Setting a different text to an Easter hymn
  • adrienne
    Posts: 3
    Rather than teach my small parish a new hymn in the midst of Easter, I am wondering if there are any qualms to setting a new text to an already-familiar tune?

    My idea is to set Charles Wesley's "Christ the Lord is Risen Today" text to the EASTER HYMN tune (more commonly known for the hymn "Jesus Christ is Ris'n Today"). The meter is identical.

    The parish has been singing "Jesus Christ is Ris'n Today" quite regularly (during Easter) for a long time. I think this new text would help all of us be more aware of what we are singing.

    Besides, the Wesley text is beautiful!
    Lives again our glorious King; Alleluia!
    Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia!
    Once he died, our souls to save; Alleluia!
    Where thy victory, O grave? Alleluia!
  • ViolaViola
    Posts: 411
    Here we have no qualms about reusing well-known tunes to help people sing different texts.As long as people are warned in advance it's ok.
    We sing a different text to that tune, 'Christ the Lord is risen today, Christians haste your vows to pay' etc, which is a translation of Victimae Paschali, the Easter Sequence.
    The only problem with that is that people on autopilot can put 'Alleluia' at the end of every line, thinking it's the same as 'Jesus Christ is risen today...'. That wouldn't be a problem with the Wesley words, which are indeed very appropriate, and have the same Alleluias. Wesley wrote some good stuff!
    Thanked by 1adrienne
  • cmb
    Posts: 88
    While this text has been published to EASTER HYMN, it's more common with LLANFAIR. I'd be willing to bet your congregation knows it. Even if they don't, it's not a hard one to pick up.
    Thanked by 1M. Jackson Osborn
  • davido
    Posts: 958
    Don't improvise with tune/text pairings. There are traditional tune/text pairings for most hymns. Download the pdfs of some old episcopal, Methodist, and Lutheran hymnals, and you'll find that in the branches of Christianity that strongly valued congregational hymnody, the tune/text pairings are largely standardized, even among the different denominations.

    Plus, it's frustrating as heck when you know all the tunes and they sing the same ones over and over. People aren't stupid, they can learn a few tunes.

    Of course, liturgy committees and pastors will overthink this...
    Thanked by 2adrienne M. Jackson Osborn
  • CHGiffenCHGiffen
    Posts: 5,199
    Wesley's own people ... Methodists ... sing "Christ the Lord is Risen Today" to EASTER HYMN. Indeed, I grew up with this tune, not LLANFAIR, paired with this text. So, maybe using EASTER HYMN for this text is "improvising" for some Catholics ... but it is not so for many others (including some Catholics).

    Also, check the commentary at Hymnary.org. It lists EASTER HYMN as the most common tune for "Christ the Lord is Risen Today." LLANFAIR is the tune in only about 10% of the hymnals cited.

    Addendum:
    Again, Hymnary.org actually lists LLANFAIR as the second most common tune, after EASTER HYMN, for "Jesus Christ is Ris'n Today."

    Thanked by 2CCooze cmb
  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,424
    Well... there are people who do that!
    Anything to avoid learning a new tune.
  • CHGiffenCHGiffen
    Posts: 5,199
    Hmm. Even Workship III, # 462, (and, of course, The Hymnal 1940, # 95) included a different tune for "Christ the Lord is Risen Today" - GWALCHMAI, perhaps better know as the tune for King of Glory, King of Peace. This is a favourite of mine.
  • Kathy
    Posts: 5,513
    To add to the mayhem, there are differences across the pond of associations of texts and tunes.

    I think there are various levels of text-tune commitment. There are marriages, which are inviolate. There are texts that steadily go with certain tunes. Then there are texts and tunes that see other people.
    Thanked by 5CHGiffen melofluent cmb PaxMelodious Andrew_Malton
  • melofluentmelofluent
    Posts: 4,160
    There are marriages, which are inviolate.

    Brilliant.
    When one is so eloquent, Strunk and White's prescription seems more than reasonable.
  • CCoozeCCooze
    Posts: 1,259
    I grew up understanding "Christ the Lord is Ris'n Today" to be sung to Easter Hymn. It was that way in our church's hymnals for years.
    I was very surprised when I first saw it set to LLANFAIR - originally (for me) within the last... 3-8 years... perhaps only when we switched to the St. Michael Hymnal.
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • Kathy
    Posts: 5,513
    image
    Thanked by 2M. Jackson Osborn CHGiffen
  • Caleferink
    Posts: 435
    This text and tune are a very common pairing. I say go for it. While I don't normally advocate doing what I'm about to say, in this case I think you could just give them the text and then when you introduce the tune they'd know what they're singing and will go right along with it. LLANFAIR is easy to pick up, though - AABA structure. In fact, I get quite bored playing it, it's so repetitive, so I don't use it much.
  • tomjaw
    Posts: 2,789
    I will agree with Kathy, on this side of the pond we do have a better text/melody combinations. End PURPLE font

    My wife being Swiss German recognises many of the German hymn melodies that we use with our texts. She finds it strange to hear melodies she associates with say Christmas being used during Lent...

    Historically it is normal to have Hymns that are sung to more than one melody, that is the beauty of strophic hymns.

    As for marriages, I am sure that the 'Hic est Dies' considered it self married to the melody stolen away by the young upstart 'Veni Creator'...
    Thanked by 2Kathy CHGiffen
  • Adam WoodAdam Wood
    Posts: 6,482
    image
    easter-hymn.jpg
    2048 x 1253 - 205K
    Thanked by 5MarkS Kathy Liam Casavant Organist eft94530
  • Adam WoodAdam Wood
    Posts: 6,482
    Ugh, I just noticed the notesetting typo on the last line. Oh well...
  • Casavant Organist
    Posts: 807
    Better than having a house edition for performance with errors in it...
  • eft94530eft94530
    Posts: 1,577
    Adam, my favorite is ..

    Hymn melody (ANTIOCH)
    Hymn text (Amazing grace how sweet the sound)
    .. because at certain points the tenors and basses get to sing fun phrases.

    Perhaps you can engrave and post that score for posterity.
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