Comments on: On Texts and Tunes http://lutherankantor.com/2010/01/24/on-texts-and-tunes/ Receiving the gifts God gives through Word and Sacrament Fri, 09 Jul 2010 03:47:51 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Chris http://lutherankantor.com/2010/01/24/on-texts-and-tunes/comment-page-1/#comment-263 Chris Wed, 27 Jan 2010 05:05:59 +0000 http://lutherankantor.com/?p=1747#comment-263 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). 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).

]]> By: Jonathan http://lutherankantor.com/2010/01/24/on-texts-and-tunes/comment-page-1/#comment-260 Jonathan Tue, 26 Jan 2010 13:40:34 +0000 http://lutherankantor.com/?p=1747#comment-260 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. 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.

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