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Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

When Hymn Names Don’t Match

Jeff Ostrowski · January 28, 2019

OR FIVE LONG YEARS, we sorted thousands of hymn tunes into “meter sets” as preparation for the Brébeuf Hymnal. The end result was about 4,500 files, meaning I can instantly pull up and compare all the various texts (and harmonizations) for any hymn. When one begins to study hymnody, one quickly discovers that multiple names are often assigned to the same tune. Even worse, many of the (pre-1950) Catholic hymnals omitted tune names altogether! In particular, in America after the Great War, many hymnal editors changed “German sounding” tune names, causing great confusion. 1 For instance, if you want to avoid German, you can call LOBE DEN HERREN as “Praxis Pietatis.” The Episcopalian hymnal published in 1940 changed JESUS MEINE ZUVERSICHT to “Louise.”

“Shared” In A Bad Way • We often encounter hymn tune names that are “shared”—and not in a good way. I am talking about hymns like WALTHAM, which refers to one melody in Hymns Ancient and Modern (#324) and a totally different melody in the New English Hymnal and a totally different one in the Episcopal 1940 Hymnal (#259). The same is true for WELLS, which refers to one melody in the New Westminster Hymnal but a completely different melody in the New English Hymnal. There are many more examples: FULDA, ST GEORGE, ST BERNARD (cf. Hymns Ancient and Modern #188), and so forth.

Lacking Uniformity • If someone calls a hymn by a different name, don’t be too hasty to reprimand, because frequently there is no “correct” name for the tune. However, we can all agree that calling the same tune by multiple names in the same hymnal is unacceptable. George Ratcliffe Woodward has a good reputation when it comes to hymns, but look what he did here:

85571-ALTERNATE-Als-Christus-Mit-Seiner-Lehr-HYMN

Now look what he called that same tune in another section of the same hymnal:

85572-Als-Christus-Mit-Seiner-Lehr-HYMN

For the record, here’s how the Brébeuf Hymnal harmonizes it:

85570-Maker-Of-The-Starry-Sphere

Carefully examine these two melodies (“BOYCE” and “HALTON HOLGATE”):

90369 HALTON HOLGATE BOYCE

Look at the bass line, if you don’t see it.

HALTON HOLGATE is also called “SHARON” and JERSEY.

Perhaps the worst offender is “ICH BEGEHR NICHT MEHR,” which has a billion different names (including St. Leonard) and is used with different meters. Needless to say, there are numerous variants, with different passing tones, etc.

Here are some opinions I have vis-à-vis hymn tune names:

Unhelpful & Unspecific Names:

Easter Hymn
Epiphany
Lovely
Nature
National Hymn
Shepherds in the field
Veni Sancte Spiritus
French Carol
Sunrise
Harvest
Italian Hymn
Gloria
Truth from Above
Psalm 6
Simple Chant

Weird Looking Names:

Praises
Bow Church
Duke Street
Farley Castle
Monkland
Strength and stay
Pilgrims
Metzler’s Redhead No. 66
Redhead No. 46

Unprepossessing or Inelegant Names:

Oswald’s Tree
Toplady
Marching
Knickerbocker
Geronimo
Little Cornard
Pike
Old Bath
Batty
My Dancing Day
Stars of Ice
Long is our Winter

Hard to Pronounce Names:

Hyfrydol
Khanta Zagun Guziek
Lux Eoi
Edgbaston
Gerrans
Wallet Will Ich
Wir Pflügen
Ins Feld Geh
St Aëlred
Trochrague
Cwm Rhondda

Do you agree?

 


NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   For more on this subject, Google “Germanophobia.”

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Affordable Hymnal for Catholic Parishes, Jean de Brebeuf Hymnal, The Names Of Hymn Tunes Last Updated: May 10, 2024

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About Jeff Ostrowski

Jeff Ostrowski holds his B.M. in Music Theory from the University of Kansas (2004). He resides with his wife and children in Michigan. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    Cardinal Ranjith on “Active Participation”
    From 2005–2009, Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith served as Secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. He was considered ‘papabile’ during the last conclave. On 8 December 2008, he wrote this powerful statement concerning Gregorian Chant, participatio actuosa, celebration “ad orientem,” and other subjects. When it comes to the question of what “sacred” means, Monsignor Robert A. Skeris provides a marvelous answer.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 22nd in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for 31 August 2025, which is the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and Mass Propers for this Sunday are conveniently stored at the spectacular feasts website alongside the official texts in Latin.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “The Worm That Dieth Not”
    My pastor asked me to write a column for our parish bulletin with reflections on the sacred liturgy and church music. In my most recent article, I discuss “The Worm That Dieth Not.” At this website, you can access it conveniently; simply scroll down to the one dated 31 August 2025.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Solemn “Salve Regina” (Chant)
    How many “S” words can you think of using alliteration? How about Schwann Solemn Salve Score? You can download the SOLEMN SALVE REGINA in Gregorian Chant. The notation follows the official rhythm (EDITIO VATICANA). Canon Jules Van Nuffel, choirmaster of the Cathedral of Saint Rumbold, composed this accompaniment for it (although some feel it isn’t his best work).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Pope Pius XII Hymnal?
    Have you ever heard of the Pope Pius XII Hymnal? It’s a real book, published in the United States in 1959. Here’s a sample page so you can verify with your own eyes it existed.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Hybrid” Chant Notation?
    Over the years, many have tried to ‘simplify’ plainsong notation. The O’Fallon Propers attempted to simplify the notation—but ended up making matters worse. Dr. Karl Weinmann tried to do the same in the time of Pope Saint Pius X by replacing each porrectus. You can examine a specimen from his edition and see whether you agree he complicated matters. In particular, look at what he did with éxsules fílii Hévae.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

“There’s a world of difference between a thoughtful, wise Catholic and a bitter contrarian. In spite of what is claimed on certain blogs, being addicted to cable news and twitter does not make one an intellectual.”

— Jeff Ostrowski

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