It is time for hymns to be included in the Danish hymn book that fit the present day and the life we have today.

That is the opinion of Mads Djernes, who is a parish priest at Sankt Nicolai Church and has worked extensively with hymns. He himself is ready to drop about every third hymn.

- It is really nice to get a hymn book that is up to date with its time, with newer hymns. That is, hymns that are written into the modern person's world and understanding of reality and context.

The country's bishops have decided that the hymn book should be revised and published in a new edition. The reason is that the hymn book should to a greater extent keep up with the times.

Marianne Christiansen, bishop in the Diocese of Haderslev, thinks the time is ripe for an updated hymn book (Photo: © Haderslev Stift/Lene Esthave)

A task that takes time

But it takes a long time to create a new edition of the hymn book. The current edition, which was published in 2003, took ten years to prepare, and it will take about the same amount of time to prepare the next one.

> It must go slowly, that is what makes our tradition strong.

- It must go slowly, that is what makes our tradition strong, that we don't throw things away from one day to the next, says Marianne Christiansen.

Next year, a commission will be appointed to select hymns for the new edition, and among other things, they will consult churches and priests about which hymns they use and do not use.

The new edition of the Danish Hymn Book is expected to be published in 2036. (Photo: © Sebastian Elias Uth, Ritzau Scanpix)

New hymns are important

According to Mads Djernes, hymns like "I østen stiger solen op" and "Dejlig er jorden" should still be sung. But newer hymns should also be included in the Danish hymn book, reflecting what occupies us. This could be, for example, living in the city, but also external threats.

- I hope, and could imagine, that the hymn "Du spør mig om håbet" will be included. Interestingly, it was published 14 days after Russia invaded Ukraine, he says.

> It thematizes hope, and it is very important to speak up.

According to Mads Djernes, the hymn had a special resonance because it described hope from a global perspective at that time.

- It thematizes hope, and it is very important to speak up, and we also want to do that in a folk church context, he says.

Hymns play an enormously large role in the folk church, and therefore it is important that one can resonate with what one sings, believes parish priest Mads Djernes.

And some of the hymns do not reflect the time we live in today. He mentions the hymn from 1953 "Du Gav Mig, O Herre, En Lod Af Din Jord"

- It is a hymn that is written into an agricultural culture, but one could say that is no longer the dominant culture, says Mads Djernes.

The Danish Hymn Book at Kingos Church on Nørrebro in Copenhagen, Wednesday, July 8, 2026. (Photo: © Sebastian Elias Uth, Ritzau Scanpix)

The book can be shorter

Mads Djernes hopes that the hymn book will be revised thoroughly, and that emphasis will be placed on focusing on the hymns that have shown their viability. And that also applies to the newer hymns.

And he would also like the Danish hymn book to be shorter, with fewer hymns than the nearly 800 it contains today. In fact, he is ready to send between 200 and 300 hymns into retirement.

- It would make it better, more relevant, I think. That there were simply a few fewer numbers, because then it becomes a use book that people use out there. And not like the current one, where a bit too much has been included.

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