Author: David and Barbara Leeman
Located in: Simpsonville, SC
Submitted: October 23, 2021
Tell us a little about yourself. We are both retired professional musicians--Dave, a church musician and Barbara, a private school educator. We both grew up in Christian homes where singing hymns was a staple of our lives. Teaching hymns to children and adults has been our passion and mission.
What was your motivation behind this project? We have observed the steep decline in the use of hymns and Christmas carols in churches for many years. We believe part of the reason is that people have not been taught the stories behind the writing of the songs nor the theology, doctrine, and devotional truths in them. It is our prayer that many will read the book and learn to love these treasures of Christian celebrating the birth of Jesus.
What do you hope folks will gain from this project? We hope people will discover great Christmas hymns which are unfamiliar to them . We want people to re-discover Carols they have not sung in many years. And we pray the profound truths in these carefully chosen representation of of Christmas hymns will become precious to them.
How were you personally impacted by working on this project? The impact of surveying hundreds of hymns to choose the best revealed that the test of time is one of the best means to learning what is the highest quality. If a song has lasted in common use for numerous centuries it is because it was a great song. Studying these hymns deepened our own gratitude and devotion for the wonder of the Incarnation and the annual celebration of Christmas.
Who are your influences, sources of inspiration or favorite authors / artists? Initially, our own parents were our inspiration and education in hymnody. Music professors in the Christian University we attended were a tremendous source of learning appreciation for hymnody. But reading the biographies of Isaac Watts, Charles Wesley, and numerous other hymn writers from the 18th and 19th centuries were the greatest revelation of how God inspired authors to write the poems and tunes that create these wonderful hymns. Our own lives have been changed by numerous of the songs in this book.
Anything else you'd like readers / listeners to know: Even though some of these may seem too difficult for teaching to children, we have learned that children love what they know--even if they don't understand all the language or truths. By repetition of singing and with parents expressing their own love for the songs, children will love and sing them for the rest of their lives. The recording which is available at the authors website will greatly assist in families learning and singing these songs.
