Olney Hymns, first published in 1779, is a collection of 348 hymns, 67 of them written by William Cowper and 281 by John Newton. I have compiled a computerised index of the hymns, with the main index being in alphabetical order of first lines. Other headings in the index include the Book number (of 3, although all three books were published under one cover), the page number (as in the facsimile edition which is currently available from the Museum shop), and Hymn number (in the relevant book). The co-authors of the hymns grouped all of those in Book 1 under the relevant book from the Bible, and those in Books 2 and 3 under section headings, in some cases divided additionally into subsections. These are all identified such that they can be grouped together under these headings. Many of the hymns are titled, and again these are listed. Some 166 of the Olney Hymns, including all those in Book 1, are related to specific biblical texts, and again these are all identified and listed. In addition, there is a column labelled ‘Bible order’ which lists all of these hymns in order of their biblical texts. 98 of the texts are from the Old Testament, and of these 15 were written by William Cowper and 83 by John Newton. The remaining 68 texts are from the New Testament, and of these William Cowper wrote only 6 with the other 62 being written by John Newton. There are four instances of hymns being written by both William Cowper and John Newton, based on the same texts from the Bible. It would be an interesting exercise for somebody to examine these four pairs of hymns, and to compare and contrast their styles and contents. If any reader would like a copy of this computerised index for his/her own use, then they are welcome to send for one. If you send an e-mail to <museum@olney.co.uk> then I shall reply by e-mail with a copy attached. For your information, my software is Microsoft Excel for Windows 95, Version 7.0, and so if you are using this or a later version, you should have no difficulty in transferring it from my e-mail attachment to your own hard disc. George Davies</museum@olney.co.uk>
Olney Hymns, first published in 1779, is a collection of 348 hymns, 67 of them written by William Cowper and 281 by John Newton. I have compiled a computerised index of the hymns, with the main index being in alphabetical order of first lines. Other headings in the index include the Book number (of 3, although all three books were published under one cover), the page number (as in the facsimile edition which is currently available from the Museum shop), and Hymn number (in the relevant book). The co-authors of the hymns grouped all of those in Book 1 under the relevant book from the Bible, and those in Books 2 and 3 under section headings, in some cases divided additionally into subsections. These are all identified such that they can be grouped together under these headings. Many of the hymns are titled, and again these are listed. Some 166 of the Olney Hymns, including all those in Book 1, are related to specific biblical texts, and again these are all identified and listed. In addition, there is a column labelled ‘Bible order’ which lists all of these hymns in order of their biblical texts. 98 of the texts are from the Old Testament, and of these 15 were written by William Cowper and 83 by John Newton. The remaining 68 texts are from the New Testament, and of these William Cowper wrote only 6 with the other 62 being written by John Newton. There are four instances of hymns being written by both William Cowper and John Newton, based on the same texts from the Bible. It would be an interesting exercise for somebody to examine these four pairs of hymns, and to compare and contrast their styles and contents. If any reader would like a copy of this
