Our Hymnals
More Info- GIA's Fine Family of Hymnals
- Why Use GIA Hymnals?
- HymnPrint
- Announcing Gather Comprehensive - Second Edition
- Design and Layout
- Accompaniment Editions
- Choosing the Right Hymnal
- Introducing Your New Hymnal
- Practical Auxiliary Resources
- Easy Payment Plan
- Easy Fund Raising
- Download Bookplates
- Free With Purchase
- Custom Imprinting and Plastic Pockets
- Do the Math!
- FAQ's
- Request Information
- Hymnal Brochure PDF
- How to Order
- Contact Us
Why use GIA Hymnals?
Parishes across the country are switching to GIA hymnals for a variety of reasons. We've chosen ten of the best that happy hymnal buyers have shared with us. Throughout the catalog you will find these ten reasons with detailed explanations. See for yourself why GIA hymnals are the best choice for your parish.
10 reasons parishes are switching to GIA hymnals:
- Aesthetics - GIA hymnals are exquisitely bound using the finest materials and most durable techniques, and are printed on high grade, acid free, off-white paper which is proven to be easy on the eye. It is fitting that the tools we use when we gather to worship possess a certain dignity and beauty in their appearance.
- Permanence - While nothing is forever, "permanence" in a hymnal means that they serve the community for many years. Some parishes are still using Worship II purchased in the late '70s or early '80s.
It is common for hymnals to last for more than 10 years. Annual worship aids tend to look ragged after mere months. The main point, however, is that you replace your hymnals when you want, not when the date runs out. - Page layout - In a GIA hymnal you never encounter that crammed look, which results from squeezing as much material as possible onto the page. We're not reluctant to leave a little white space here and there. Also, our texts and lyrics are printed in a serif type font (such as this font) rather than a sans serif type font. Compare:
Virtually all major newspapers and magazines use a serif type because of the evidence that favors its readability.
Very few publications use a sans serif type because in larger doses it is considered to be tiring to the eye. - Organization - GIA hymnals are user-friendly, organized according to the way we pray as Roman Catholics. Everything is easy to find, even without using the index. The psalm sections are arranged numerically by psalm number. The hymn sections begin with Advent and progress through the liturgical year, continuing with major thematic categories, and concluding with music for specific feast days and rites.
- Coordination - For all GIA hymnals the pew, choir, guitar, keyboard, and instrumental editions are fully coordinated! For example, in Gather Comprehensive, "Amazing Grace"is hymn #612 in the pew book, #612 in the choir book, #612 in the guitar books, #612 in the keyboard books, and #612 in the instrumental editions. No searching through indexes, alphabetical binders, or yearly supplements.
- Comprehensiveness - More music from more sources. We're not reluctant to license music from other publishers. In order to make GIA hymnals truly comprehensive-including as much as possible of the wonderful worship tunes and texts available-we have drawn from the widest range of sources of anyone in the industry. Some subscription worship aids, on the other hand, choose to include a minimum of music from outside resources.
- Repertoire - GIA hymnals contain the most widely sung music in the church today, and plenty of it. Classic hymns, psalms galore, music by the most widely sung composers of our time, e.g., Haugen, Haas, Joncas, Proulx, Schutte, Dufford, and so many others; outstanding European composers, e.g., Berthier (Taiz�), Bell (Iona), Walker, Farrell, Inwood, and indigenous music from around the world. You'll never run out of new music!
- Free reprint license - For a full three years, you can reprint (for congregation only) any GIA piece intended for assembly singing without charge or obtaining additional permission. After that your license can continue indefinitely for a nominal annual fee.
- Indexes - Simply the best. Every time a GIA hymnal has been reviewed in a liturgy or music journal, the reviewer has included praise for our comprehensive indexes. They are designed to be helpful to the pastoral musician in the work of preparing liturgy, and to the worshiper who has discovered the importance of hymn texts as prayers-prayer for nearly any conceivable intention or need.
- Cost - Beautiful, hard-cover, GIA hymnals can save a parish up to 75% on the cost of participation aids. Do the arithmetic, and be sure it includes shipping costs. Compare what is spent in just five years on annual and seasonal worship aids to the cost of permanent hymnals. Plus, you can keep the hymnals for as long as you like, increasing your savings even more.