On Texts and Tunes
One of my Sunday afternoon rituals is to listen to Sing for Joy produced by St. Olaf College. It is a half hour weekly program of sacred music based on the three-year Revised Common Lectionary which usually, though not always, meshes with the Lutheran Service Book 3-year lectionary.
I was caught off guard when “Hail to the Lord’s Anointed” was introduced on the program. At church this morning we sang this hymn (LSB 398) with the usual tune (FREUT EUCH, IHR LIEBEN) that has been used in at least 4 generations of LCMS hymnals. The setting on Sing for Joy was set to ES FLOG EIN KLEINS WALDVOGELEING (the tune used for the Gloria in Excelsis, LSB Setting 4). And it was the Gloria that came to my mind when the hymn began.
Hymn texts and tunes are often intimately connected in a worshiping community. The tune helps to carry and reinforce the text and make the text more memorable. Moreover, singing helps us to inwardly digest the hymn text.
Unfortunately, sometimes a tune is deemed “too hard” so a worthy text is disliked or not sung at all. Conversely, a lacking text might be overused because the tune is appealing. Consider Luther’s “From Depths of Woe I Cry to Thee.” While it does not have an easy hymn tune, the tune superbly supports and interprets the text. I can’t imagine singing that text to a different tune. When possible, a choir or small ensemble can introduce and assist in difficult hymns. And yes, it is OK sometimes to choose an alternate tune if needed, but please don’t pick another tune with the same meter before checking it out. The lilting tune ALLEIN GOTT IN DER HOH (tune for All Glory Be to God on High) has the same meter as AUS TIEFER NOT (tune for From Depths of Woe), but doesn’t fit the spirit of the text.
One particular good tune reassignment in Lutheran Service Book comes to mind: Hark! A Thrilling Voice is Sounding (LSB 345). In both Lutheran Worship and Lutheran Book of Worship the tune was FREUEN WIR UNS ALL IN EIN. I like this tune in a minor key, but I suspect it wasn’t used much. Most other hymnals and now LSB have used MERTON as the hymn tune. With the new tune in LSB my congregations now willingly sing this text.
An added benefit of the close connection between text and tune is for the parish musician, particularly the organist. The organ can “sing” a hymn tune as a prelude or postlude. The congregation, if familiar with the tune, may associate the appropriate text and use it as an opportunity to meditate on the words. If the text or tune is not familiar, with some forethought the hymn information could be inserted into the service folder for reference.
Back full circle to where I began: While I didn’t expect to hear “Hail to the Lord’s Anointed” today with a different tune, the alternate tune provided a fresh and satisfying opportunity to sing the text.
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During the first few centuries of the Lutheran church, hymn tunes and texts were not always wedded together. To Jordan Came the Christ, our Lord was originally sung to ES WOLLE GOTT UNS GNADIG SEIN (May God Bestow on Us His Grace); it received its current tune in 1541. Similarly, we have O DASS ICH TAUSEND ZUNGEN HÄTTE in a version from Dresden (LSB 566) in addition to the one put with the text O That I Had a Thousand Voices. The text you mention, From Depths of Woe, has two tunes associated with it. Some of Germany sang it to AUS TIEFER NOT, as it is given in LSB, but other parts of Germany sang it to a different tune (given at LSB 625, sometimes referred to as AUS TIEFER NOT II—see the LSB index). I do agree with you that the first tune is way better for this text. Even towards the middle of the eighteenth century, as testified by Türk, the organist was given extreme leeway in his choice of tunes; he could choose almost any tune he wanted (in the proper meter) for a text, and harmonize it as he saw fit.
Jonathan: Thanks for the history lesson on hymn tunes! Over time it seems that texts and tunes tend to gravitate to one another — not necessarily for all hymns, but many of them. And the people in a faith microcosm (whether congregation, region, or church body) expect a certain association between the tune and text.
I chuckled regarding your comment about the organist having extreme leeway in the choice of tunes. On occasion I will substitute an alternate tune for a variety of reasons. Last Advent I nearly caused a metaphorical “riot” when I used the “wrong” tune for Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates – I assumed MACHT HOCH DIE TUR was more familiar. Nope! They wanted MILWAUKEE and kindly let me know after the service that I had committed a musical sin. Similar things happen when singing My Hope is Built on Nothing Else — the favorite tune is the one that’s not played (whether it be MAGDALEN, MELITA, or THE SOLID ROCK).