ascriptions and hallelujahs heard by St. John in his Patmos dream. For
what we know of the first _formulated_ human prayer and praise we are
mostly indebted to the Hebrew race. They seem to have been at least the
only ancient nation that had a complete psalter--and their collection is
the mother hymn-book of the world.

Probably the first form of hymn-worship was the plain-song--a
declamatory unison of assembled singers, every voice on the same pitch,
and within the compass of five notes--and so continued, from whatever
may have stood for plain-song in Tabernacle and Temple days down to the
earliest centuries of the Christian church. It was mere melodic
progression and volume of tone, and there were no instruments--after the
captivity. Possibly it was the memory of the harps hung silent by the
rivers of Babylon that banished the timbrel from the sacred march and
the ancient lyre from the post-exilic synagogues. Only the Feast trumpet
was left. But the Jews sang. Jesus and his disciples sang. Paul and
Silas sang; and so did the post-apostolic Christians; but until towards
the close of the 16th century there were no instruments allowed in
religious worship.

St. Hilary, Bishop of Poitiers has been called "the father of Christian
hymnology." About the middle of the 4th century he regulated the
ecclesiastical song-service, wrote chant music (to Scripture words or
his own) and prescribed its place and use in his choirs. He died A.D.
368. In the Church calendars, Jan. 13th (following "Twelfth Night"), is
still kept as "St. Hilary's Day" in the Church of England, and Jan. 14th
in the Church of Rome.

St. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, a few years later, improved the work of
his predecessor, adding words and music of his own. The "Ambrosian