Hymns for Lent
Forty days without an Alleluia — which removes more of the repertoire than most people expect.
Lent is penitential, and the music is expected to know it. The single practical rule that shapes hymn choice is the suppression of the Alleluia — not just in the Gospel acclamation, where a Tract replaces it, but in the hymns.
| Hymn | Where it sits | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Forty days and forty nights | Lent 1, opening | The Lent 1 hymn, on the temptation. Public domain |
| Lord, who throughout these forty days | Opening | Public domain |
| O love that wilt not let me go | Gradual or communion | Matheson. Public domain |
| Praise to the holiest in the height | Offertory | Newman. Substantial, and long enough for the job |
| When I survey the wondrous cross | Passiontide, communion | Watts. Rockingham. Public domain |
| My song is love unknown | Passiontide, gradual | Crossman, and Ireland’s tune. Check the tune’s copyright |
| Ride on, ride on in majesty | Palm Sunday, opening | Milman. Public domain |
| There is a green hill far away | Passiontide | Alexander. Public domain |
The Alleluia rule
Alleluia is not sung in Lent. That is straightforward for the Gospel acclamation and less so for hymns, where it can appear in a refrain or a final verse you have sung so often you no longer hear it. Check the last verse of anything you are not certain about — it is the usual hiding place.
Passiontide and Holy Week
The last two weeks turn from penitence towards the Passion, and the repertoire turns with them. Palm Sunday has its own processional shape, and the Triduum is not a normal service with hymns in it at all. Lent readings, all three years.
Questions
What hymns are traditional for Lent?
Forty days and forty nights; Lord, who throughout these forty days; Praise to the holiest in the height; and in Passiontide, When I survey the wondrous cross, My song is love unknown, and Ride on, ride on in majesty.
Can you sing Alleluia during Lent?
No. The Alleluia is suppressed throughout Lent, in the Gospel acclamation, where a Tract replaces it, and in hymns — including in refrains and final verses, which is where it is usually missed.