Recently published hymnals have included a wide variety of congregational songs from Hispanic churches. This article describes the experience of Hispanic Christians in America and the music that is often used in Hispanic-American churches.
Like other minorities in the USA, Hispanic congregations have been known for the manner in which they worship God by singing their favorite hymns. In order to understand this, one must go to the roots of Hispano churches all over this country. In the Southwest, which includes California, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas, the Mexican-Americans, which constitute most of the Hispanic people, trace their history back to the days when this territory used to be part of Mexico. Contrary to popular opinion, Protestants did not start their work in the Southwest by sending Anglo missionaries to convert the Catholic Mexicans. By the time the mainline denominations sent their missionaries, there were already evangelical cells functioning in private homes—the result of religious persecution in Mexico, and of the work of the colporteurs who traveled north from south of the border.
Because of this, one finds a lot of strong feelings against the Catholic church, feelings which have survived in many cases up to this date. The Protestants coming to the USA from Mexico brought with them similar feelings to those brought by the religiously persecuted Pilgrims who came in the Mayflower.
Since they were in quite a few cases running away from intolerance and prejudice, they wanted to do away with anything related to the Catholic church, including worship practices. Thus, one can understand the rejection today in Hispanic evangelical churches of such things as Gregorian chants, kyries, classical music from the Middle Ages, and even those seventeenth- and eighteenth-century hymns that in any way reflect values and theologies that may sound similar to those they knew from the Roman Catholic tradition.
The mainline denominations in the USA have tried, in some cases with a degree of success, to incorporate in their worship directories quite a few elements that could be characterized as “high church.” Such elements are frowned upon, however, by such denominations as the Assemblies of God, the Church of God, Southern Baptists, and other fast-growing independent or nondenominational churches. Hispanic styles of worship, therefore, tend to do away with acolytes, candles, crosses, collects, robes, and kneeling (except at the front of the sanctuary), and the singing of anything that may sound Catholic.
The fast-growing barrio churches reflect the culture of those they serve. In quite a few churches, the congregation will include recent arrivals from Mexico or other Central American countries, plus the Mexican-Americans who can trace their roots to the days when the Southwest was Spanish. Most of these congregations include a high percentage of people from the lower socioeconomic classes who prefer coritos to hymns and who favor charismatic-oriented liturgy. The seventeenth- and eighteenth-century hymns they use have been translated to Spanish by missionaries and hymnologists who did their work at the turn of the century. A few hymnbooks were produced by the mainline denominations using some Spanish melodies and indigenous compositions, but seldom to the exclusion of “the great hymns of the church,” as understood by their Anglo spiritual mentors. Only recently has a distinctive effort been made by both mainline churches and others to produce hymnbooks and collections of hymns that characterize the Hispanic tradition or reflect its values.
Some of the Hispanic hymns have the “South American Sound.” But this sound has been traditionally associated with a lifestyle that is not acceptable to the pietistic values of many Hispanic churches. New compositions, widely used by charismatic Hispanic churches, reflect the contemporary music and words also used by the charismatic Anglo churches.
One of the most widely used Hispanic hymnbooks was produced in the early 1960s by COHAM (at that time COSAW), an interdenominational council that included both mainline churches and sects, and even at times liberal Roman Catholics. The hymnbook El Himnario is mostly a collection of traditional hymns and old-time favorites, translated into Spanish by one of the most prolific translators and composers, a Presbyterian missionary, George Paul Simmonds. But it also includes the work of both Mexican-American and Mexican hymnologists, plus a few indigenous works from south of the border.
Hispanic composers known to most Hispanic Protestants include names like Vincent Mendoza, J. B. Cabrera, Abraham Fernandez, Epigmenio Valasco, E. Martinez-Garza, Pedro Castro, E. A. Diaz, Marcelino Montoya, Jose de Mora, Sra. S. Venecia, and of course George Simmonds. These are the better-known composer-authors, but there are many others.
Hispanic congregations, like any other congregation in any culture, will sing what the pastor will choose. And the pastor, in most cases, selects what his or her favorites are. The young new pastors are heavily favoring contemporary music and words, either compositions imported from Latin American countries or produced in the Southwest, Florida (owing to its large Cuban population), and other areas with heavy concentrations of Hispanic parishioners, such as Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, and so forth. Hymns are also selected because of either the music or the words. Favorite hymns become favorite because the music is easy to learn and the words easy to remember. Coritos are popular. Their theology usually is shallow, but there are exceptions. One finds many mainline denomination Hispanic churches using guitars and singing coritos these days. This goes hand in hand with a return of emotionalism and preaching on moral issues, emphasizing conversion experiences. It is “the Old Time Religion,” all over again.
Those Hispanics who prefer to follow the lectionary and to use hymns related to the theme being developed find themselves in a minority and not gaining many members. But they are not alone. Many also try to include what is considered as “ethnic hymnody,” provided it is a valid contribution to the total worshiping experience. The issue remains whether Hispanic congregations are playing the numbers game, and therefore, attempting to be popular and fill churches, or whether they are trying to proclaim the gospel in a relevant and meaningful manner. By and large, the socioeconomic factor is determinative. The level of education and the degree of sophistication of the congregation must be considered, but not at the expense of excluding others from coming to join the brotherhood of believers.
Service books can be helpful, limited by the fact that, if they were as comprehensive as needed, they would be too hard to handle, and too bulky. But Methodists, Episcopalians, and Lutherans, among others, do use them every Sunday, in Hispanic churches as in any other ethnic or Anglo church. One of the all-time favorites with Hispanic congregations is the hymn “Jesus es mi rey soberano,” with words and music by Vincente Mendoza, a prolific author, and composer of Hispanic hymns. The words were translated to English (a welcome change!) by George P. Simmonds in 1966, and have been used occasionally by Anglo congregations at special times. Another favorite all over the world is “Santa Biblia Para Mi,” in English in The Hymnbook, number 131.