Then Sings My Soul-Book 3 [Book Review]

Then Sings My Soul
The Story of Our Songs 
Drawing Strength from the Great Hymns of Our Faith
Robert J. Morgan

About the Book

The long-awaited third installment! In 2003, Robert Morgan released what would become a future classic for over a million readers, a unique book entitled Then Sings My Soul. This collection of the world’s greatest hymns and the stories behind them stirred an entire generation to better understand the heritage of our faith through song.

Now, in the long-awaited third volume of this series, Morgan expands his material to include the great history of worship, the first biblical hymns, biographical sketches of the most interesting composers, and almost 60 generations of hymn singing. The new book also includes a collection of the greatest hymns you’ve never heard, with lead-sheets included. All of this is in addition to even more standard hymns and the stories of the composers behind them. Morgan’s conclusion guides the reader into enjoying all of God’s music, blending the old and the new into a symphony of praise that keeps the worship alive for a new generation.

My Thoughts
I was really surprised at how much I soaked in of this book in my first sitting--over 200 pages!  I was very much pulled in to the history of "church music."  For a musically non-inclined person, that's saying something! Not only was there a simplified overview of the history, but then there are over 50 hymns to read through and get a brief background story.  I was able to recognize a few, and was very surprised at how old the ones I knew really were!  I also enjoyed seeing Stuart Townend and Keith & Kristyn Getty included at the end to finish up with "modern" hymn writers of today.  Following that, I was crazy impressed with some of the back story surrounding six more hymns--including "It Is Well With My Soul."  You'd never guess how that one ends up!  Definitely one worth recommending, and the first two books in the series are probably just as recommendable!

BookSneeze® has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book or advanced reading copy.