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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

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.

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 the 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 11, 2020

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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 Los Angeles.—(Read full biography).

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Quick Thoughts

    Symposium Draft Schedule Released!
    Those who head over to the Symposium Website will notice the tentative schedule for 2023 has been released. This is all very exciting! Very soon, we will begin accepting applications, so please make sure you have subscribed to our mailing list. If you are subscribed, that means you'll hear announcements before anyone else. (It’s incredibly easy to subscribe to our mailing list; just scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address.)
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    Good Friday Polyphony by L. Senfl
    The editor of the Sacred Music Magazine recently made available to the public this splendid article by our own Charles Weaver. It includes an edition of polyphony for the GOOD FRIDAY “Reproaches.” Renaissance composers often set the various offices of Holy Week; e.g. readers will probably be familiar with the beautiful TENEBRAE setting by Father Tomás Luis de Victoria (d. 1611). From what I can tell, Ludwig Senfl (d. 1543) was originally a Catholic priest, but eventually was seduced by Luther and ended up abandoning the sacred priesthood.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Coming Soon! • Symposium 2023
    A few weeks ago, dates were announced for Sacred Music Symposium 2023. The rehearsal videos are beginning to appear! For example, the KYRIE ELEYSON contains sections by Lassus, Victoria, and Palestrina. You can see and hear Part 1 at this link. Much more information about this wonderful conference will be released soon!
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“Some of our younger parish clergy read their sermons. This should not be done except for some very special reason. The priest who is not capable of preparing and delivering a brief, clear instruction on Catholic teaching to his people is not fit to be in parish work. The people as a rule do not want to listen to a sermon reader.”

— Archbishop of Baltimore (9 July 1929)

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