A note about "suggested tunes"

When I write a text to be sung in church, I always have a particular tune in mind. Most of the time, this will be a tune that already exists; sometimes, I will have created a tune in my own mind and then put words to it.

In this blog, you will notice that most of the hymns are provided with a metrical identification. For example:

The hymn for the Second Sunday of Easter, Year A, has underneath the text the following two remarks:

87.87. D

suggested tune: Hymn to Joy

The set of numbers (87.87.D) means that each stanza of this hymn consists of eight lines. The odd-numbered lines have EIGHT syllables in them; the even-numbered lines have SEVEN syllables in them. The "D" indicates that the rhythmic pattern is sung twice (therefore, each stanza has eight lines).

In most hymnals, a "Metrical Index of Tunes" is provided in the rear of the book. In "Worship III," for example, this index is found on pp. 1210ff. Once you locate 8787D in the index, you find that "Worship III" contains 18 tunes in that particular meter, which are used for twenty-six different hymns.

So:

In the blog post "Hymns for Easter, Year A," the following tunes are suggested:

Easter II A: 87.87. D, Hymn to Joy (Worship III, 467),

Easter III A: 87.87.D, Hyfrdol (Worship III, 588)

Easter IV A: 87.87.D, In Babilone (Worship III, 595)

Easter V A: 87.87, Stuttgart (Worship III, 364)

Easter VI A: Here's a case where this hymn can be sung in two different ways.

If you want a hymn with two stanzas, you could use the hymn tune "Salzburg" (Worship III, 410), with the meter being 77.77.D. Or, you could divide the text into FOUR stanzas, and add the word "alleluia" at the end of each fourth line---then you could sing it to the tune "Sonne der Gerechtigkeit" (Worship III, 460...the metrical index calls this "77.77 WITH ALLELUIAS").

Easter VII A: 10.10.10.10, tune "Sursum Corda" (Worship 582)