of them on or before 27 September 2026. Opened on that day, the rotation check for October to December 2026 reads:

Table: Rotation check, October to December 2026, demo parish

| Measure | Result |
| --- | --- |
| Services | 15 |
| Slots filled | 23 of 60 |
| Different hymns | 23 |
| Hymns sung twice in the quarter | 0 |
| Warnings (repeats, tunes, seasons) | 5 |
| Services with an empty slot | 13 |

The empty slots are the later Sundays, left open the way a real plan looks a month out. The warnings are the ones planted in the demo: on Proper 23, 11 October 2026 the check reports:

- Amazing Grace was sung 2 weeks before, on 27 Sep 2026.
- The tune DIX is also heard 1 week before, with As with Gladness Men of Old on 4 Oct 2026.
- For the Beauty of the Earth is tagged for Thanksgiving Day; this day falls in Season after Pentecost.

Each of those is a decision, not an error: swap the hymn, keep it on purpose, or retag a hymn that was tagged too narrowly.

## Common mistakes

- Planning only the next Sunday, which is how a parish ends up singing the same twenty hymns.
- Filling ordinary Sundays before the feasts, then finding the best Christmas or Easter hymns already used in the weeks before.
- Forgetting midweek services: Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Christmas Eve all count towards what the congregation has just sung.
- Treating the tune as a detail. Two texts to the same tune on consecutive Sundays sound like a repeat.
- Sending the list and never updating it. Change the plan when a Sunday changes, so the history stays true.

## Frequently asked questions

**How far ahead should hymns be planned?**

A quarter is a common rhythm: far enough for the choir to rehearse and the clergy to see the whole season, near enough that readings and events are known. Many musicians sketch the whole church year lightly and fill a quarter in detail.

**How many different hymns does a parish sing in a quarter?**

It depends on the number of slots and services. With four hymns on thirteen Sundays there are fifty two slots; the rotation check shows how many different hymns you actually used and which ones came round twice.

**Should the same hymn ever be repeated within a quarter?**

Yes, on purpose: a new hymn needs two or three hearings to be learned, and a seasonal hymn often returns across a season. The repeat warning is there so a repeat is a choice rather than an accident.

**Where do the readings come from?**

From your parish. Type or paste them for each Sunday, or import a spreadsheet you keep. The planner works out the lectionary year and proper, but it does not carry the lectionary table itself.

## Sources

- [Collects: Seasons of the Year, the Season after Pentecost (Book of Common Prayer, 1979)](https://www.bcponline.org/Collects/seasonsc.html), The Online Book of Common Prayer (bcponline.org), read 27 September 2026. Used for: Proper 1 to Proper 29 named by the Sunday closest to a date (11 May to 23 November), the Last Sunday after the Epiphany as the Sunday before Ash Wednesday, and the Seventh Sunday of Easter as the Sunday after Ascension Day.
- [Revised Common Lectionary Permissions Policy](https://www.commontexts.org/rcl/permissions/), Consultation on Common Texts, read 27 September 2026. Used for: Congregations may reproduce the lectionary table for their own worship; for-sale and web resources outside the member churches need written permission, which is why readings are typed or imported by the parish here.
- [Selected Christian Observances (data service)](https://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/christian_observances), US Naval Observatory, Astronomical Applications Department, years 1990 to 2070 and eight edge years fetched and read 27 September 2026. Used for: The published dates of Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, Good Friday, Easter, Ascension Day, Pentecost, Trinity Sunday and the First Sunday of Advent that the calendar engine is tested against.

# When did we last sing it? Keeping a hymn history

URL: https://hymnwise-web.pages.dev/guide/tracking-when-hymns-were-last-sung/
Last reviewed: 27 September 2026

To know when a hymn was last sung, keep one record per service with the date and the hymns in it, and work out the last-sung date, the count and the next planned date from those records each time you look, rather than typing them into a separate column. That way a changed plan never leaves the history wrong. The [planning desk](https://hymnwise-web.pages.dev/plan/) keeps the services and shows the history beside every choice.

## Why the history matters

A congregation notices two things: a hymn it sang a fortnight ago, and a favourite it has not sung in two years. Both come from the same missing fact, when a hymn was last sung. Memory is unreliable after a few weeks, and a pile of old bulletins is slow to search.

A history also answers the questions that come up at the annual meeting and at licence reporting time: which hymns were sung this year, how often, and from which book.

## How to keep it

1. Record services, not hymns. Each service holds its date and its hymns by slot, so a hymn moved from the entrance to the sending is still one use.
2. Record what was sung, not only what was planned. If a hymn was changed on the morning, change the service.
3. Work everything out from the services: last sung, times in the past year, times in all, next planned. A last-sung column typed by hand is wrong the first time a Sunday is swapped.
4. Bring the old history in once. If past lists live in a spreadsheet or old bulletins, a sung history import (one row per hymn sung, with the date and the number) fills the history in a single step.

The planner flags a hymn sung again within 8 weeks and a tune heard again within 4 weeks by default; both windows are settings. The [not sung in a year list](https://hymnwise-web.pages.dev/plan/) turns the same history the other way round: every hymn in the library with no service in the 365 days before a date and none planned from that date on, never sung first.

## Worked example: one hymn's history in the demo parish

In the Demo Parish (invented), opened on 27 September 2026, 36 Amazing Grace appears on these dates: 19 Oct 2025, 15 Feb 2026, 26 Jul 2026, 27 Sep 2026, 11 Oct 2026. For the next Sunday, Proper 22, 4 October 2026, the planning desk shows each chosen hymn with its history:

Table: Hymns for Proper 22, 4 October 2026, with their history

| Slot | Hymn | Last sung | Times |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Entrance hymn | 40 Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise | 2 Aug 2026 | 3 in the past year, 3 in all |
| Offertory hymn | 10 As with Gladness Men of Old | 11 Jan 2026 | 1 in the past year, 1 in all |
| Communion hymn | 43 Abide With Me | 9 Aug 2026 | 3 in the past year, 3 in all |
| Sending hymn | 76 Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus | 9 Aug 2026 | 6 in the past year, 6 in all |

On the Sunday after, Proper 23, 11 October 2026, the desk warns:

- Amazing Grace was sung 2 weeks before, on 27 Sep 2026.
- The tune DIX is also heard 1 week before, with As with Gladness Men of Old on 4 Oct 2026.
- For the Beauty of the Earth is tagged for Thanksgiving Day; this day falls in Season after Pentecost.

The not sung in a year list for the same day holds 5 hymns, 5 of them never used in the plan. The first few:

Table: Not sung in the year before 27 September 2026

| Number | Title | Last sung |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 46 | Come, Ye Thankful People, Come | Never in the plan |
| 79 | Jerusalem the Golden | Never in the plan |
| 28 | Now Thank We All Our God | Never in the plan |
| 25 | Spirit of God, Descend Upon My Heart | Never in the plan |
| 45 | We Gather Together | Never in the plan |

## Common mistakes

- Keeping a last-sung date by hand in the index, which goes stale the first time a plan changes.
- Recording planned hymns and never correcting them after the service.
- Counting a hymn once per week rather than once per service, which hides a hymn sung at two services on the same day.
- Ignoring tunes: a hymn text can be new while its tune was sung last week.
- Starting the history from today and never importing the past, so every hymn looks unsung for the first year.

## Frequently asked questions

**What is a good repeat window for hymns?**

Many parishes aim for six to twelve weeks between repeats outside a season's own hymns. The planner starts at eight weeks and lets you change it; a smaller repertoire needs a shorter window.

**Can I import past years of hymns?**

Yes. Save the old list as a spreadsheet with one row per hymn sung, holding the date and the hymn number (and the hymnal if you use more than one), and import it as a sung history. Rows already in the plan are counted and left alone.

**Does the history count hymns sung at weddings and funerals?**

Only if you add those services. Add them when you want them to count towards what the congregation has heard; leave them out when the congregation was a different one.

**Is the history stored online?**

No. It is kept in this browser only. Export a backup file regularly and keep it somewhere safe, because clearing the browser's site data removes it.

## Sources

- [Selected Christian Observances (data service)](https://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/christian_observances), US Naval Observatory, Astronomical Applications Department, years 1990 to 2070 and eight edge years fetched and read 27 September 2026. Used for: The published dates of Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, Good Friday, Easter, Ascension Day, Pentecost, Trinity Sunday and the First Sunday of Advent that the calendar engine is tested against.
- [The Calendar of the Church Year (Book of Common Prayer, 1979)](https://www.bcponline.org/General/calendar.html), The Online Book of Common Prayer (bcponline.org), read 27 September 2026. Used for: The principal feasts, the three fixed feasts that take precedence of a Sunday (the Holy Name, the Presentation, the Transfiguration), All Saints' Day kept on the following Sunday, and feasts moved out of Holy Week and Easter Week.

# Planning hymns by season, from Advent to Christ the King

URL: https://hymnwise-web.pages.dev/guide/hymn-planning-by-season/
Last reviewed: 27 September 2026

Plan hymns by season by tagging each hymn in your hymnal with the seasons and feasts it suits (Advent, Christmas, the Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week, Easter, Pentecost, All Saints, Christ the King), leaving general hymns untagged, and then choosing for each Sunday among the hymns tagged for its season, longest rested first. The [hymnal library](https://hymnwise-web.pages.dev/library/) holds the tags and the [planning desk](https://hymnwise-web.pages.dev/plan/) offers the matches.

## What each season asks for

- Advent: waiting and watching. Keep the Christmas hymns for Christmas; four Sundays of Advent hymns is a short list, so rest them across years.
- Christmas: twelve days, often only one or two Sundays. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day use the best known; the Sundays after can carry the less familiar.
- The Epiphany and the Sundays after it: light, revelation and the Baptism of the Lord, then general hymns in green until the Last Sunday after the Epiphany.
- Lent: restraint. Many parishes drop alleluias; Palm Sunday and Holy Week have their own small repertoire.
- Easter: fifty days, not one. Spread the Easter hymns across all seven Sundays and the Day of Pentecost.
- After Pentecost: the long green season. General hymns carry it, with All Saints and Christ the King (or Reign of Christ) near the end.

A hymn tagged for one season and used in another is flagged on the planning desk, which catches a Christmas hymn left in a Lent plan. Hymns with no tags are treated as general: they are never flagged, and they are offered in the green seasons after the tagged ones.

## Tagging a hymnal quickly

Most hymnals group hymns by season in their own order, so tagging goes fast section by section. Tag only what is specific. A general hymn of praise left untagged is more useful than one tagged for every season, because tags are what make a mismatch visible.

Topic tags (baptism, communion, harvest, evening, sending) sit beside the season tags and help with occasional services. The public domain starter index in the library comes tagged as a starting point.

## Worked example: the seasons of 2026-27

The coming church year, 2026-27 (lectionary Year B), worked out by the planner's calendar, prayer book style:

Table: Seasons of the church year 2026-27

| Season | Starts | Customary colour | Sundays |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Advent | 29 Nov 2026 | Purple or blue | 4 |
| Christmas | 25 Dec 2026 | White | 2 |
| Season after the Epiphany | 6 Jan 2027 | Green | 5 |
| Lent | 10 Feb 2027 | Purple | 5 |
| Holy Week | 21 Mar 2027 | Purple or red | 1 |
| Easter | 28 Mar 2027 | White | 8 |
| Season after Pentecost | 23 May 2027 | Green | 27 |

For Christ the King on 22 November 2026, the demo parish is offered hymns tagged for the day first, then general hymns, each longest rested first and clear of the repeat window:

Table: Suggestions for Christ the King, 22 November 2026, demo parish

| Hymn | Last sung |
| --- | --- |
| 52 Rejoice, the Lord Is King | 14 May 2026 |
| 22 Crown Him with Many Crowns | 17 May 2026 |
| 41 Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah | 2 Aug 2026 |
| 44 Eternal Father, Strong to Save | 9 Aug 2026 |
| 50 Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee | 9 Aug 2026 |
| 38 Be Thou My Vision | 30 Aug 2026 |

## Common mistakes

- Tagging every general hymn with every season, which switches the season warning off for them.
- Using all the Easter hymns on Easter Day and leaving six Sundays of Easter with none.
- Starting Christmas hymns in Advent without deciding to; the season warning shows where it happened.
- Forgetting that the season after the Epiphany is short in a year with an early Easter.
- Taking colours as rules: customary colours vary by parish and tradition, and the planner shows them as a note.

## Frequently asked questions

**When does each season start?**

Advent starts on the Sunday nearest 30 November, Christmas on 25 December, the Epiphany on 6 January, Lent on Ash Wednesday (46 days before Easter), Holy Week on Palm Sunday, Easter on Easter Day, and the season after Pentecost on the Monday after the Day of Pentecost.

**How many Sundays are there after the Epiphany?**

Between four and nine, depending on the date of Easter. An early Easter makes a short season after the Epiphany and a long season after Pentecost; a late Easter does the opposite.

**Do Roman Catholic parishes use the same seasons?**

The seasons are the same, but the green Sundays are counted in Ordinary Time, the Christmas season runs to the Baptism of the Lord, and some feasts move to Sundays. The planner has a Roman setting for this.

**Are hymns tagged for seasons in the app already?**

Only the public domain starter index comes with our own suggested tags. Your own hymnal is tagged by you, or imported with a seasons column from a spreadsheet you keep.

## Sources

- [The Calendar of the Church Year (Book of Common Prayer, 1979)](https://www.bcponline.org/General/calendar.html), The Online Book of Common Prayer (bcponline.org), read 27 September 2026. Used for: The principal feasts, the three fixed feasts that take precedence of a Sunday (the Holy Name, the Presentation, the Transfiguration), All Saints' Day kept on the following Sunday, and feasts moved out of Holy Week and Easter Week.
- [General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar](https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=5932), Catholic Culture library (text of the 1969 norms), read 27 September 2026. Used for: Advent on the Sunday nearest 30 November, the Baptism of the Lord on the Sunday after 6 January, Ordinary Time of 33 or 34 weeks and where it starts and stops, and Epiphany, Ascension and Corpus Christi moved to Sundays where they are not holy days of obligation.
- [Selected Christian Observances (data service)](https://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/christian_observances), US Naval Observatory, Astronomical Applications Department, years 1990 to 2070 and eight edge years fetched and read 27 September 2026. Used for: The published dates of Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, Good Friday, Easter, Ascension Day, Pentecost, Trinity Sunday and the First Sunday of Advent that the calendar engine is tested against.

# Printing hymn board numbers and bulletin music slips

URL: https://hymnwise-web.pages.dev/guide/hymn-board-and-bulletin-slips/
Last reviewed: 27 September 2026

A hymn board slip is the week's hymn numbers in the order they go up on the board, printed large enough to read from the back of the church, and a bulletin insert is the same hymns with their slot, number, title and first line for the congregation. Both come from one plan, so the board and the bulletin always agree. Print both for any service from the Print tab of the [planning desk](https://hymnwise-web.pages.dev/plan/).

## From plan to board in five steps

Do this after the plan for the Sunday is final, usually midweek.

1. **Check the slots.** Make sure every slot has its hymn and the slots are in the order they are sung.
2. **Name the hymnals.** If a service uses two hymnals, give each a short name so the board shows which book each number is from.
3. **Print the board slip.** Print the hymn board slip, two copies to a page: one for whoever puts up the numbers, one for the organ.
4. **Print the bulletin insert.** Print the insert with the readings and the week's music, or copy its lines into the bulletin you already make.
5. **Change the plan, not the paper.** If a hymn changes, change it in the plan and print again, so the history records what was really sung.

## What goes on each

The board slip carries numbers only, in board order, with the service's name and date so a slip left on the organ bench is not used on the wrong Sunday. When hymns come from more than one book, each number carries the book's short name.

The bulletin insert carries the slot, the number, the title and the first line. First lines help a congregation find the right hymn when numbers differ between editions. Hymn words are never printed by the planner: reproducing words in a bulletin needs the permission your parish holds under its reprint licence, and belongs in the bulletin you make.

## The folded bulletin

A folded bulletin is a stack of sheets printed on both sides and folded once. Its pages are not printed in reading order: the outside of the first sheet carries the last page and the first page. The planner builds this from the order of service the parish types, with the chosen hymns and readings placed where the order says, and pads the page count to a multiple of four with blank pages.

## Worked example: the demo parish's next Sunday

For Proper 22, Sunday 4 October 2026, 10:00, the board slip reads, top to bottom: 40, 10, 43, 76. The bulletin insert for the same service:

Table: Bulletin insert, music

| Slot | Number and title | First line |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Entrance hymn | 40 Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise | Immortal, invisible, God only wise |
| Offertory hymn | 10 As with Gladness Men of Old | As with gladness men of old |
| Communion hymn | 43 Abide With Me | Abide with me: fast falls the eventide |
| Sending hymn | 76 Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus | Stand up, stand up, for Jesus |

An eight page folded bulletin prints on two sheets in this order (a six page order of service is padded to 8 pages):

Table: Page order for an eight page folded bulletin

| Side | Pages, left and right |
| --- | --- |
| Sheet 1, outside | 8 and 1 |
| Sheet 1, inside | 2 and 7 |
| Sheet 2, outside | 6 and 3 |
| Sheet 2, inside | 4 and 5 |

## Common mistakes

- Typing the board numbers separately from the bulletin, so the two disagree on Sunday morning.
- Printing hymn words in the bulletin without checking the parish's reprint licence covers them.
- Leaving out the hymnal name when a service uses a supplement, so the board shows a number that exists in both books.
- Printing a folded bulletin in reading order when the printer does not make booklets itself.
- Correcting the paper on Sunday and not the plan, which leaves the history wrong.

## Frequently asked questions

**What size should hymn board numbers be?**

Large enough to read from the back pew; the slip prints each number big and bold, two slips to a page, and is for the person who puts up the board, not for display itself.

**Can I put the hymn words in the bulletin?**

Only under a permission your parish holds, such as a reprint licence, or for texts in the public domain. The planner prints numbers, titles and first lines, never the words.

**How do I print a folded bulletin?**

Choose the bulletin booklet, keep the page order imposed for folding, print on both sides flipping on the short edge, then fold the stack once. Or choose reading order if your printer makes booklets itself.

**Does the bulletin include the liturgy?**

Only what you type. The order of service is your parish's own, typed line by line; the planner supplies no liturgical text.

## Sources

- [Revised Common Lectionary Permissions Policy](https://www.commontexts.org/rcl/permissions/), Consultation on Common Texts, read 27 September 2026. Used for: Congregations may reproduce the lectionary table for their own worship; for-sale and web resources outside the member churches need written permission, which is why readings are typed or imported by the parish here.
- [Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the United States](https://guides.library.cornell.edu/copyright/publicdomain), Cornell University Library, table as of 1 January 2026, read 27 September 2026. Used for: Works first published in the United States before 1931 are in the public domain through expiry of copyright; the starter index holds itself to the stricter before 1929.

# Computing the church year: Easter, Advent and the propers

URL: https://hymnwise-web.pages.dev/guide/computing-the-church-year/
Last reviewed: 27 September 2026

Western Easter is the first Sunday after the ecclesiastical full moon that falls on or after 21 March, read from fixed tables rather than the sky, so it always lands between 22 March and 25 April. Ash Wednesday is 46 days before it, Ascension Day 39 days after, Pentecost 49 and Trinity Sunday 56; Advent begins on the Sunday nearest 30 November. The [planning desk](https://hymnwise-web.pages.dev/plan/) works all of this out for any year.

## Easter

The rules are old and deliberate: the spring equinox is fixed on 21 March, the full moon is the fourteenth day of a tabular lunar month, and Easter is the Sunday after that full moon. Because the moon here is a table, Easter can differ from what an astronomer would predict, and it did in 1962 and 1954 as the US Naval Observatory explains.

The integer algorithm the planner uses was published in 1876 and appears in Meeus's Astronomical Algorithms and Butcher's Ecclesiastical Calendar. The planner's version is tested against the Naval Observatory's published dates of Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, Good Friday, Easter, Ascension, Pentecost, Trinity and Advent Sunday for every year from 1990 to 2070.

## Everything else

- Advent Sunday: the Sunday between 27 November and 3 December. The church year and the lectionary year (A, B or C) turn over on it; the year ending in 2026 is Year A.
- The Epiphany: 6 January, or the Sunday between 2 and 8 January where it is moved.
- The Baptism of the Lord: the Sunday after the Epiphany (in US Roman Catholic dioceses, the Monday after when the Epiphany is kept on 7 or 8 January).
- The Last Sunday after the Epiphany: the Sunday before Ash Wednesday.
- Propers after Trinity Sunday: in the prayer book, Proper n is the Sunday closest to 11 May plus seven days for each number, so Proper 29 is the Sunday closest to 23 November, the last Sunday before Advent.
- Roman Ordinary Time: counted forward from the Baptism of the Lord, and backward from Christ the King, the 34th Sunday.

Only a few fixed feasts displace a Sunday. In the 1979 prayer book, besides the principal feasts, only the Holy Name, the Presentation and the Transfiguration take precedence of a Sunday, and All Saints' Day may also be kept on the following Sunday.

## Worked example: Easter 2027, step by step

Table: The algorithm for 2027

| Step | Value | What it is |
| --- | --- | --- |
| a | 13 | year mod 19: the place in the 19 year lunar cycle |
| b | 20 | the century (year divided by 100) |
| c | 27 | the year within the century |
| d | 5 | b divided by 4 |
| e | 0 | b mod 4 |
| f | 1 | (b + 8) divided by 25 |
| g | 6 | (b - f + 1) divided by 3: the lunar correction |
| h | 1 | (19a + b - d - g + 15) mod 30: days from 21 March to the paschal full moon, roughly |
| i | 6 | c divided by 4 |
| k | 3 | c mod 4 |
| l | 5 | (32 + 2e + 2i - h - k) mod 7: days from the full moon to the Sunday |
| m | 0 | (a + 11h + 22l) divided by 451: the correction for two rare cases |
| month | 3 | (h + l - 7m + 114) divided by 31 |
| day | 28 | ((h + l - 7m + 114) mod 31) + 1 |

So Easter 2027 falls on 28 March 2027. The movable feasts for the next ten years, as the planner computes them:

Table: Movable feasts, 2026 to 2035

| Year | Ash Wednesday | Easter | Ascension | Pentecost | Advent Sunday |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026 | 18 Feb 2026 | 5 Apr 2026 | 14 May 2026 | 24 May 2026 | 29 Nov 2026 |
| 2027 | 10 Feb 2027 | 28 Mar 2027 | 6 May 2027 | 16 May 2027 | 28 Nov 2027 |
| 2028 | 1 Mar 2028 | 16 Apr 2028 | 25 May 2028 | 4 Jun 2028 | 3 Dec 2028 |
| 2029 | 14 Feb 2029 | 1 Apr 2029 | 10 May 2029 | 20 May 2029 | 2 Dec 2029 |
| 2030 | 6 Mar 2030 | 21 Apr 2030 | 30 May 2030 | 9 Jun 2030 | 1 Dec 2030 |
| 2031 | 26 Feb 2031 | 13 Apr 2031 | 22 May 2031 | 1 Jun 2031 | 30 Nov 2031 |
| 2032 | 11 Feb 2032 | 28 Mar 2032 | 6 May 2032 | 16 May 2032 | 28 Nov 2032 |
| 2033 | 2 Mar 2033 | 17 Apr 2033 | 26 May 2033 | 5 Jun 2033 | 27 Nov 2033 |
| 2034 | 22 Feb 2034 | 9 Apr 2034 | 18 May 2034 | 28 May 2034 | 3 Dec 2034 |
| 2035 | 7 Feb 2035 | 25 Mar 2035 | 3 May 2035 | 13 May 2035 | 2 Dec 2035 |

In 2026-27 the first Sunday after Trinity is Proper 4, the Sunday closest to 1 June. The same Sundays named three ways:

Table: Sunday names in 2026-27

| Date | Prayer book propers | Counted after Pentecost | Roman Ordinary Time |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 24 Jan 2027 | Third Sunday after the Epiphany | Third Sunday after the Epiphany | Third Sunday in Ordinary Time |
| 13 Jun 2027 | Proper 6 | Fourth Sunday after Pentecost | Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time |
| 3 Oct 2027 | Proper 22 | Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost | Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time |
| 21 Nov 2027 | Christ the King | Last Sunday after Pentecost: Christ the King | Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe |

Table: Key days of 2026-27, prayer book style

| Date | Day | Season | Colour |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 25 Dec 2026 | Christmas Day | Christmas | White |
| 6 Jan 2027 | The Epiphany | Season after the Epiphany | White |
| 10 Jan 2027 | First Sunday after the Epiphany | Season after the Epiphany | White |
| 7 Feb 2027 | Last Sunday after the Epiphany | Season after the Epiphany | White |
| 10 Feb 2027 | Ash Wednesday | Lent | Purple |
| 21 Mar 2027 | Palm Sunday | Holy Week | Red (or purple) |
| 28 Mar 2027 | Easter Day | Easter | White |
| 6 May 2027 | Ascension Day | Easter | White |
| 16 May 2027 | The Day of Pentecost | Easter | Red |
| 23 May 2027 | Trinity Sunday | Season after Pentecost | White |
| 30 May 2027 | Proper 4 | Season after Pentecost | Green |
| 1 Nov 2027 | All Saints' Day | Season after Pentecost | White |
| 21 Nov 2027 | Christ the King | Season after Pentecost | White |

## Common mistakes

- Using the astronomical full moon: the church uses tables, so an astronomy website can give the wrong Easter.
- Counting Ash Wednesday as 40 days before Easter: it is 46, because Sundays are not counted in Lent's forty.
- Naming Propers by counting Sundays after Pentecost: the proper depends on the calendar date, not the count.
- Assuming the Epiphany and the Ascension are on the same day everywhere: many dioceses move them to Sundays.
- Reading the lectionary year from the calendar year: it turns over at Advent, not on 1 January.

## Frequently asked questions

**What are the earliest and latest dates of Easter?**

22 March and 25 April in the Gregorian calendar used by the Western churches.

**Why is Easter on a different date in the Orthodox churches?**

Most Orthodox churches compute Easter with the older Julian calendar tables, so their Easter usually falls later. The planner computes the Western date.

**Which lectionary year are we in?**

The three year cycle turns over on Advent Sunday. The church year that ends in a year which leaves a remainder of 1 when divided by 3 is Year A, 2 is Year B, and 0 is Year C, so the year ending in 2026 is Year A and the one ending in 2027 is Year B.

**Does the planner include the readings for each Sunday?**

No. It works out the Sunday, its proper and its lectionary year; the readings themselves come from your parish, typed or imported.

## Sources

- [The Date of Easter](https://aa.usno.navy.mil/faq/easter), US Naval Observatory, Astronomical Applications Department, read 27 September 2026. Used for: The ecclesiastical rules for Easter (equinox fixed on 21 March, the 14th day of the tabular moon, the Sunday after), the 22 March to 25 April range, and the integer algorithm.
- [Selected Christian Observances (data service)](https://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/christian_observances), US Naval Observatory, Astronomical Applications Department, years 1990 to 2070 and eight edge years fetched and read 27 September 2026. Used for: The published dates of Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, Good Friday, Easter, Ascension Day, Pentecost, Trinity Sunday and the First Sunday of Advent that the calendar engine is tested against.
- [The Calendar of the Church Year (Book of Common Prayer, 1979)](https://www.bcponline.org/General/calendar.html), The Online Book of Common Prayer (bcponline.org), read 27 September 2026. Used for: The principal feasts, the three fixed feasts that take precedence of a Sunday (the Holy Name, the Presentation, the Transfiguration), All Saints' Day kept on the following Sunday, and feasts moved out of Holy Week and Easter Week.
- [Collects: Seasons of the Year, the Season after Pentecost (Book of Common Prayer, 1979)](https://www.bcponline.org/Collects/seasonsc.html), The Online Book of Common Prayer (bcponline.org), read 27 September 2026. Used for: Proper 1 to Proper 29 named by the Sunday closest to a date (11 May to 23 November), the Last Sunday after the Epiphany as the Sunday before Ash Wednesday, and the Seventh Sunday of Easter as the Sunday after Ascension Day.
- [General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar](https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=5932), Catholic Culture library (text of the 1969 norms), read 27 September 2026. Used for: Advent on the Sunday nearest 30 November, the Baptism of the Lord on the Sunday after 6 January, Ordinary Time of 33 or 34 weeks and where it starts and stops, and Epiphany, Ascension and Corpus Christi moved to Sundays where they are not holy days of obligation.
- [Liturgical Year calendar, day pages for the Sundays of 2025-26](https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2026-06-14), Catholic Culture, 53 Sundays from 30 November 2025 to 29 November 2026, read 27 September 2026. Used for: The Sunday names for the dioceses of the United States that the Ordinary Time numbering is tested against.
- [Revised Common Lectionary calendar, 2025-26 and 2026-27](https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/), Vanderbilt Divinity Library, read 27 September 2026. Used for: Which proper follows Trinity Sunday in each year (Proper 5 in 2025-26, Proper 4 in 2026-27), used as a cross-check. Its reading tables are not copied.

# Importing your hymnal index from a spreadsheet

URL: https://hymnwise-web.pages.dev/guide/importing-your-hymnal-index/
Last reviewed: 27 September 2026

To import a hymnal index, keep one row per hymn with at least a number or a title (and ideally the first line, tune, meter and seasons), save the sheet as CSV, open it in the Import tab of the [hymnal library](https://hymnwise-web.pages.dev/library/), match each column to a field, check the report, then import. Rows already in the library are counted and skipped, so running the same file twice changes nothing.

## Importing an index in five steps

Any spreadsheet program can save CSV: choose Save As or Download, then Comma Separated Values.

1. **Tidy the sheet.** One header row, one row per hymn, and a column each for number, title, first line, tune, meter and seasons. Extra columns can stay; they are ignored.
2. **Save as CSV.** Save a CSV copy of the sheet. Nothing is uploaded: the file is read inside the page.
3. **Match the columns.** Open the Import tab, choose a hymnal index, pick the file and check each column's match; the first row is shown beside each.
4. **Check the import.** Read the report: how many hymns will be added, how many are already in the library, and every row that cannot be placed, with its row number.
5. **Import.** Import, then tag any hymns the seasons column did not cover.

## Which columns to keep

The number and the title are what the planner matches on. The first line helps a congregation and prints on the bulletin insert. The tune name is what catches the same tune under two texts, so it is worth having. The meter is for swapping a tune. A seasons column in plain words (Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, Pentecost, All Saints, Christ the King) becomes season tags; anything it does not recognise becomes a topic.

Only keep what your parish is entitled to keep. Many hymnal indexes are publishers' material: an index you typed for your own use is fine to import, but the planner never ships one. The public domain starter index covers hymns first published before 1929.

## Duplicates and spreadsheet formulas

A row whose number is already in the hymnal with the same title is counted as already in the library. A row whose number is taken by a different title is refused and reported, because one of the two is a typing slip. On export, any cell a spreadsheet would run as a formula (one starting with =, +, -, @, a tab or a return) gets a leading apostrophe so it opens as text; on import that apostrophe is taken off again.

## Worked example: a short index with the usual slips

This file has a repeated row, a number with nothing else, a number used twice for two different hymns, and a cell that a spreadsheet would run as a formula:

- No.,Title,Tune,Meter,Season
- 390,Praise to the Lord the Almighty,LOBE DEN HERREN,14.14.4.7.8,General
- 56,O come O come Emmanuel,VENI EMMANUEL,LM,Advent
- 56,O come O come Emmanuel,VENI EMMANUEL,LM,Advent
- 57,,,,
- 58,Lo he comes with clouds descending,HELMSLEY,87 87 47,Advent; Christ the King
- 390,All creatures of our God and King,LASST UNS ERFREUEN,LM with alleluias,
- '=1+1,A title a spreadsheet would run as a formula,,,

Imported into an empty library, the report reads: 5 hymns added, 1 already in the library, 1 hymnals added, 1 rows skipped. The refused row:

Table: Rows refused on the first import

| Row | Reason |
| --- | --- |
| Row 7 | Number 390 is already "Praise to the Lord the Almighty" in this hymnal, so "All creatures of our God and King" was skipped. |

Importing the same file again reads: 0 hymns added, 6 already in the library, 1 rows skipped. Exported back to CSV, the formula row comes out as text: Parish hymnal,'=1+1,A title a spreadsheet would run as a formula,,,,,,,

## Common mistakes

- Importing without a number or title column matched, so nothing can be placed.
- Two hymnals in one sheet without a hymnal column, which merges them and refuses every clashing number.
- Seasons written as codes the planner cannot read; write the season names in words, separated by commas or semicolons.
- Importing a publisher's full index without the right to copy it.
- Editing the exported CSV in a spreadsheet and saving it with the numbers turned into dates or with leading zeros stripped.

## Frequently asked questions

**What file format does the import need?**

CSV, which every spreadsheet program can save. Comma, semicolon and tab separated files are all read, with or without a byte order mark.

**Can I import past services as well as the index?**

Yes. A sung history file, one row per hymn sung with its date and number, fills in the last-sung history. Import the index first so the numbers can be matched.

**What happens if I import the same file twice?**

Nothing changes. Every row already in the library is counted as already there and left alone.

**Is my spreadsheet uploaded anywhere?**

No. The file is read inside the page in your browser, and only what you import is kept, in this browser.

## Sources

- [Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the United States](https://guides.library.cornell.edu/copyright/publicdomain), Cornell University Library, table as of 1 January 2026, read 27 September 2026. Used for: Works first published in the United States before 1931 are in the public domain through expiry of copyright; the starter index holds itself to the stricter before 1929.
- [Hymnary.org text and tune pages](https://hymnary.org/), Hymnary.org, one text page and one tune page per starter entry, read 27 September 2026. Used for: The first publication year of each starter index text and tune, its first line, author or translator, and meter.

# A hymn planner spreadsheet or a hymn planner app?

URL: https://hymnwise-web.pages.dev/guide/hymn-planner-spreadsheet-vs-a-planner/
Last reviewed: 27 September 2026

A spreadsheet is a fine hymn planner while it is a list of Sundays and numbers; it runs out when you want it to answer questions, such as when a hymn was last sung, whether a tune comes round too soon, or what has not been sung in a year, and when you want a board slip and a bulletin insert without retyping. A planner answers those from the same records. The [planning desk](https://hymnwise-web.pages.dev/plan/) is free to try with your own hymnal or the demo parish.

## What a spreadsheet does well

- It is familiar, shareable and flexible: any column you want, any layout.
- Sold templates add a calendar of Sundays and an indexed hymnal. The Hymn Planner, for example, is a Google Sheets planner sold as a one-time customisation at three levels (75, 125, and from 200 US dollars, as listed on its site when checked).
- It keeps working for years if one careful person maintains it.

## Where it runs out

- Last-sung dates need lookups across every past row, and break when a row is moved or a sheet is copied for the new year.
- Tune repeats need a tune column and a second lookup, which few sheets have.
- A not sung in a year list is a filter most people build once and never trust again.
- Board slips and bulletin inserts are copied and pasted, which is where the board and the bulletin start to disagree.
- The church year has to be typed or bought each year, including the propers.

None of that makes a spreadsheet wrong. If the list is all you need, keep it. If you find yourself scrolling back through old tabs to see when you last sang something, the questions have outgrown the sheet.

## Moving off a spreadsheet without losing history

1. Export the hymnal index tab as CSV and import it as a hymnal index.
2. Export the past services as one row per hymn sung (date, number, and hymnal if you use more than one) and import it as a sung history.
3. Export any readings tab and import it as readings.
4. Keep the spreadsheet as an archive; the planner can export all three back to CSV at any time.

## Worked example: questions a sheet cannot answer at a glance

In the Demo Parish (invented), opened on 27 September 2026, the planner answers three questions from the same 74 services without a formula:

- When was 36 Amazing Grace sung? 19 Oct 2025, 15 Feb 2026, 26 Jul 2026, 27 Sep 2026, 11 Oct 2026.
- What is wrong with Proper 23, 11 October 2026? Amazing Grace was sung 2 weeks before, on 27 Sep 2026. The tune DIX is also heard 1 week before, with As with Gladness Men of Old on 4 Oct 2026. For the Beauty of the Earth is tagged for Thanksgiving Day; this day falls in Season after Pentecost.
- What has not been sung in a year? 5 hymns, 5 of them never in the plan.

## Common mistakes

- Starting a new spreadsheet each year, which cuts the history in half every January.
- Keeping hymn numbers without the hymnal, so a supplement's numbers collide with the main book's.
- Moving to any new tool without importing the past, which makes every hymn look unsung.
- Buying a planner for features the parish will not use; a free list may be enough.

## Frequently asked questions

**Is there a free hymn planner?**

Hymnwise is free today, with no account. Your hymnals and plans stay in your browser, and a plain backup file is always free to export.

**Can a hymn planner share plans with the choir?**

Hymnwise keeps plans in one browser, so the way to share is to print or save the quarterly music list and send it. Collaborative editing is not something it does.

**Will my spreadsheet history come across?**

Yes, if the past services can be exported as one row per hymn sung with a date and a number. The import reports every row it cannot place, with its row number.

**Which is better for a small parish?**

Whichever the musician will keep up to date. A spreadsheet suits someone who likes building one; a planner suits someone who wants the last-sung dates and prints without maintaining formulas.

## Sources

- [The Hymn Planner](https://hymnplanner.com/), The Hymn Planner, prices checked 27 September 2026, read 27 September 2026. Used for: A Google Sheets planner sold as a one-time customisation in three levels (75, 125, and from 200 US dollars), with pre-filled Sundays and indexed hymnals.
- [Revised Common Lectionary Permissions Policy](https://www.commontexts.org/rcl/permissions/), Consultation on Common Texts, read 27 September 2026. Used for: Congregations may reproduce the lectionary table for their own worship; for-sale and web resources outside the member churches need written permission, which is why readings are typed or imported by the parish here.

# Church year rules and dates used by the planner

Last reviewed 27 September 2026. Easter is computed with the anonymous Gregorian algorithm (Meeus, Butcher) and tested against the US Naval Observatory's published dates for 89 years between 1818 and 2285.

## Seasons and customary colours

- Advent: Purple or blue
- Christmas: White
- Season after the Epiphany: Green
- Lent: Purple
- Holy Week: Purple or red
- Easter: White
- Season after Pentecost: Green

## Calendar settings a parish can choose

- Prayer book and Revised Common Lectionary style (Propers after Pentecost)
- Sundays counted after Pentecost (Proper number shown alongside)
- Roman Catholic, with Epiphany, Ascension and Corpus Christi on Sundays
- Roman Catholic, general calendar (Epiphany 6 January, Ascension on Thursday)

## Prayer book propers after Trinity Sunday

Proper 1: the Sunday closest to 11 May; Proper 2: the Sunday closest to 18 May; Proper 3: the Sunday closest to 25 May; Proper 4: the Sunday closest to 1 June; Proper 5: the Sunday closest to 8 June; Proper 6: the Sunday closest to 15 June; Proper 7: the Sunday closest to 22 June; Proper 8: the Sunday closest to 29 June; Proper 9: the Sunday closest to 6 July; Proper 10: the Sunday closest to 13 July; Proper 11: the Sunday closest to 20 July; Proper 12: the Sunday closest to 27 July; Proper 13: the Sunday closest to 3 August; Proper 14: the Sunday closest to 10 August; Proper 15: the Sunday closest to 17 August; Proper 16: the Sunday closest to 24 August; Proper 17: the Sunday closest to 31 August; Proper 18: the Sunday closest to 7 September; Proper 19: the Sunday closest to 14 September; Proper 20: the Sunday closest to 21 September; Proper 21: the Sunday closest to 28 September; Proper 22: the Sunday closest to 5 October; Proper 23: the Sunday closest to 12 October; Proper 24: the Sunday closest to 19 October; Proper 25: the Sunday closest to 26 October; Proper 26: the Sunday closest to 2 November; Proper 27: the Sunday closest to 9 November; Proper 28: the Sunday closest to 16 November; Proper 29: the Sunday closest to 23 November.

## Movable feasts, 2026 to 2040

| Year | Ash Wednesday | Palm Sunday | Easter | Ascension | Pentecost | Trinity | Advent Sunday |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026 | 2026-02-18 | 2026-03-29 | 2026-04-05 | 2026-05-14 | 2026-05-24 | 2026-05-31 | 2026-11-29 |
| 2027 | 2027-02-10 | 2027-03-21 | 2027-03-28 | 2027-05-06 | 2027-05-16 | 2027-05-23 | 2027-11-28 |
| 2028 | 2028-03-01 | 2028-04-09 | 2028-04-16 | 2028-05-25 | 2028-06-04 | 2028-06-11 | 2028-12-03 |
| 2029 | 2029-02-14 | 2029-03-25 | 2029-04-01 | 2029-05-10 | 2029-05-20 | 2029-05-27 | 2029-12-02 |
| 2030 | 2030-03-06 | 2030-04-14 | 2030-04-21 | 2030-05-30 | 2030-06-09 | 2030-06-16 | 2030-12-01 |
| 2031 | 2031-02-26 | 2031-04-06 | 2031-04-13 | 2031-05-22 | 2031-06-01 | 2031-06-08 | 2031-11-30 |
| 2032 | 2032-02-11 | 2032-03-21 | 2032-03-28 | 2032-05-06 | 2032-05-16 | 2032-05-23 | 2032-11-28 |
| 2033 | 2033-03-02 | 2033-04-10 | 2033-04-17 | 2033-05-26 | 2033-06-05 | 2033-06-12 | 2033-11-27 |
| 2034 | 2034-02-22 | 2034-04-02 | 2034-04-09 | 2034-05-18 | 2034-05-28 | 2034-06-04 | 2034-12-03 |
| 2035 | 2035-02-07 | 2035-03-18 | 2035-03-25 | 2035-05-03 | 2035-05-13 | 2035-05-20 | 2035-12-02 |
| 2036 | 2036-02-27 | 2036-04-06 | 2036-04-13 | 2036-05-22 | 2036-06-01 | 2036-06-08 | 2036-11-30 |
| 2037 | 2037-02-18 | 2037-03-29 | 2037-04-05 | 2037-05-14 | 2037-05-24 | 2037-05-31 | 2037-11-29 |
| 2038 | 2038-03-10 | 2038-04-18 | 2038-04-25 | 2038-06-03 | 2038-06-13 | 2038-06-20 | 2038-11-28 |
| 2039 | 2039-02-23 | 2039-04-03 | 2039-04-10 | 2039-05-19 | 2039-05-29 | 2039-06-05 | 2039-11-27 |
| 2040 | 2040-02-15 | 2040-03-25 | 2040-04-01 | 2040-05-10 | 2040-05-20 | 2040-05-27 | 2040-12-02 |

# Public domain starter index

A small index of 86 hymns whose words and tunes were both first published before 1929, and so are in the public domain in the United States, confirmed one by one against the Hymnary.org pages linked below. It carries titles, first lines, tune names, meters and our own season tags, never the words. Its numbers are its own: if your pews hold a printed hymnal, enter that hymnal's numbers instead, and check each entry against your own book, since later hymnals often alter wording and harmonies that are still under copyright.

Every text and tune below was first published in or before 1928, as read on the linked Hymnary.org pages.

| No. | Title | First line | Text | Tune | Meter |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty | Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty! | Reginald Heber, 1823 | NICAEA, John Bacchus Dykes, 1861 | 11.12.12.10 |
| 2 | O Come, All Ye Faithful | O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant | John Francis Wade (attr.); tr. Frederick Oakeley, 1841 | ADESTE FIDELES, John Francis Wade (attr.), Wade's Cantus Diversi, 1751 | Irregular with refrain |
| 3 | Hark! The Herald Angels Sing | Hark! the herald angels sing | Charles Wesley; alt. George Whitefield, 1739 | MENDELSSOHN, Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (Festgesang, 1840), 1840 | 7.7.7.7 D with refrain |
| 4 | Joy to the World | Joy to the world! the Lord is come! | Isaac Watts, 1719 | ANTIOCH, George Frideric Handel (1742); adapted by Lowell Mason, 1742 | 8.6.8.6 |
| 5 | O Come, O Come, Emmanuel | O come, O come, Emmanuel | tr. J. M. Neale, 1851 | VENI EMMANUEL, French processional, 15th cent.; adapted by Thomas Helmore, 1854 | 8.8.8.8.8.8 |
| 6 | Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus | Come, Thou long expected Jesus | Charles Wesley, 1744 | STUTTGART, Christian Friedrich Witt (attr.); Psalmodia Sacra, Gotha, 1715 | 8.7.8.7 |
| 7 | Silent Night, Holy Night | Silent night, holy night | Joseph Mohr; tr. J. Freeman Young (sts. 1, 3), 1863 | STILLE NACHT, Franz Xaver Gruber, 1818 | Irregular |
| 8 | O Little Town of Bethlehem | O little town of Bethlehem | Phillips Brooks, 1868 | ST. LOUIS, Lewis H. Redner, 1868 | 8.6.8.6 D |
| 9 | Angels We Have Heard on High | Angels we have heard on high | James Chadwick, 1862 | GLORIA, Traditional French carol, 1855 | 7.7.7.7 with refrain |
| 10 | As with Gladness Men of Old | As with gladness men of old | W. Chatterton Dix, 1861 | DIX, Conrad Kocher (abridged by W. H. Monk), 1838 | 7.7.7.7.7.7 |
| 11 | We Three Kings of Orient Are | We three kings of Orient are | John H. Hopkins, 1857 | KINGS OF ORIENT, John Henry Hopkins, 1857 | 8.8.4.4.6 with refrain |
| 12 | Songs of Thankfulness and Praise | Songs of thankfulness and praise | Christopher Wordsworth, 1862 | SALZBURG, Jakob Hintze, 1678 | 7.7.7.7 D |
| 13 | Forty Days and Forty Nights | Forty days and forty nights | George Hunt Smyttan, 1856 | HEINLEIN, Martin Herbst (attr.), 1676 | 7.7.7.7 |
| 14 | When I Survey the Wondrous Cross | When I survey the wondrous cross | Isaac Watts, 1707 | HAMBURG, Lowell Mason (adapted from Gregorian chant), 1824 | 8.8.8.8 |
| 15 | O Sacred Head, Now Wounded | O sacred head, now wounded | Paul Gerhardt (German, 1656); tr. James W. Alexander, 1829 | PASSION CHORALE, Hans Leo Hassler (harm. J. S. Bach), 1601 | 7.6.7.6 D |
| 16 | All Glory, Laud and Honor | All glory, laud, and honor | Theodulf of Orléans; tr. J. M. Neale, 1854 | ST. THEODULPH, Melchior Teschner, 1613 | 7.6.7.6 with refrain |
| 17 | Ah, Holy Jesus | Ah, holy Jesus, how hast Thou offended | Johann Heermann; tr. Robert Bridges, 1897 | HERZLIEBSTER JESU, Johann Crüger, 1640 | 11.11.11.5 |
| 18 | Jesus Christ Is Risen Today | Jesus Christ is risen today | Anonymous (Lyra Davidica), Latin 'Surrexit Christus hodie', 1708 | EASTER HYMN, Lyra Davidica (London, 1708), 1708 | 7.7.7.7 with alleluia |
| 19 | Christ the Lord Is Risen Today | Christ, the Lord is risen today | Charles Wesley, 1739 | LLANFAIR, Robert Williams, 1817 | 7.7.7.7 with alleluias |
| 20 | The Strife Is O'er | The strife is o'er, the battle done | tr. Francis Pott, 1861 | VICTORY, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (adapted by W. H. Monk), 1591 | 8.8.8.4 |
| 21 | Come, Ye Faithful, Raise the Strain | Come, ye faithful, raise the strain | St. John of Damascus; tr. J. M. Neale, 1859 | ST. KEVIN, Arthur Sullivan, 1872 | 7.6.7.6 D |
| 22 | Crown Him with Many Crowns | Crown Him with many crowns | Matthew Bridges (alt. Godfrey Thring, 1871), 1851 | DIADEMATA, George J. Elvey, 1868 | 6.6.8.6 D |
| 23 | Come Down, O Love Divine | Come down, O Love divine | Bianco da Siena; tr. Richard Frederick Littledale, 1867 | DOWN AMPNEY, Ralph Vaughan Williams (English Hymnal), 1906 | 6.6.11 D |
| 24 | Breathe on Me, Breath of God | Breathe on me, breath of God | Edwin Hatch, 1878 | TRENTHAM, Robert Jackson, 1878 | 6.6.8.6 |
| 25 | Spirit of God, Descend Upon My Heart | Spirit of God, descend upon my heart | George Croly, 1854 | MORECAMBE, Frederick C. Atkinson, 1870 | 10.10.10.10 |
| 26 | Holy God, We Praise Thy Name | Holy God, we praise Thy Name | tr. Clarence A. Walworth (German attr. Ignace Franz), 1853 | GROSSER GOTT, Allgemeines Katholisches Gesangbuch, Vienna, 1774 | 7.8.7.8.7.7 |
| 27 | Praise to the Lord, the Almighty | Praise to the Lord! the Almighty, the King of creation! | Joachim Neander; tr. Catherine Winkworth, 1863 | LOBE DEN HERREN, Stralsund Gesangbuch / Praxis Pietatis Melica, 1665 | 14.14.4.7.8 |
| 28 | Now Thank We All Our God | Now thank we all our God | Martin Rinkart; tr. Catherine Winkworth, 1858 | NUN DANKET, Johann Crüger, 1647 | 6.7.6.7.6.6.6.6 |
| 29 | All People That on Earth Do Dwell | All people that on earth do dwell | William Kethe, 1561 | OLD HUNDREDTH, Louis Bourgeois (attr.), Genevan Psalter, 1551 | 8.8.8.8 |
| 30 | A Mighty Fortress Is Our God | A mighty fortress is our God | Martin Luther; tr. Frederic Henry Hedge, 1852 | EIN FESTE BURG, Martin Luther, 1529 | 8.7.8.7.6.6.6.6.7 |
| 31 | O God, Our Help in Ages Past | O God, our help in ages past | Isaac Watts, 1719 | ST. ANNE, William Croft, 1708 | 8.6.8.6 |
| 32 | The Church's One Foundation | The Church's one foundation | S. J. Stone, 1866 | AURELIA, Samuel Sebastian Wesley, 1864 | 7.6.7.6 D |
| 33 | For All the Saints | For all the Saints, who from their labor rest | William Walsham How, 1864 | SINE NOMINE, Ralph Vaughan Williams, 1906 | 10.10.10.4 |
| 34 | Love Divine, All Loves Excelling | Love divine, all loves excelling | Charles Wesley, 1747 | HYFRYDOL, Rowland H. Prichard, 1830 | 8.7.8.7 D |
| 35 | Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing | Come, Thou Fount of every blessing | Robert Robinson (alt. Martin Madan, 1760), 1758 | NETTLETON, Anonymous American melody, Wyeth's Repository of Sacred Music, Part Second, 1813 | 8.7.8.7 D |
| 36 | Amazing Grace | Amazing grace! (how sweet the sound) | John Newton, 1779 | NEW BRITAIN, Anonymous, Columbian Harmony, 1829 | 8.6.8.6 |
| 37 | It Is Well with My Soul | When peace, like a river, attendeth my way | Horatio Gates Spafford, 1873 | VILLE DU HAVRE, P. P. Bliss, 1876 | 11.8.11.9 with refrain |
| 38 | Be Thou My Vision | Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart | tr. Mary E. Byrne (1905); versified Eleanor Henrietta Hull, 1912 | SLANE, Irish folk melody (Joyce, Old Irish Folk Music and Songs), 1909 | 10.10.10.10 |
| 39 | All Creatures of Our God and King | All creatures of our God and King | St. Francis of Assisi; paraphrased William H. Draper, 1919 | LASST UNS ERFREUEN, Auserlesene Catholische Geistliche Kirchengesäng, Cologne, 1623 | 8.8.4.4.8.8 with refrain |
| 40 | Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise | Immortal, invisible, God only wise | Walter C. Smith, 1867 | ST. DENIO, Welsh hymn melody, in J. Roberts's Caniadau y Cyssegr, 1839 | 11.11.11.11 |
| 41 | Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah | Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah | William Williams (Welsh, 1745); tr. Peter Williams, 1771 | CWM RHONDDA, John Hughes, 1907 | 8.7.8.7.4.7 |
| 42 | Onward, Christian Soldiers | Onward, Christian soldiers | S. Baring-Gould, 1865 | ST. GERTRUDE, Arthur Sullivan, 1871 | 6.5.6.5 D with refrain |
| 43 | Abide With Me | Abide with me: fast falls the eventide | Henry Francis Lyte, 1847 | EVENTIDE, William Henry Monk, 1861 | 10.10.10.10 |
| 44 | Eternal Father, Strong to Save | Eternal Father, strong to save | William Whiting, 1860 | MELITA, John Bacchus Dykes (Hymns Ancient and Modern), 1861 | 8.8.8.8.8.8 |
| 45 | We Gather Together | We gather together to ask the Lord's blessing | Anonymous Dutch (1625); tr. Theodore Baker, 1894 | KREMSER, Netherlands melody in Valerius's Collection (1626); arr. Eduard Kremser (1877), 1626 | 12.11.12.11 |
| 46 | Come, Ye Thankful People, Come | Come, ye thankful people, come | Henry Alford, 1844 | ST. GEORGE'S WINDSOR, George J. Elvey, 1856 | 7.7.7.7 D |
| 47 | For the Beauty of the Earth | For the beauty of the earth | Folliott Sandford Pierpoint, 1864 | DIX, Conrad Kocher (abridged by W. H. Monk), 1838 | 7.7.7.7.7.7 |
| 48 | Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence | Let all mortal flesh keep silence | Liturgy of St. James; paraphrased Gerard Moultrie, 1864 | PICARDY, French carol, 17th cent., 1860 | 8.7.8.7.8.7 |
| 49 | Alleluia! Sing to Jesus | Alleluia! sing to Jesus! | W. Chatterton Dix, 1866 | HYFRYDOL, Rowland H. Prichard, 1830 | 8.7.8.7 D |
| 50 | Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee | Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee | Henry Van Dyke, 1907 | HYMN TO JOY, Ludwig van Beethoven (Ninth Symphony; adapted by Edward Hodges), 1824 | 8.7.8.7 D |
| 51 | O Worship the King | O worship the King all glorious above | Robert Grant, 1833 | HANOVER, William Croft, 1708 | 10.10.11.11 |
| 52 | Rejoice, the Lord Is King | Rejoice, the Lord is King | Charles Wesley, 1744 | DARWALL'S 148TH, John Darwall, 1770 | 6.6.6.6.8.8 |
| 53 | Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending | Lo! He comes with clouds descending | Charles Wesley, 1758 | HELMSLEY, Martin Madan; attr. Thomas Olivers, 1763 | 8.7.8.7.4.7 |
| 54 | Wake, Awake, for Night Is Flying | Wake, awake, for night is flying | Philipp Nicolai (1599); tr. Catherine Winkworth, 1858 | WACHET AUF, Philipp Nicolai, 1599 | Irregular |
| 55 | On Jordan's Bank the Baptist's Cry | On Jordan's bank the Baptist's cry | Charles Coffin; tr. John Chandler, 1837 | WINCHESTER NEW, Musikalisches Handbuch der geistlichen Melodien, Hamburg, 1690 | 8.8.8.8 |
| 56 | Of the Father's Love Begotten | Of the Father's love begotten | Prudentius; tr. J. M. Neale and H. W. Baker, 1854 | DIVINUM MYSTERIUM, Plainsong melody, 12th-13th cent.; Piae Cantiones, 1582 | 8.7.8.7.8.7.7 |
| 57 | Good Christian Men, Rejoice | Good Christian men, rejoice | tr. J. M. Neale, 1853 | IN DULCI JUBILO, German melody, 14th cent.; Klug's Geistliche Lieder, Wittenberg, 1535 | 6.6.7.7.7.8.5.5 |
| 58 | The First Nowell | The first Nowell, the angel did say | Anonymous (traditional English carol), 1833 | THE FIRST NOWELL, Traditional English carol, 1833 | Irregular |
| 59 | It Came Upon the Midnight Clear | It came upon the midnight clear | Edmund H. Sears, 1849 | CAROL, Richard Storrs Willis, 1850 | 8.6.8.6 D |
| 60 | Lord, Who Throughout These Forty Days | Lord, who throughout these forty days | Claudia Frances Hernaman, 1873 | ST. FLAVIAN, Day's Psalter, 1562 | 8.6.8.6 |
| 61 | Welcome, Happy Morning | Welcome, happy morning! age to age shall say | Venantius Fortunatus; tr. John Ellerton, 1868 | FORTUNATUS, Arthur Sullivan, 1872 | 6.5.6.5 D with refrain |
| 62 | Hail the Day That Sees Him Rise | Hail the day that sees Him rise | Charles Wesley, 1739 | LLANFAIR, Robert Williams, 1817 | 7.7.7.7 D |
| 63 | Take My Life, and Let It Be | Take my life and let it be | Frances Ridley Havergal, 1874 | HENDON, César Malan (arr. Lowell Mason), 1827 | 7.7.7.7.7 |
| 64 | Blest Be the Tie That Binds | Blest be the tie that binds | John Fawcett, 1782 | DENNIS, Hans Georg Nägeli (arr. Lowell Mason), 1832 | 6.6.8.6 |
| 65 | Jesus, Lover of My Soul | Jesus, lover of my soul | Charles Wesley, 1740 | ABERYSTWYTH, Joseph Parry, 1879 | 7.7.7.7 D |
| 66 | Nearer, My God, to Thee | Nearer, my God, to Thee | Sarah Flower Adams, 1840 | BETHANY, Lowell Mason (arranger), 1856 | 6.4.6.4.6.6.6.4 |
| 67 | Rock of Ages | Rock of Ages, cleft for me | Augustus Toplady, 1776 | TOPLADY, Thomas Hastings, 1830 | 7.7.7.7.7.7 |
| 68 | Fairest Lord Jesus | Fairest Lord Jesus, Ruler of all nature | Anonymous (German: Münster Gesangbuch, 1677), 1850 | ST. ELIZABETH (CRUSADERS' HYMN), Silesian folk melody, Schlesische Volkslieder, Leipzig, 1842 | 5.6.8.5.5.8 |
| 69 | Christ, Whose Glory Fills the Skies | Christ, Whose glory fills the skies | Charles Wesley, 1740 | RATISBON, Johann Gottlob Werner (attr.), Werner's Choralbuch, 1815 | 7.7.7.7.7.7 |
| 70 | Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken | Glorious things of thee are spoken | John Newton, 1779 | AUSTRIA, Joseph Haydn, 1797 | 8.7.8.7 D |
| 71 | Lead On, O King Eternal | Lead on, O King Eternal | Ernest W. Shurtleff, 1887 | LANCASHIRE, Henry Thomas Smart, 1836 | 7.6.7.6 D |
| 72 | Bread of the World in Mercy Broken | Bread of the world, in mercy broken | Reginald Heber, 1827 | RENDEZ À DIEU, Louis Bourgeois (attr.), Genevan Psalter, 1543 | 9.8.9.8 |
| 73 | Deck Thyself, My Soul, With Gladness | Deck thyself, my soul, with gladness | Johann Franck; tr. Catherine Winkworth, 1863 | SCHMÜCKE DICH, Johann Crüger, 1649 | 8.8.8.8 D |
| 74 | Break Thou the Bread of Life | Break Thou the bread of life | Mary A. Lathbury, 1877 | BREAD OF LIFE, William F. Sherwin, 1877 | 6.4.6.4 D |
| 75 | At the Lamb's High Feast We Sing | At the Lamb's high feast we sing | tr. Robert Campbell, 1849 | SALZBURG, Jakob Hintze, 1678 | 7.7.7.7 D |
| 76 | Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus | Stand up, stand up, for Jesus | George Duffield, 1858 | WEBB, George James Webb, 1837 | 7.6.7.6 D |
| 77 | Savior, Again to Thy Dear Name We Raise | Savior, again to Thy dear name we raise | John Ellerton, 1866 | ELLERS, E. J. Hopkins, 1869 | 10.10.10.10 |
| 78 | The Day Thou Gavest, Lord, Is Ended | The day Thou gavest, Lord, is ended | John Ellerton, 1870 | ST. CLEMENT, Clement Cotterill Scholefield, 1874 | 9.8.9.8 |
| 79 | Jerusalem the Golden | Jerusalem the golden | Bernard of Cluny; tr. J. M. Neale, 1851 | EWING, A. Ewing, 1853 | 7.6.7.6 D |
| 80 | Once in Royal David's City | Once in royal David's city | Cecil Frances Alexander, 1848 | IRBY, Henry J. Gauntlett, 1849 | 8.7.8.7.7.7 |
| 81 | In the Bleak Midwinter | In the bleak midwinter | Christina Georgina Rossetti, 1872 | CRANHAM, Gustav Holst, 1906 | Irregular |
| 82 | Hark, the Glad Sound | Hark, the glad sound, the Savior comes | Philip Doddridge, 1735 | BRISTOL, Ravenscroft's Psalter (melody and bass), 1621 | 8.6.8.6 |
| 83 | Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation | Christ is made the sure foundation | tr. J. M. Neale, 1861 | REGENT SQUARE, Henry Thomas Smart, 1866 | 8.7.8.7.8.7 |
| 84 | Angels From the Realms of Glory | Angels from the realms of glory | James Montgomery, 1816 | REGENT SQUARE, Henry Thomas Smart, 1866 | 8.7.8.7.8.7 |
| 85 | My Faith Looks Up to Thee | My faith looks up to Thee | Ray Palmer, 1830 | OLIVET, Lowell Mason, 1831 | 6.6.4.6.6.6.4 |
| 86 | Hail Thee, Festival Day | Lo, the fair beauty of earth | Venantius Fortunatus; tr. The English Hymnal, 1906 | SALVE FESTA DIES, Ralph Vaughan Williams, 1906 | Irregular with refrain |


# Questions about Hymnwise

URL: https://hymnwise-web.pages.dev/faq/

## Answers

**Where are my hymnals and plans stored?**

In this browser, on this device, in the browser's own IndexedDB storage. There is no server and no account, so nothing you type is uploaded. Clearing this site's data deletes everything, so export a backup file from the planning desk and keep it somewhere safe.

**Why are no hymn texts, readings or liturgical texts included?**

Because they belong to their publishers. Hymn words, most modern tunes and harmonies, hymnal indexes, Scripture translations and lectionary tables are under copyright or licence. Hymnwise stores the numbers, titles, first lines, tunes and dates you enter, and you type or import readings and orders of service under your own parish's permissions.

**What is in the public domain starter index?**

86 hymns whose words and tunes were both first published in or before 1928, each checked against its Hymnary.org text and tune pages. It lists titles, first lines, tunes and meters with our own season tags, never the words. Its numbers are its own, so a parish with a printed hymnal enters that hymnal's numbers.

**How does the planner know when a hymn was last sung?**

From your own services. Every service you plan, or import from a spreadsheet of past services, becomes history: the last-sung date, how many times in the past year and in all, and the next date it is planned are worked out again each time you look, so moving a service or swapping a hymn changes every answer at once.

**What do the repeat warnings mean?**

A hymn sung again within the repeat window (8 weeks unless you change it) is flagged, and so is a tune heard again within the tune window (4 weeks) under another text. A hymn tagged only for other seasons is flagged too, such as a Christmas hymn in Lent. They are warnings, not rules: you decide.

**How is the church year worked out?**

Easter comes from the Gregorian computus, tested against the dates the US Naval Observatory publishes. Advent, Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, Ascension, Pentecost and Trinity Sunday follow from it. Sundays are named the prayer book way with Propers after Pentecost, counted after Pentecost, or in Roman Ordinary Time, as your settings say.

**Does it include the Revised Common Lectionary readings?**

No. The lectionary table may be reproduced by congregations for their own worship, but a tool like this needs written permission to carry it. Type or paste each Sunday's readings, or import them from a spreadsheet your parish keeps. The lectionary year (A, B or C) and the proper number are worked out for you.

**Can I bring in the hymn list I keep in a spreadsheet?**

Yes. Save it as CSV and match its columns: a hymnal index (number, title, first line, tune, meter, seasons), a sung history (date and number), or readings (date and readings). Rows already here are counted and left alone, so importing the same file twice changes nothing.

**Is this free?**

Yes. Everything here is free: every hymnal and every year, the quarterly music list, the annual report, the bulletin booklet, spreadsheet import and export, and locked backups. There is no account and nothing to buy.

**Is Hymnwise connected to a denomination or a hymnal publisher?**

Hymnwise is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to any church, denomination, diocese, hymnal publisher, lectionary body or licensing service, including the Consultation on Common Texts, Augsburg Fortress, Church Publishing, GIA, OCP, Hope Publishing, Hymnary.org, OneLicense and CCLI.