Musically, when does a song become a hymn?
  • Adam WoodAdam Wood
    Posts: 6,482
    the only NEW texts that i have found up to par is kathy's

    You set one of mine.
    Thanked by 1noel jones, aago
  • francis
    Posts: 10,825
    ...and Adam... yes... I forgot about that Adam. What was the Title? Can I post it here?
  • CHGiffenCHGiffen
    Posts: 5,193
    I've set some of Kathy's texts, one of Adam's texts, one of Veromary's texts, and at least one of my own.
  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,414
    I don't know of a good term for the difference between chant tunes and the hymn tunes of latter times. Both, we should be certain about this, are metrical, both are hymn tunes. They are both metrical and are meant as the carriages of metrical hymnody. Both may be syllabic, or moderately neumatic and, in a few instances, both, less often, may be rather melismatic (as in the tune, Gloria, and numerous chant tunes). Chant tunes are monophony. Our latter day tunes, while highly melodic, are essentially the melodic line of an harmonic structure without which they often make little musical sense and without which are, at any rate, incomplete components. Chant tunes, while being metrical, do not have a beat, but are tied nonetheless to the metre of the text. It is notable that the metre of the text may to a lesser or greater degree be disguised or stretched by a chant tune which has significant neumatic (mildly melismatic) elements. So, a chant tune, unless being strictly syllabic, is not above playing around with the text's metre. What, then, is the decisive point of contrast between a chant tune and a modern harmonic one. Other than the harmonic element, it has a, can one say, double-dimensioned metre. By this I mean that not only does it fit the metre of the hymn, but also has its own mensuration super-imposed upon that of the hymn. I am still at a loss, though, for a tidy term for the essential difference between a chant tune (which is inherently metred) and one of our modern harmonic tunes which has both metre and mensuration. (Let the play begin...)

    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • Adam WoodAdam Wood
    Posts: 6,482
    What was the Title?


    O Gracious Dwelling of Our King

    Can I post it here?


    You already did.
  • Kathy
    Posts: 5,509
    Really beautiful!

    (Slight metrical issue at the beginning of line 15. Missing leading unaccented syllable. Easy fix I should think.)

    These are the kind of beautiful, mystical, theologically and spiritually sound texts that actually promote the New Evangelization, instead of merely talking about it. Sing the propers, surely, but give the people the opportunity to sing some beautiful theology like this and they will grow in their faith.
    Thanked by 1M. Jackson Osborn
  • cantorconvert
    Posts: 79
    What I would really like to see is a musical term for what we call tradition hymnody (as opposed to popular style church music). Aside from describing it out as Messrs Giffen and Osborne have done, it is really very difficult to talk about the genre. I had a professor who liked the term chorale for the musical texture of which we speak, but that term has distinct historical connotations and can describe a repertoire which varied considerably over a three hundred year period. Also, outside of the English speaking world, has "tradition hymnody" (the tonal, musical, SATB genre) ever really existed as we know it? Perhaps "English hymnody" or "British hymnody" is what we are really speaking about when we say "traditional" hymnody.
  • Adam WoodAdam Wood
    Posts: 6,482
    What I would really like to see is a musical term for what we call tradition hymnody


    the term is "traditional hymnody"

    And yes, it exist in a lot of non-english speaking places.

    Notably, everywhere.

    More specifically notable: Germany
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