Four months after March Madness, hymn lovers are awaiting the outcome of a different kind of tournament that will answer this question: “What’s the greatest hymn of all time?”
The Hymn Society in the United States and Canada decided to use the tournament as a way to draw attention to the music that fills church sanctuaries every weekend. Its contest, where enthusiasts have voted since May on its website and on Facebook, was inspired by a Catholic podcast, “Open Your Hymnal,” which had a spring tournament focused specifically on hymn tunes.
Brian Hehn, director of the hymn society’s Center for Congregational Song, said the tournament has been a kind of “teaching moment” that allowed the society’s members to have some fun and helped the uninitiated to learn that there are a variety of hymn styles.