A
Hymn is a song specifically written as a song of praise, adoration or
prayer, typically addressed to a
god. A writer of hymns is known as a
hymnist or
hymnodist, and the process of singing a hymn is called
hymnody.
In the contemporary world, hymns are associated with Christianity and directed toward God. Certainly, the tradition of choral singing as an act of Christian worship has given the various traditions within Christianity a rich lode of hymns.
However, the Western tradition of hymnody begins with Homer, who is given credit for the Homeric Hymns in praise of the gods of Greek mythology. Other ancient hymns include the Hymn to Aten composed by the pharaoh Akhenaton. The Vedas are a collection of very old hymns in the tradition of Hinduism.
Some hymnists and their more well known hymns are:
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