I think it does help to have a strong sense for textual meter: know your iambs and trochees and what not and how idiomatic English tends to use them. Know which textual meter works best with what musical meters. One needs a good feel for the inherent musicality of idiomatic language. (Actors learn this, for example, by experimenting with myriad ways of saying the same script.)

I will offer one conceptual tip from none other than Stephen Sondheim. (Yes, I realize that citing a Broadway composer here, let alone Sondheim, is provocative here. But bear with me, please.) Sondheim, a very pragmatic craftsman, distinguishes between poetry and lyrics. To paraphrase and summarize too crudely: Poetry has its own musicality, and can be diminished by being set to music; lyrics, however, require music in order to come more fully into being.

Hey, when I was a senior in high school, I got to see Sweeney Todd in the first month of its original run, and had a center aisle seat about 13 rows from the front in the gargantuan Uris (now Gershwin) Theatre. From the piercing sound of that steam whistle, it was an indelible experience and I've never experienced anything like it (seeing Diana Rigg in the fully (and wonderfully) staged London revival of Follies a few years later was also indelible, just not as assaultive). "A Little Priest" went over like hotcakes with my classmates, we tried to remember as much of it as possible on the bus home that night. And the chorus that ran around the set was incredible, not just the featured stars.

I don't confuse Broadway and sacred music. But the craft of lyrics does not acknowledge a Berlin Wall between the two worlds, just a stern French border guard who is ready to tell you your papers are not in order but will take a bribe to ignore that.

EAF, I would refer you to our colleague Kathleen Pluth's excellent blog, HYMNOGRAPHY UNBOUND, as a great starting place for your interests.

I was waiting for Kathy to weigh in on this, because she is such an accomplished, nuanced, and excellent author of hymn texts and translations. She knows the subject well and everything she says about writing hymns is the best advice one could get.

Indeed, one cannot stress enough Kathy's advice and recommendations about preparation necessary for good hymn writing: read hymnals, read the Bible, read classic texts by saints on spirituality - and read their hymns and poetry. Her description of the initial writing process is very apt indeed. In prayer, seize upon a phrase or image and let it become a whole line. Ascertain the rhythmic pattern of that line and find one or more tunes familiar to you that fit that pattern. Then, in a most practical metaphor, she tell you to use the hymn tune or tunes you have selected to "sing your new hymn into being." It doesn't end there, however, and her advice is spot on to edit, honestly and scrupulously, tossing out what is not usable or appropriate, and to seek knowledgeable advice from someone else. Having done this, you will want to edit yet again until you have something worthy.

The question was also raised about writing hymn music as well as lyrics. Kathy's prescription for writing hymn texts made advises one to seek out appropriate hymn tunes to assist in the process of setting down a workable text. For the process of writing hymn tunes (and harmonizing tunes), much of Kathy's advice carries over.

Read - and sing (listening as you sing) - extensively - hymnals, trying to determine ascertain what makes a hymn, both music and text, great.

Listen to and sing, whever possible, motets and harmonized Propers of the Mass, especially those by the masters - and let the music you sing and hear breathe melody and harmony into your creative spirit.

It helps to have an excellent hymn text or poem in mind before attempting to compose the music for a hymn. Read aloud, over and over, the text which you wish to set to music. While you may and perhaps cannot help but have in mind some tune already associated with the text, try as much as possible to dissociate yourself and your mind from the tune and listen to your heart while trying to sing a new tune into existence. Once you have something workable for the first line or two, try to flesh your tune out to an entire stanza, paying special attention to overall form, using your awareness as to how successful hymn tunes arrive at a satisfying, meaningful end.

But the melody of a hymn tune is only the beginning, for the tune only comes alive when harmony has been breathed into it. This is perhaps the most difficult part of writing good hymn music, one where all too many "hymns" turn into "songs" of dubious quality. Good hymn music has good harmonic motion and cadence, in the same way that good poetry has good rhythm and cadence. Write and harmonize the music to match and enhance the rhythm and cadence of the text. You may need to alter, perhaps signigicantly, your original hymn tune melody, even if you have considerable harmonization skills. Don't be afraid to discard that which doesn't work.

Of course, it is all the more complicated when one sets about to create new lyrics and music for a work all at once, although generally one will work first with one (often words first) and then the other - and then, back and forth as the work evolves.

The best lyric poetry is the voice of the mind and spirit, and music comes from the heart as well as the mind. Music and poetry combined are the deepest, most profound, utterances and emanations of the soul.

Is there a particular Catholic hymnal worth picking up? I have one from Gran'ma, but she was a Protestant. There are a lot of new, good hymnals --- any old, good hymnals? (I feel like I need an education in what's old before I could really feel out what's good about the new.)

Alternatively, is it basically safe to do an Anglican hymnal? Anything in particular I should watch out for?

EAF

Well, among American hymnals, the 1940 Hymnal (Episcopal Church of the USA) holds the benchmark place.

There was a wonderful Companion to it that explains the history of all the items. Its availability varies in the used book trade, but I think it's worth getting for reference.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B000I3NZGA/ref=dp_olp_used?ie=UTF8&condition=used

The 1906 edition of The English Hymnal is famed for the work of Vaughan Williams (though there are a number of folks who do not favor his use of English folks tunes for sacred hymnody, it was the shape of Things To Come for the next century of English hymnody). What's nice about it is that it's all public domain.

Here's an image of the entire thing:

http://ia600404.us.archive.org/30/items/theenglishhymnal00milfuoft/theenglishhymnal00milfuoft.pdf

[screen 889=metrical index of tunes; screen 907= index of first lines]

Another index to the same:

http://www.oremus.org/hymnal/eh.html

And on this page you can find a drop-down menu of many Anglican Communion hymnals:

http://hymnal.oremus.org/

Anything to watch out for, doctrinally speaking?