I’ll take the classical hymns any day. Forget the contemporary!
Amen! The grand old hymns were like mini-sermons. They had a theme, a purpose, and a point. They were crafted to not only be harmonious but to appeal to the ear’s natural sense of meter and rhyme, and strove to use the right words, not just any words. In contrast, many modern Christian songs seem to start with a tolerable tune, to which words are applied without regard to ear appeal. Then, running out of originality, they repeat the same stanzas again and again and again. I dread when our worship leader introduces another “new” tune.