Music in the Episcopal Church can be as diverse as its worship services. Although final authority over the music used in an Episcopal service is “the duty of every Minister” (Canon 24, Section 1), our hymnal draws all Episcopalians together musically in the same way that the Book of Common Prayer draws us together in prayer and liturgy. Most recently revised in 1982, The Hymnal of the Episcopal Church offers 720 hymns in addition to liturgical music. While some of the hymns date back to monastic chants, the hymnal offers more modern music as well.
Hymnals approved for use in the Episcopal Church are available for purchase through Church Publishing
- The Hymnal 1982
- Supplements to the Hymnal 1982
- Lift Every Voice and Sing II
- Wonder, Love, and Praise
- Come Celebrate! A Hymnal Supplement
- El Himnario
- Songs for Celebration
Online Hymnals
- Ritesong – Online Hymnal Image Subscription Library
- Oremus.org- The Hymnal 1982
- Hymnary.org- The Hymnal 1982
- Hymnary.org- Wonder, Love, and Praise
- Hymnary.org-Lift Every Voice and Sing II
Books for Music and Liturgical Planning
- The Episcopal Musician’s Handbook by the Living Church Foundation
- Liturgical Music for the Revised Common Lectionary by Carl P. Daw Jr. and Thomas Pavlechko
Sheet Music and Sacred Music Resource Suppliers
- J.W. Pepper Music Company
- GIA Publications
- Morning Star / Canticle Distributing
- Augsburg Fortress
- Alliance Music
- Christian Copyright Licensing Incorporated (CCLI)
- Cantate Domino – Free Sacred Sheet Music for download
- Choral Public Domain Library (CPDL) Free choral sheet music
- Oxford University Press – MUSIC
A Sampling of Psalters
Available for purchase through Episcopal Bookstore, Church Publishing, and other booksellers.
- The Anglican Psalter edited by John Scott
- The Anglican Psalter Online – Edited by Alect Wyton
- The Ionian Psalter available for purchase by churches through Ionian Arts
- The St. Alban’s Psalter – Rarely-viewed 12th c manuscript is now available online
- The Portland Psalter Book One: Liturgical Years ABC edited by Robert A. Hawthorne
- The Portland Psalter Book Two, Responsorial Psalms for Congregation, Cantor & Choir edited by Robert A. Hawthorne
- The Plainsong Psalter edited by James Litton
- The Emergent Psalter by Isaac Everett
- The Genevan Psalter by David T. Koyzis
- A HymnTune Psalter by Carl P. Daw, Jr. and Kevin R.Hackett
- Saint Dunstan’s Plainsong Psalter available for purchase on andrewespress.com
- A New Metrical Psalter by Christopher L. Webber
- More Psalters from Church Publishing