Saint John of Damascus (c. 675 or 676 – 749) was noted for his work as a hymn writer; some of the most popular English hymns which are translations of his works include Come ye faithful, raise the strain, Let us rise in early morning and The day of resurrection, all associated with the season of Eastertide and all translated by John Mason Neale.
[4] Many leaders of the Reformation, including Martin Luther (1483–1546) himself, were hymn writers; Luther's work included "Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott" ("A mighty fortress is our God") and "Christ lag in Todesbanden (Christ Jesus lay in death's strong bonds)".
Leading British hymn writers have included John Henry Newman (1801–1890), John Mason Neale (1818–1866), William Herbert Jude (1851–1922), Timothy Dudley-Smith (1926–2024), Michael Perry (1942–96), Michael Saward (1932–2015), Christopher Idle (born 1938), Fred Pratt Green (1903–2000), as well as James Quinn (1919–2010) and Brian Foley (1919–2000).
Other modern hymn writers include French-American Lucien Deiss (1921–2007) and Australian duo James McAuley (1917–76) and Richard Connolly (born 1927).
In the 21st century, Lu Xiaomin composed over 1,800 songs of praise for Chinese house churches, called the Canaan Hymns.