“Hymns of the Faith” is an Adam’s Road Piano instrumental album, released in October of 2017. This collection of well-known, public domain Christian hymns puts a rich and diverse history of Christian songs on display with original flare. These eleven tunes make melody to our Lord Jesus, arranged and performed by Matt Wilder. Many of these hymns have historical significance, some of which are rooted in the time of the Reformation.

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“Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise him, all creatures here below. Praise him above, ye heavenly host. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.” This one-verse hymn, “Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow,” is a well-known doxology, a “word of glory” sung to give praise to God. This four-line doxology might just be sung more frequently than any other Christian music, written by Thomas Ken, an Anglican clergyman, in 1674.

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Martin Luther was a pioneer of the Reformation and a promoter of Solo Fide, justification by faith alone. “A Mighty Fortress is our God,” also coined "The Battle Hymn of the Reformation," was written in 1529. The hymn’s words are a paraphrase of Psalm 46. Luther was not only a brilliant lyricist but a composer, and wrote the familiar melodies of this Reformation anthem, along with myriads of other tunes still in hymnals today.

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When putting together an assortment of familiar and historically rooted Christian hymns, one can’t exclude “Amazing Grace,” perhaps the most beloved hymn of the last two centuries. This folk hymn was published in 1779, with words written by the English poet and Anglican clergyman John Newton—a former slave trader who eventually renounced his old ways after getting saved by Jesus. “Amazing Grace” has become an emblematic African American spiritual. Most significantly, it’s an anthem of forgiveness and redemption: contrasting man’s despair through sin with God’s incredible mercy.

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Every song has a story behind it. And many of these hymns are filled with rich historical significance and context. Please enjoy the melodies and original arrangements of “Hymns of the Faith”!