Research: STH: Special Collections: Hymnological Collections

The Heritage of Hymns at Boston University School of Theology

The Heritage of Hymns at Boston University School of Theology
Article by Rev. Dr. Carl P. Daw, Jr. in A People's History of the School of Theology.

Boston University School of Theology proudly and rightly calls itself “The School of the Prophets,” but it could equally well call itself “The School of the Hymn People.” Hymn-relatedness, after all, is firmly woven into the spiritual DNA of the Wesleyan tradition in which this school was founded, and it has manifested itself in notable men and women throughout the school’s history.

Click here to browse the nearly 5000 hymnals, songbooks, and tunebooks in our library: Hymnological Collections.

Hymnological Collections

Use the links below or on the left-hand menu to browse collection information and holdings for our larger hymnological collections, including the world-famous Hymn Society of the United States and Canada Collection.

Smaller Hymnological Collections

These collections range from partially cataloged to uncatalogued. A brief description has been provided below the link to each collection in our catalog; some records may be brief or missing from the catalog.

Crocker Durkee Collection
Uncataloged. A link to brief description of items in the catalog. A collection of mid-19th century Methodist hymnals and books of discipline.
Lester Hostetler Hymnal Collection
Uncataloged. A link to brief description of items in catalog. A collection of primarily 19th-century items, including a number of hymnals in German.
Lila Hill Hymnbook Collection
Uncataloged. A link to brief description of items in catalog. A small collection of late 19th-century-1930’s materials, with particular emphasis on evangelistic and Sunday School songs.
Carol A. Pemberton Collection
This collection contains approximately three dozen items given to the STH Library by Carol A. Pemberton, the pre-eminent 20th-century scholar of the life and work of Lowell Mason, Boston’s most influential musical entrepreneur of the 19th century. It is notable for the fine condition of the copies of Mason materials it makes available to researchers.
McCormick Sydnor Hymn and Carol Collection
A collection of approximately 70 items given by David McCormick of Richmond, VA, in memory of distinguished hymnologist James Rawlings Sydnor.
Janice T. Woods Hymnological Collection
Partially Cataloged. A link to cataloged items in the collection. Approximately 400 hymnals were given to the Library in 2008 by Janice T. Woods, a Methodist layperson in upstate New York and member of the Hymn Society. A preliminary survey of the materials shows that they are especially strong in Methodist-related resources and in Sunday School songs.

Archives & Special Collections Librarian

John Coelho

Curator of the Hymnological Collections

Rev. Dr. Carl P. Daw, Jr.

The Reverend Dr. Carl P. Daw Jr. is an Episcopal priest and writer who served as the Executive Director of The Hymn Society in the United States and Canada from 1996 to 2009, while this ecumenical and international organization had its headquarters at Boston University School of Theology. Dr. Daw retired his post as an Adjunct Professor of Hymnology in the Master of Sacred Music program in 2019. He also acted as the Curator of the Hymnological Collections in the School of Theology Library.

Rev. Dr. Daw was a key advocate in the transfer of the collection of The Hymn Society in the United States and Canada to Boston University School of Theology Library in 2005. He continues to advise the library on its hymnological collections even in retirement.

Where to Find These Items

The collections listed here are located in our Archives and Research Collection. Access to archival holdings (e.g. paper church records, personal papers, baptism certificates, etc). are by appointment only; please send an email to our reference librarians at sthref@bu.edu. For access to books in our special collections, please find a full-time librarian on staff during daytime hours (see the right sidebar on the School of Theology Library homepage for regular hours during the current academic period) who will be happy to pull the material for you.