Hymns and Sacred Songs consists of six sections written in chronological order with charts and illustrations. The first section is "Evidences of music in the Bible and the Dead Sea Scrolls." Part Two "The decline of Rome and the rise of the papacy" Part Three covers the pre-Luther reformers, Martin Luther, Calvin and metrical psalmody, and early English psalmody. Part Four, "Hymns for the people" discusses later English hymnody, German and American hymnody, Watts and his friends, the Wesleyan movement, later German hymnody and the development of American hymnody until 1789. Part Five includes nineteenth century English and American hymnody. Part Six, The century of change (the 20th) and continues to the situation of the 21st.