1. The pietistic school, characterized by a biblical and practical tendency. The spiritual life of believers, the work of grace in conversion, growth in holiness, the varying conditions and experiences of the religious life, were favourite themes. They were fitted, not so much for use in the public services, as for private devotion, and few comparatively have been retained in collections of church hymns. The later productions of this school sank more and more into sentimentalism and allegorical and fanciful play of words. We may distinguish among the Halle pietists an older school, A.D. 1690-1720, and a younger, A.D. 1720-1750. The former, coloured by the fervent piety of Francke, produced simple, hearty, and often profound songs. The most distinguished representatives were =Freylinghausen=, died A.D. 1739, Francke’s son-in-law, and director of the Halle Orphanage, editor in A.D. 1717 of a hymn-book widely used among the pietists, was author of the hymns “Pure Essence, spotless Fount of Light,” “The day expires;” =Chr. Fr. Richter=, physician to the Orphanage, died A.D. 1711, author of thirty-three beautiful hymns, including “God, whom I as Love have known;” =Emilia Juliana=, Countess of Schwarzburg Rudolstadt, died A.D. 1706, who wrote 586 hymns, including “Who knows how near my end may be?” =Schröder=, pastor in Magdeburg, died A.D. 1728, wrote “One thing is needful: Let me deem;” =Winckler=, cathedral preacher of Magdeburg, died A.D. 1722, author of “Strive, when thou art called of God;” =Dessler=, rector of Nuremburg, died A.D. 1722, composer of “I will not let Thee go, Thou help in time of need,” “O Friend of souls, how well is me;” =Gotter=, died A.D. 1735, who wrote, “O Cross, we hail thy bitter reign;” =Cresselius=, pastor in Dusseldorf [Düsseldorf], author of “Awake, O man, and from thee shake.” The younger Halle school represents pietism in its period of decay. Its best representatives are =J. J. Rambach=, professor at Giessen, died A.D. 1735, who wrote “I am baptized into thy name;” =Allendorf=, court preacher at Cöthen, died A.D. 1773, editor of a collection of poetic renderings from the Canticles.