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Hymns
with Similar Meters |
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The meter of a hymn is the number of syllables in a poetic
line of the text, such as: ·
Soft-ly
now the light of day = 7 syllables ·
Fades up-on my sight a-way = 7 ·
Free from care, from la-bor free = 7 ·
Lord, I would com-mune with thee = 7 So, the meter is 7777 Hymns that have the same amount of syllables in the line or
phrase make it possible to interchange the texts of these hymns with the
music of others with similar meters, which creates variety in singing the
hymns. Also, when hymns are sung to different tunes, the meaning of
the hymn may become more enhanced or seen in a different light. However, since the text of one hymn may not fit the mood or
words accents of another, one must use caution and discretion when switching
tunes and text. As a side note, during the early history of the LDS Church, it
was a common practice to do this, since there was no music written in the
hymnal that was compiled by Emma Smith. There were only texts, and everyone
sang in unison, as stated in
"Our Heritage of Hymns," by Carol C. Madsen,
daughter of J. Spencer Cornwall, former conductor of the Tabernacle Choir,
New Era, Nov. 1975, p. 10: "Finally, in 1835, a book of 90 hymns was published.
Brother Phelps wrote many of them and many were contributed by Eliza R. Snow,
Parley P. Pratt, and others. This publication contained words only, and the
Saints sang them to various hymn tunes in vogue at the time. Indeed, a number
of the hymns were sung interchangeably to the same tune." Abbreviations for
Meters SM (Short Meter) =
6686 CM (Common Meter) =
8686 LM (Long Meter) =
8888 D = meter is doubled Repeated last lines of hymns may be deleted in order to fit
the meter of another hymn, and some texts that nearly match each other can be
used. For more information about meters for LDS Hymns, click here |
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If you have found
hymns that interchange nicely with each other and would like to share your
experience with us on this website, please e-mail DeeAnn Stone (dstone at
uvago.org), and I will your post your comments here. |
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11/15/02 Hi. I am the relief society chorister of the Evanston 8th ward
(Wyoming). I found your web site when I was looking for a good way to explain
'meters' to my sisters in RS. I thought I'd share with you the 2 I have
switched. In December we are switching tunes to 207 - While Shepherds Watched
Their Flocks with 211 - It Came Upon A Midnight Clear. One week we will do
one set of words with one tune, and the next week the other words with the
other tune.
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