This Sunday, August 2 is "Bench Swap" Sunday. This Sunday, our organist, Tim Claubaugh, will play the 8:00 and 10:30 services at Zion Lutheran Church while the organist at Zion Lutheran Church, Ron Borchardt, will play the 7:30 and 9:30 Masses here at St. Mary's.
This show of "Ecumenicalism" is just one of many that Zion Lutheran and St. Mary's have shared over the years. Others include choirs from both churches joining forces to sing at services and concerts as well as several occasions where together they sang the National Anthem on the field at Progressive Field before a Cleveland Indians game.
Monday, July 27, 2009
FUNERAL FOR ALICE J. CONLEY
Funeral Mass for Alice J. Conley will be on Wednesday, July 29 at 10:00 a.m. Choir members are asked to be in church by 9:45.
For the Sandusky Register obituary link, click here.
For the Sandusky Register obituary link, click here.
HYMNODY: PART 3: "METER"
By Tim Claubaugh
Again, as in the previous articles in this series, you may want to click here for a printable version of this article and take it to church with you so that you can reference it with the hymn examples listed in this article.
In this article, we will be looking at just traditional hymns, because traditional hymns are the hymns that use meter references.
There are two definitions of meter: one lyrical, and one musical. According to Mr Webster, the lyrical definition of meter is, “A systematically arranged and measured basic pattern…a fixed metrical pattern: verse form.” The Harvard dictionary of Music defines musical meter as, “The pattern of fixed temporal units called beats, by which the time span of a piece of music or a section thereof is measured.” Hymn singing combines these two definitions into one.
Every traditional hymn has a meter references with it. In the hymnal that we use at St. Mary (“Gather Comprehensive”), these hymn “meters” can be found at the end of every traditional hymn after the HYMN TUNE listing. For example, on # 528, “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore You,” if one looks at the end of the hymn under the last staff, one will see “Tune: HYMN TO JOY 8 7 8 7 D” So “8 7 8 7 D” is the meter to this famous hymn.
What do these numbers mean?
If we take a look at the text of this hymn, we will see that each phrase alternates between 8 syllables and 7 syllables in length:
Joyful, joyful, we adore you, = 8 syllables
God of glory, Lord of love; = 7 syllables
Hearts unfold like flowers before you, = 8 syllables
Opening to the sun above. = 7 syllables
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness; = 8 syllables
Drive the dark of doubt away; = 7 syllables
Giver of immortal gladness, = 8 syllables
Fill us with the light of day! = 7 syllables
You will notice on the page in the hymnal that the meter is 8 7 8 7 D. The “D” simply mean that the same pattern is repeated. So, instead of 8 7 8 7, the actual meter is 8 7 8 7 8 7 8 7.
Other hymns with this same meter pattern that we sing are: # 626 There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy (hymn tune: IN BABILONE); # 663 As a Fire is Meant for Burning (hymn tune: BEACH SPRING); # 783 Sing of Mary, Pure and Lowly (hymn tune: PLEADING SAVIOR) and # 853 Alleluia! Sing to Jesus (hymn tune: HYFRYDOL).
Other frequently used meters are:
Common Meter (listed as “CM” in hymnals) which is 86 86. One such beloved hymn is # 612 Amazing Grace (hymn tune: NEW BRITAIN):
Amazing Grace! How sweet the sound, = 8 syllables
That saved a wretch like me! = 6 syllables
I once was lost, but now am found, = 8 syllables
Was blind, but now I see. = 6 syllables
Other hymns with this meter are # 343 Joy to the World (hymn tune: ANTICOH); # 484 (hymn tune: DIADEM); and # 635 (hymn tune: NEW COLUMBIA)
Common Meter Double (listed as “CMD”) which is 86 86 86 86. Number 646 I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say (hymn tune: KINGSFOLD) is one such hymn.
I heard the voice of Jesus say, = 8 syllables
“Come unto me and rest; = 6 syllables
Lay down, O weary one, lay down = 8 syllables
Your head upon my breast.” = 6 syllables
I came to Jesus as I was, = 8 syllables
So weary, worn and sad; = 6 syllables
I found in him a resting place. = 8 syllables
And he has made me glad. = 6 syllables
Other hymns with this meter are # 367 It Came Upon the Midnight Clear (hymn tune: CAROL); and # 890 America the Beautiful (hymn tune: MATERNA).
One final example (and not the last one that could be given by any means!) is the Long Meter (LM) which is 88 88. We’ll use the hymn # 469 Come Holy Ghost (hymn tune: LAMBILLOTTE) as an example.
Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest, = 8 syllables
And in our hearts take up thy rest; = 8 syllables
Come with thy grace and heav’nly aid = 8 syllables
To fill the hearts which thou hast made, = 8 syllables
To fill the hearts which thou hast made. = 8 syllables
Other LM hymns include # 430 I Know That My Redeemer Lives (hymn tune: DUKE STREET); # 747 All People That on Earth Do Dwell (hymn tune: OLD HUNDREDTH); and # 698 Take Up Your Cross (hymn tune: O WALY WALY).
There is a complete list of all metered hymns in the back of the hymnal in the “Metrical Index of Tunes (# 903).
The next article in this series will be on “Cross Tuning.”
Again, as in the previous articles in this series, you may want to click here for a printable version of this article and take it to church with you so that you can reference it with the hymn examples listed in this article.
In this article, we will be looking at just traditional hymns, because traditional hymns are the hymns that use meter references.
There are two definitions of meter: one lyrical, and one musical. According to Mr Webster, the lyrical definition of meter is, “A systematically arranged and measured basic pattern…a fixed metrical pattern: verse form.” The Harvard dictionary of Music defines musical meter as, “The pattern of fixed temporal units called beats, by which the time span of a piece of music or a section thereof is measured.” Hymn singing combines these two definitions into one.
Every traditional hymn has a meter references with it. In the hymnal that we use at St. Mary (“Gather Comprehensive”), these hymn “meters” can be found at the end of every traditional hymn after the HYMN TUNE listing. For example, on # 528, “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore You,” if one looks at the end of the hymn under the last staff, one will see “Tune: HYMN TO JOY 8 7 8 7 D” So “8 7 8 7 D” is the meter to this famous hymn.
What do these numbers mean?
If we take a look at the text of this hymn, we will see that each phrase alternates between 8 syllables and 7 syllables in length:
Joyful, joyful, we adore you, = 8 syllables
God of glory, Lord of love; = 7 syllables
Hearts unfold like flowers before you, = 8 syllables
Opening to the sun above. = 7 syllables
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness; = 8 syllables
Drive the dark of doubt away; = 7 syllables
Giver of immortal gladness, = 8 syllables
Fill us with the light of day! = 7 syllables
You will notice on the page in the hymnal that the meter is 8 7 8 7 D. The “D” simply mean that the same pattern is repeated. So, instead of 8 7 8 7, the actual meter is 8 7 8 7 8 7 8 7.
Other hymns with this same meter pattern that we sing are: # 626 There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy (hymn tune: IN BABILONE); # 663 As a Fire is Meant for Burning (hymn tune: BEACH SPRING); # 783 Sing of Mary, Pure and Lowly (hymn tune: PLEADING SAVIOR) and # 853 Alleluia! Sing to Jesus (hymn tune: HYFRYDOL).
Other frequently used meters are:
Common Meter (listed as “CM” in hymnals) which is 86 86. One such beloved hymn is # 612 Amazing Grace (hymn tune: NEW BRITAIN):
Amazing Grace! How sweet the sound, = 8 syllables
That saved a wretch like me! = 6 syllables
I once was lost, but now am found, = 8 syllables
Was blind, but now I see. = 6 syllables
Other hymns with this meter are # 343 Joy to the World (hymn tune: ANTICOH); # 484 (hymn tune: DIADEM); and # 635 (hymn tune: NEW COLUMBIA)
Common Meter Double (listed as “CMD”) which is 86 86 86 86. Number 646 I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say (hymn tune: KINGSFOLD) is one such hymn.
I heard the voice of Jesus say, = 8 syllables
“Come unto me and rest; = 6 syllables
Lay down, O weary one, lay down = 8 syllables
Your head upon my breast.” = 6 syllables
I came to Jesus as I was, = 8 syllables
So weary, worn and sad; = 6 syllables
I found in him a resting place. = 8 syllables
And he has made me glad. = 6 syllables
Other hymns with this meter are # 367 It Came Upon the Midnight Clear (hymn tune: CAROL); and # 890 America the Beautiful (hymn tune: MATERNA).
One final example (and not the last one that could be given by any means!) is the Long Meter (LM) which is 88 88. We’ll use the hymn # 469 Come Holy Ghost (hymn tune: LAMBILLOTTE) as an example.
Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest, = 8 syllables
And in our hearts take up thy rest; = 8 syllables
Come with thy grace and heav’nly aid = 8 syllables
To fill the hearts which thou hast made, = 8 syllables
To fill the hearts which thou hast made. = 8 syllables
Other LM hymns include # 430 I Know That My Redeemer Lives (hymn tune: DUKE STREET); # 747 All People That on Earth Do Dwell (hymn tune: OLD HUNDREDTH); and # 698 Take Up Your Cross (hymn tune: O WALY WALY).
There is a complete list of all metered hymns in the back of the hymnal in the “Metrical Index of Tunes (# 903).
The next article in this series will be on “Cross Tuning.”
Monday, July 20, 2009
HYMNODY: PART 2: HYMN "TUNE NAMES"
By Tim Claubaugh
Again, as in last week’s article, you may want to click here for a printable version of this article and take it to church with you so that you can reference it with the hymn examples listed in this article.
In this article, we will be looking at just traditional hymns, because traditional hymns are the hymns that use Tune Names.
Every traditional hymn has a “Tune Name” with it. In the hymnal that we use at St. Mary (“Gather Comprehensive”), these hymn “Tune Names” can be found at the end of every traditional hymn in capital letters. For example, on # 528, “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore You,” if one looks at the end of the hymn under the last staff, one will see “Tune: HYMN TO JOY…” So “Hymn of Joy” is the tune name to this famous tune that Ludwig Van Beethoven wrote.
Other examples are: # 524 “Holy God, We Praise Thy Name” (Tune: GROSSER GOTT); # 540 “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence” (Tune: PICARDY); # 407 “Hail Our Savior’s Glorious Body” (Tune: PANGE LINGUA); # 635 “The King of Love My Shepherd is” (Tune: ST COLUMBIA). There are many, many other examples throughout our hymnal.
So, how did these “tune names” come about?
Some hymns received their tune names because of the first line of the hymn in it’s original language. Such hymns as # 524 “Holy God, We Praise Thy Name” (Tune: GROSSER GOTT) where the first 2 words in the original German hymn are “Grosser Gott” (Great God). Or in the case of # 407 “Hail Our Savior’s Glorious Body” (Tune: PANGE LINGUA), the first words in that original Latin hymn are “Pange Lingua” (Sing, My tongue, [the Savior’s glory]).
Other times, the hymns may have received their tune names because of some special meaning in the hymn such as # 528, “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore You,” (Tune: HYMN TO JOY) where the overall meaning of the hymn is “Joy.”
Some hymns have saints names attached to them such as # 635 “The King of Love My Shepherd is” (Tune: ST COLUMBIA); # 614 “O God, Our Help in Ages Past” (Tune: ST. ANNE); # 888 “Tantum Ergo” (Tune: ST. THOMAS). It is not known why certain hymns have saints names as their tune names other than perhaps the composer of the hymn had a particular devotion to that saint, or perhaps the composer was organist or choir director at a church with that saint’s name.
Hymns may have other special “places” attached to them such as # 646 “I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say” (Tune: KINGSFOLD); # 790 “Immaculate Mary” (Tune: LOURDES HYMN); # 746 “This is the Day When Light was First Created” (Tune: NORTHBROOK).
Still other hymns may have absolutely no reasons why they have certain tune names assigned to them. Hymns such as # 540 “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence” (Tune: PICARDY); # 343 “Joy to the World” (Tune: ANTIOCH); # 320, “The King Shall Come When Morning Dawns” (Tune: MORNING SONG); # 727 How Good it is (Tune: DOVE OF PEACE).
A complete “Index of Tunes” can be found at # 904 in the back of our hymnal.
How are these “Tune Names” helpful?
Well, to the average church-goer, it may be no big deal. But to the church musician, they are VERY valuable! For instance, if the congregation is singing as the opening song # 524 “Holy God, We Praise Thy Name (Tune: GROSSER GOTT), the organist can look for GROSSER GOTT in the many volumes of music that they may have (or if they are really organized, they can look in their personal “catalog” of their organ music) and pull up several possible prelude pieces that they could play based on the hymn tune GROSSER GOTT.
So why doesn’t the organist look in their organ music collection under “Holy God, We Praise Thy Name?”
There are Many, Many hymns written with completely different text, but use the same hymn tune. For instance in our hymnal, the hymn # 528 “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore You” (Tune: HYMN TO JOY) can also use that exact same hymn tune to # 442 “Sing with All the Saints in Glory” (an Easter season hymn) and # 714”God Whose Purpose is to Kindle” (a social concerns hymn). Another example would be # 888 “Tantum Ergo” (Tune: ST THOMAS), a Eucharistic adoration / benediction hymn can be sung to # 662 “Christ is Made the Sure Foundation” (a hymn about church), or # 719 “For the Healing of the Nations” (a hymn about social concerns).
So by using the Hymn Tune name, rather than the Hymn Title, the organist has a much better chance of finding an organ piece based on that hymn tune because they can use the tune name (ST THOMAS) to find the hymn tune rather than the title of the hymn ("Tantum Ergo," "Christ is Made the Sure Foundation," or "For the Healing of the Nations."
The next article in this series will be on "Meter."
Again, as in last week’s article, you may want to click here for a printable version of this article and take it to church with you so that you can reference it with the hymn examples listed in this article.
In this article, we will be looking at just traditional hymns, because traditional hymns are the hymns that use Tune Names.
Every traditional hymn has a “Tune Name” with it. In the hymnal that we use at St. Mary (“Gather Comprehensive”), these hymn “Tune Names” can be found at the end of every traditional hymn in capital letters. For example, on # 528, “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore You,” if one looks at the end of the hymn under the last staff, one will see “Tune: HYMN TO JOY…” So “Hymn of Joy” is the tune name to this famous tune that Ludwig Van Beethoven wrote.
Other examples are: # 524 “Holy God, We Praise Thy Name” (Tune: GROSSER GOTT); # 540 “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence” (Tune: PICARDY); # 407 “Hail Our Savior’s Glorious Body” (Tune: PANGE LINGUA); # 635 “The King of Love My Shepherd is” (Tune: ST COLUMBIA). There are many, many other examples throughout our hymnal.
So, how did these “tune names” come about?
Some hymns received their tune names because of the first line of the hymn in it’s original language. Such hymns as # 524 “Holy God, We Praise Thy Name” (Tune: GROSSER GOTT) where the first 2 words in the original German hymn are “Grosser Gott” (Great God). Or in the case of # 407 “Hail Our Savior’s Glorious Body” (Tune: PANGE LINGUA), the first words in that original Latin hymn are “Pange Lingua” (Sing, My tongue, [the Savior’s glory]).
Other times, the hymns may have received their tune names because of some special meaning in the hymn such as # 528, “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore You,” (Tune: HYMN TO JOY) where the overall meaning of the hymn is “Joy.”
Some hymns have saints names attached to them such as # 635 “The King of Love My Shepherd is” (Tune: ST COLUMBIA); # 614 “O God, Our Help in Ages Past” (Tune: ST. ANNE); # 888 “Tantum Ergo” (Tune: ST. THOMAS). It is not known why certain hymns have saints names as their tune names other than perhaps the composer of the hymn had a particular devotion to that saint, or perhaps the composer was organist or choir director at a church with that saint’s name.
Hymns may have other special “places” attached to them such as # 646 “I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say” (Tune: KINGSFOLD); # 790 “Immaculate Mary” (Tune: LOURDES HYMN); # 746 “This is the Day When Light was First Created” (Tune: NORTHBROOK).
Still other hymns may have absolutely no reasons why they have certain tune names assigned to them. Hymns such as # 540 “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence” (Tune: PICARDY); # 343 “Joy to the World” (Tune: ANTIOCH); # 320, “The King Shall Come When Morning Dawns” (Tune: MORNING SONG); # 727 How Good it is (Tune: DOVE OF PEACE).
A complete “Index of Tunes” can be found at # 904 in the back of our hymnal.
How are these “Tune Names” helpful?
Well, to the average church-goer, it may be no big deal. But to the church musician, they are VERY valuable! For instance, if the congregation is singing as the opening song # 524 “Holy God, We Praise Thy Name (Tune: GROSSER GOTT), the organist can look for GROSSER GOTT in the many volumes of music that they may have (or if they are really organized, they can look in their personal “catalog” of their organ music) and pull up several possible prelude pieces that they could play based on the hymn tune GROSSER GOTT.
So why doesn’t the organist look in their organ music collection under “Holy God, We Praise Thy Name?”
There are Many, Many hymns written with completely different text, but use the same hymn tune. For instance in our hymnal, the hymn # 528 “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore You” (Tune: HYMN TO JOY) can also use that exact same hymn tune to # 442 “Sing with All the Saints in Glory” (an Easter season hymn) and # 714”God Whose Purpose is to Kindle” (a social concerns hymn). Another example would be # 888 “Tantum Ergo” (Tune: ST THOMAS), a Eucharistic adoration / benediction hymn can be sung to # 662 “Christ is Made the Sure Foundation” (a hymn about church), or # 719 “For the Healing of the Nations” (a hymn about social concerns).
So by using the Hymn Tune name, rather than the Hymn Title, the organist has a much better chance of finding an organ piece based on that hymn tune because they can use the tune name (ST THOMAS) to find the hymn tune rather than the title of the hymn ("Tantum Ergo," "Christ is Made the Sure Foundation," or "For the Healing of the Nations."
The next article in this series will be on "Meter."
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
FUNERAL FOR RAYMOND E. SKRINAK
Funeral Mass for Raymond E. Shrinak will be on Friday, July 17 at 10:00 a.m. Choir members are asked to be in church by 9:45.
For the Sandusky Register obituary link, click here.
For the Sandusky Register obituary link, click here.
Monday, July 13, 2009
SUMMER VACATION EXPERIENCE
Did you have a musical or liturgical experience during your summer travels / vacation? Whether it was good, bad, or indifferent, share it with us at music@stmarysandusky.org and we might post it (with your permission of course) on our website.
FUNERAL FOR GLADYS C. YOUNG
Funeral Mass for Gladys C. Young will be on Wednesday, July 15 at 10:00 a.m. Choir members are asked to be in church by 9:45. For the Sandusky Register obituary link, click here.
HYMNODY PART 1: WHAT IS IT?
By Tim Claubaugh
Webster's Dictionary states that a Hymn, "Comes from the Latin word, 'Hymnus' meaning song of praise." It also states that, "1a: A song of praise to God. 1b: a metrical composition adapted for singing in a religious service. 2: A song of praise or joy."
Harvard Dictionary of Music (HDM) states, "A song of praise or adoration of God (originally, in honor of Apollo; two hymns to Apollo of c. 150 B.C. are among the most complete remnants of ancient Greek music). In the early Christian era, the term 'hymn' was applied to all songs in praise of the Lord; later it was restricted to newly written poems, as distinguished from the sciptural Psalms and canticles." The dictionary entry then goes on for another two and a half pages talking about Hymns of the Eastern Churches, Latin Hymns, Polyphonic hymns, German hymns, and English hymns. I will touch on some of these in a future article.
The New Westminster Dictionary of Liturgy and Worship (NWDLW) does not give a definition of hymn, but rather, goes directly into the history of the hymn, beginning with the Latin Hymn. It is interesting to note that the NWDLW begins with, "St. Augustine described a hymn as 'the praise of God in song,' adding that praise of God that is not sung is not a hymn. St. Ambrose (339-397) is named as the real father of Latin hymnody."
TRADITIONAL HYMNS AND CONTEMPORARY SONGS
So what is the difference between "Traditional hymns" and "Contemporary Songs?"
Some traditional hymns have been with us for well over a thousand years. Some of the early hymns of the church such as "Pange Lingua" (# 407 in our hymnals) (which we still sing every Holy Thursday), "Attende Domine" (# 387) and "Salve Regina" (#779) just to name a few have been with us since the middle ages (ca. 300 A.D.).
Other traditional hymns came to us in the 1500's - 1900's. Hymns such as "Agincourt Hymn" (1537), "Now Thank We All Our God" (# 565) (1650's), "All Creatures of Our God and King" (# 533) (1623), "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore You" (# 528) (1823), "Holy God, We Praise Thy Name" (# 524) (1774), and "For All the Saints" (# 793) (1920's) come to us from that time frame.
From a musical standpoint traditional hymns, for the most part, are almost always written in 4-part harmony meaning for soprano, alto, tenor, and bass. The composer of the hymn also gives the hymn a "Tune Name" (which will be covered in the next article). From a lyric standpoint, the text of traditional hymns are written in a "meter" (which will also be covered in the next article), and are usually written in strictly verse style with no refrain.
Traditional hymns have stood the test of time and are just as good now as they were when they were written.
Contemporary songs are also hymns since they too are songs of praise to God and Jesus. Contemporary songs are songs written beginning in the 1960's to the present day and usually are not written in 4-part harmony as the traditional hymns are, but rather written with a melody line and guitar chords as the accompaniment. Many times they are written in a refrain / verse style and may also contain musical bridges and interludes.
Unlike the traditional hymns that have stood the test of time, some contemporary songs have drifted into oblivion because of their poor writing (either text, music, or both). Some that you may remember from earlier days are: "Dwelling Place," "Earthen Vessels," and one that I was particularly glad to see fall into oblivion was "Great Things Happen When God Mixes With Us."
Songs such as "We Are Called" (# 718), "Here I Am Lord" (# 686), "On Eagle's Wings" (# 611), "You Are Mine" (# 649) have stood the test of time and we continue to use to this day.
The Next article in this series will on "Meter and Tune Names."
For starters, you may want to click here for a printable version of this article and take it to church with you so that you can reference it with the hymn examples listed in this article.
What is Hymnody? Simply put it is the writing, singing, and study of hymns.
So, according to that definition, all of us participate in hymnody every time we sing in church. Obviously if we sing hymns in church, then there are those who also write hymns. But to "study" hymns? Who in there right mind would do such a boring thing ? !
Well, it may surprise you to know that musicians (especially church musicians) study hymns on a weekly, if not daily, basis. As someone who does this on a daily basis, I find studying hymns to be a very interesting and fascinating thing to do. Every time I study a hymn I learn something new; I'm always amazed at what I learn after studying a hymn.
I want to share some of this with you and in turn I hope that through this series of articles on hymnody, that it will open up an entirely new world of understanding and appreciating hymns.
First let's take a look at the definition of a "Hymn" from three different sources. The first is secular (Webster's Dictionary), the second is musical (Harvard Dictionary of Music) and the third is Liturgical (The New Westminster Dictionary of Liturgy and Worship).Webster's Dictionary states that a Hymn, "Comes from the Latin word, 'Hymnus' meaning song of praise." It also states that, "1a: A song of praise to God. 1b: a metrical composition adapted for singing in a religious service. 2: A song of praise or joy."
Harvard Dictionary of Music (HDM) states, "A song of praise or adoration of God (originally, in honor of Apollo; two hymns to Apollo of c. 150 B.C. are among the most complete remnants of ancient Greek music). In the early Christian era, the term 'hymn' was applied to all songs in praise of the Lord; later it was restricted to newly written poems, as distinguished from the sciptural Psalms and canticles." The dictionary entry then goes on for another two and a half pages talking about Hymns of the Eastern Churches, Latin Hymns, Polyphonic hymns, German hymns, and English hymns. I will touch on some of these in a future article.
The New Westminster Dictionary of Liturgy and Worship (NWDLW) does not give a definition of hymn, but rather, goes directly into the history of the hymn, beginning with the Latin Hymn. It is interesting to note that the NWDLW begins with, "St. Augustine described a hymn as 'the praise of God in song,' adding that praise of God that is not sung is not a hymn. St. Ambrose (339-397) is named as the real father of Latin hymnody."
TRADITIONAL HYMNS AND CONTEMPORARY SONGS
So what is the difference between "Traditional hymns" and "Contemporary Songs?"
Some traditional hymns have been with us for well over a thousand years. Some of the early hymns of the church such as "Pange Lingua" (# 407 in our hymnals) (which we still sing every Holy Thursday), "Attende Domine" (# 387) and "Salve Regina" (#779) just to name a few have been with us since the middle ages (ca. 300 A.D.).
Other traditional hymns came to us in the 1500's - 1900's. Hymns such as "Agincourt Hymn" (1537), "Now Thank We All Our God" (# 565) (1650's), "All Creatures of Our God and King" (# 533) (1623), "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore You" (# 528) (1823), "Holy God, We Praise Thy Name" (# 524) (1774), and "For All the Saints" (# 793) (1920's) come to us from that time frame.
From a musical standpoint traditional hymns, for the most part, are almost always written in 4-part harmony meaning for soprano, alto, tenor, and bass. The composer of the hymn also gives the hymn a "Tune Name" (which will be covered in the next article). From a lyric standpoint, the text of traditional hymns are written in a "meter" (which will also be covered in the next article), and are usually written in strictly verse style with no refrain.
Traditional hymns have stood the test of time and are just as good now as they were when they were written.
Contemporary songs are also hymns since they too are songs of praise to God and Jesus. Contemporary songs are songs written beginning in the 1960's to the present day and usually are not written in 4-part harmony as the traditional hymns are, but rather written with a melody line and guitar chords as the accompaniment. Many times they are written in a refrain / verse style and may also contain musical bridges and interludes.
Unlike the traditional hymns that have stood the test of time, some contemporary songs have drifted into oblivion because of their poor writing (either text, music, or both). Some that you may remember from earlier days are: "Dwelling Place," "Earthen Vessels," and one that I was particularly glad to see fall into oblivion was "Great Things Happen When God Mixes With Us."
Songs such as "We Are Called" (# 718), "Here I Am Lord" (# 686), "On Eagle's Wings" (# 611), "You Are Mine" (# 649) have stood the test of time and we continue to use to this day.
The Next article in this series will on "Meter and Tune Names."
BENCH SWAP SUNDAY
Sunday, August 2 is "Bench Swap" Sunday. On that Sunday, our organist, Tim Claubaugh, will play the 8:00 and 10:30 services at Zion Lutheran Church while the organist at Zion Lutheran Church, Ron Borchardt, will play the 7:30 and 9:30 Masses here at St. Mary's.
This show of "Ecumenicalism" is just one of many that Zion Lutheran and St. Mary's have shared over the years. Others include choirs from both churches joining forces to sing at services and concerts as well as several occasions where together they sang the National Anthem on the field at Progressive Field before a Cleveland Indians game.
This show of "Ecumenicalism" is just one of many that Zion Lutheran and St. Mary's have shared over the years. Others include choirs from both churches joining forces to sing at services and concerts as well as several occasions where together they sang the National Anthem on the field at Progressive Field before a Cleveland Indians game.
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