50 Old Hymns and Gospel Songs Trivia Questions and Answers

There’s a certain kind of song you don’t so much remember as carry. You could be at the kitchen sink when the first line drifts up from somewhere deep, and suddenly you’re back in a wooden pew on a Sunday morning, a hymnal open in your hands and the whole congregation finding the tune together.

These 50 questions travel through the old hymns and gospel songs that have comforted people for generations. The answer sits right under each question, so sing along, play with friends, or simply let the memories come.

The Best-Loved Old Hymns

1. “Amazing Grace” was written by an English clergyman who had once captained ships in the Atlantic slave trade. What was his name?

John Newton, who came to deeply regret those years and later spoke out against slavery.

2. Fill in the famous first line: “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a ___ like me.”

“Wretch.”

3. In which 1779 collection, put together with the poet William Cowper, did “Amazing Grace” first appear?

The Olney Hymns.

4. The melody we almost always sing “Amazing Grace” to has a name of its own. What is it?

“New Britain.”

5. The verse beginning “When we’ve been there ten thousand years” wasn’t Newton’s. In which 1852 anti-slavery novel did it famously appear?

Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

6. “The Old Rugged Cross,” about a cross on a hill far away, was written around 1912 by which traveling Methodist evangelist?

George Bennard.

7. Before he became a Methodist, George Bennard had come to faith through the work of which organization?

The Salvation Army.

8. “In the Garden” (1912) was written by C. Austin Miles. What had been his trade before songwriting?

He had been a pharmacist.

9. Which woman’s meeting with the risen Jesus in the garden inspired “In the Garden”?

Mary Magdalene, in the Gospel of John.

10. “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” began as a poem Joseph Scriven wrote in 1855 to comfort a loved one. Whom was he comforting?

His mother, back in Ireland while he lived in Canada.

11. Scriven wrote only the words. Which composer added the familiar tune in 1868?

Charles Converse.

Songs Born of Sorrow

12. “It Is Well with My Soul” was written in 1873 by Horatio Spafford after a terrible loss at sea. What had happened?

His four daughters drowned when their ship went down.

13. What was the name of the ship whose sinking inspired the hymn?

The SS Ville du Havre.

14. Spafford’s wife survived the wreck and cabled him from Europe. What was her name?

Anna.

15. Who composed the hymn’s tune, naming it after that very ship?

Philip Bliss.

16. “Take My Hand, Precious Lord” was written in 1932 by Thomas A. Dorsey after losing his wife and newborn son. By what title is Dorsey widely honored?

The Father of Gospel Music.

17. Before he wrote gospel songs, Dorsey had been a blues pianist performing under what colorful nickname?

“Georgia Tom.”

18. “Precious Lord” was the favorite hymn of which civil-rights leader, who asked for it the night he was killed?

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

19. Which great gospel singer sang “Precious Lord” at Dr. King’s funeral in 1968?

Mahalia Jackson.

The Blind Poet: Fanny Crosby

20. Fanny Crosby, among the most prolific hymn writers who ever lived, wrote her verses despite a lifelong difficulty. What was it?

She was blind, having lost her sight as an infant.

21. Roughly how many hymns did Fanny Crosby write in her lifetime — hundreds, thousands, or just a few dozen?

Thousands — more than 8,000 by most counts.

22. Crosby wrote “Blessed Assurance” (1873) after a friend played her a new melody and asked her to fit words to it. Who composed that tune?

Phoebe Knapp.

23. Which other enduring Crosby hymn opens by giving God the glory “for the things He hath done”?

“To God Be the Glory.”

24. Because publishers balked at so many hymns from one person, Crosby often used invented names. About how many pen names did she use?

Nearly 200.

Gospel Takes Flight

25. “I’ll Fly Away,” a staple of church singings and bluegrass jams alike, was written in 1929 by whom?

Albert E. Brumley.

26. “I’ll Fly Away” is often called the most ___ gospel song in history. The most what?

Recorded.

27. “His Eye Is on the Sparrow” (1905) draws its comfort from Jesus’ words about sparrows in which Gospel?

The Gospel of Matthew.

28. Actress and singer Ethel Waters so loved “His Eye Is on the Sparrow” that she borrowed its title for what?

Her autobiography.

29. Thomas Dorsey wrote “Peace in the Valley” in 1937 with which gospel singer in mind?

Mahalia Jackson.

30. Which rock ’n’ roll star later recorded a million-selling version of “Peace in the Valley”?

Elvis Presley — and country star Red Foley had a million-seller with it too.

The Great Gospel Voice and the Spirituals

31. Mahalia Jackson, one of the greatest gospel voices of all time, was born in which Louisiana city?

New Orleans.

32. Her 1947 recording “Move On Up a Little Higher” sold around how many copies, making her a star?

About two million.

33. In August 1963, Mahalia Jackson sang in Washington, D.C., the same day Dr. King gave his most famous speech. What was the event?

The March on Washington.

34. “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” is an African-American spiritual. Its chariot imagery echoes the Old Testament story of which prophet carried up to heaven?

Elijah.

35. “Swing Low” is credited to Wallace Willis, who lived in what is now which U.S. state?

Oklahoma.

36. Which famous group of singers from a Tennessee university toured the world and helped make spirituals like “Swing Low” known everywhere?

The Fisk Jubilee Singers.

Hymns Across the Years

37. “Rock of Ages,” with its plea “cleft for me,” was written in the 1700s by which English minister?

Augustus Toplady.

38. Legend says Toplady wrote it while sheltering from a storm in a gap in the rocks. Do most hymn historians believe that story?

No — most of them doubt it.

39. “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” (1923) takes its title and theme from which book of the Old Testament?

Lamentations.

40. “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” became a beloved favorite at the crusades of which 20th-century evangelist?

Billy Graham.

41. Which singer, Billy Graham’s soloist for some 66 years, is best remembered for his rendition of “How Great Thou Art”?

George Beverly Shea.

42. George Beverly Shea sang almost to the very end of a remarkably long life. How old was he when he died in 2013 — 84, 94, or 104?

104 years old.

43. Shea also set to music the song “I’d Rather Have Jesus.” Did he write its tune or its words?

The tune — the words were a poem by Rhea Miller.

44. “How Great Thou Art” began life as a poem in which Scandinavian country?

Sweden.

45. Who wrote that original Swedish poem, “O Store Gud,” back in the 1880s?

Carl Boberg.

46. The English words we sing today were written by a British missionary named Stuart Hine, who first heard a version of the song while serving in which country?

Ukraine.

A Few to Finish

47. Thomas Dorsey’s life bridged two very different kinds of music. Which two?

The blues and gospel.

48. “How Great Thou Art” traveled a long way to English: Stuart Hine heard it sung in Russian, from a German translation of the original Swedish. In roughly what year did Hine finish his English version?

1949.

49. Mahalia Jackson’s mentor, who wrote “Precious Lord” and “Peace in the Valley,” once called her the “Empress of gospel singers.” Who was he?

Thomas A. Dorsey.

50. Last one: “Amazing Grace” recently passed a major birthday. Is it about 100, about 250, or about 500 years old?

About 250 years old — it was first published in 1779.

Frequently asked questions

How can I use these questions at church or a care home?

They’re wonderful for a Sunday fellowship hour, a Bible study, or an afternoon in a care home. Read each one aloud, let folks call out the answer, and then — the best part — sing a verse of the hymn together before moving on. The familiar old tunes bring even the quietest rooms to life.

What is the difference between a hymn and a gospel song?

The lines blur, but an old hymn like “Rock of Ages” tends to be a more formal poem of praise, while gospel songs — think “Precious Lord” or “I’ll Fly Away” — grew out of the American church with a warmer, more rhythmic feel. Many songs here are loved as both.

Who is called the Father of Gospel Music?

Thomas A. Dorsey, who left a career as a blues pianist to write sacred songs. After losing his wife and son in 1932 he wrote “Take My Hand, Precious Lord,” one of the most beloved gospel songs ever written.

Where can I find more music trivia?

If these stirred your memory, keep the music going with our soul music trivia questions and answers, which grew straight out of the gospel tradition, or wander back to the coffeehouses with our folk music trivia.

Sources

• Amazing Grace — Wikipedia
• Take My Hand, Precious Lord — Wikipedia
• Fanny Crosby — Wikipedia

How many did you know by heart? Play our trivia quizzes and keep the old songs singing.